Is daily water intake that important?

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  • lesbr
    lesbr Posts: 2
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    Thanks to all posters! Feedback is greater than expected and very welcome and informative. Varied opinions of course but I am particularly interested in avoiding stones and hadn't even thought about that one! On that basis I'm going to try upping my intake.
  • slkehl
    slkehl Posts: 3,801 Member
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    Oooohhh water is so important for you! Yes you get it from other sources also, such as food (i'm eating watermelon right now!) but it's also important to drink some too. many many many of the processes in your body require water. not to mention it helps to flush out toxins and waste and helps keep your skin clear. I love H2O! :)

    I've heard a lot about water "flushing out" toxins and wastes. How exactly does that work? I was under the impression that was the job of the liver, kidneys, and various hormones.
  • sarahrbraun
    sarahrbraun Posts: 2,261 Member
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    Yes.

    Basic rule of thumb: drink your weight in ounces of water. I.E.: if you weigh 120lbs you should consume 120oz of water

    120oz/ 8 oz/cup = 15 cups of water.

    The 8 cups is really a bare minimal number. My clients take down a gallon/day if not more.

    I think the rule of thumb is 1/2oz per lb. There is NO way I should be drinking 25 cups of water as a 200lb female, and I know DAMN sure I didn't need 29 glasses at my heaviest. My doctor says MY minimum is 12 glasses....
  • sarahrbraun
    sarahrbraun Posts: 2,261 Member
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    Oooohhh water is so important for you! Yes you get it from other sources also, such as food (i'm eating watermelon right now!) but it's also important to drink some too. many many many of the processes in your body require water. not to mention it helps to flush out toxins and waste and helps keep your skin clear. I love H2O! :)

    I've heard a lot about water "flushing out" toxins and wastes. How exactly does that work? I was under the impression that was the job of the liver, kidneys, and various hormones.

    well yeah, the liver and kidneys filter out the toxins...but they gotta have fluid ( water is best) to carry the toxins out of the body. In the case of kidney stones, the water dilutes the excess minerals, etc and washes them out. When you don't have enough fluid, the minerals tend to create crystals.

    Last summer I thought I was fine...until I landed in the ER with a 14mm stone. Generally, any stone over about 5-7mm needs surgical intervention to get rid of--you can't just pee those out. I had a stent placement ( to allow that kidney to drain despite the stone), a lithotripsy ( they beat your kidney with sound waves to destroy the stone. I peed blood for 3 days)...and then I found that the procedure had only broken HALF the stone, so I had a scope with laser...all within 3 weeks. It cost $40,000 for all the surgeries. Luckily I had good insurance and all but $200 was covered.

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