Water. Too much and too little.

PeteyogiW
PeteyogiW Posts: 60
in Health and Weight Loss
:drinker: Hi, I want some valid opinions on drinking water while trying to lose weight. I know water is great for you and 2 litres a day is a good intake. What I want to know is, if you drink 3 to 4 litres a day, does your body retain more of it and does it actually add to your weight, or maybe hinder losing weight quicker over the course of a week. We obviously pee more and when exercising, sweat more of it out, but can you enlighten me please people for the benefits and disadvantages, if there any disadvantages at all.
Thanks guys :-)

Replies

  • nas061
    nas061 Posts: 256 Member
    If you drink more than your body needs then it is simply passed out as pee. If your body needs water you will feel thirsty. If your urine is colourless then you are drinking too much - more is not better.
  • lynz4589
    lynz4589 Posts: 389 Member
    As above ^ the minute your pee is colourless then you know youve had enough! My PT doesnt get held up on the whole "drink at least XXX a day" his attitude is drink when you feel thirsty, or at least have 1 cup every 2 hours. So far its worked for me and if I feel thirsty then I just drink extra.
  • PeteyogiW
    PeteyogiW Posts: 60
    If you drink more than your body needs then it is simply passed out as pee. If your body needs water you will feel thirsty. If your urine is colourless then you are drinking too much - more is not better.
    Thanks. Could it lead to you not losing weight as quickly tho? I cant see how we can pee out all of the excess water so it must be retained and this could stay in the body as weight, is this the case?
  • Hendrix7
    Hendrix7 Posts: 1,903 Member
    If you drink more than your body needs then it is simply passed out as pee. If your body needs water you will feel thirsty. If your urine is colourless then you are drinking too much - more is not better.
    Thanks. Could it lead to you not losing weight as quickly tho? I cant see how we can pee out all of the excess water so it must be retained and this could stay in the body as weight, is this the case?

    Small changes in water weight are irrelevant.

    you should be concerned with FAT loss not weight loss.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    If you drink more than your body needs then it is simply passed out as pee. If your body needs water you will feel thirsty. If your urine is colourless then you are drinking too much - more is not better.
    Thanks. Could it lead to you not losing weight as quickly tho? I cant see how we can pee out all of the excess water so it must be retained and this could stay in the body as weight, is this the case?

    Very simply - no it doesn't stay in the body.
  • Lyra89
    Lyra89 Posts: 674 Member
    Listen to your body and drink when you are thirsty :smile: Keep an eye on your pee and make sure it is *almost* colourless...you should be peeing a lot throughout the day. I even get up at night to pee most nights! I feel a huge difference when I make sure I get in 2 litres, and 3 if I'm working out hard that day!
  • PeteyogiW
    PeteyogiW Posts: 60
    Thanks guys, my questions have been answered :-)
  • katevarner
    katevarner Posts: 884 Member
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_intoxication
    http://news.menshealth.com/overhydration-dangers/2012/06/09/
    http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=strange-but-true-drinking-too-much-water-can-kill
  • pkw58
    pkw58 Posts: 2,038 Member
    Other signs you aren't drinking enough water - chapped lips, dry skin, headaches, dry mouth, yucky complexion. Like everything else when it comes to your personal fitness... you have to learn to gauge how much you need based on your baseline, plus your activity level.

    I have just this week made a commitment to only drink water with my meals. I have a cup of coffee in the morning, and one ice tea in the afternoon. Main benefit? My food tastes really ...good!

    Side benefit - water is free! I am blessed to be in a city in Texas where the tap water is drinkable.
  • LCSoulkat
    LCSoulkat Posts: 89 Member
    Interesting, my pee becomes colourless after about 2 cups of water....Is that a bad sign? I thought the more it becomes and stays colourless, the better for the body?
  • Coffeeholic8
    Coffeeholic8 Posts: 272 Member
    On average I have been drinking around 3 litres a day for the past 7 or so months, it varies depending on the amount of exercise, and it has in no way hindered weight loss. I haven't got to teh stage during any of that where my urine is clear, it's normally sort of straw coloured.
  • StefieLou
    StefieLou Posts: 45 Member
    I've been trying to drink a lot more water, too.
    I think it helps me to have something to DO other than eat. I am also trying to keep my belly full.

    With the weather getting colder, I am pretty dried out, my lips are dry and my skin is getting dry, so I am hoping the water will help.

    The downside . . . I think my co-workers must think I am pregnant or something, because I am going to the bathroom a lot!!!!

    Good luck with your weight loss journey!
  • sarahrbraun
    sarahrbraun Posts: 2,261 Member
    my urologist has me drinking 12 cups MINIMUM per day.

    About 16 months ago I landed in the ER with hugemongus kidney stone. After 3 weeks of surgeries, the stone was taken care of, but my doctor felt it important to find out WHY I was forming stones. He did a 48 hour urine collection and found out...wait for it...I was dehydrated! I was drinking 64oz of fluid per day, and my urine was pale.

    This summer when I went for my annual check up, I drank about 15 cups of water for my 24hour urine test. The doc was VERY pleased with my volume. I specifically asked him about the 64oz water guideline that is spewed a million times a day here. It took me a few minutes to convince him that I wanted general knowledge, not specific to MY case, but when I did he told me that for every ONE person he sees who drinks too much water ( and has a medical situation caused by it) he sees a thousand people who are chronically dehydrated.
  • PeteyogiW
    PeteyogiW Posts: 60
    Brilliant comments people, thanks for taking the time :-)
  • PinkHurricane88
    PinkHurricane88 Posts: 156 Member
    I generally get in a good amount of water a day, but from looking at all of the posts, is it really a bad thing if you start having colorless urine? If so, why is that bad?
  • RPerkins726
    RPerkins726 Posts: 23
    An Osteopathic doctor I went to recommended that every person should drink half their weight in ounces of water. This makes sense because larger people have more cells in their bodies and require more water for cell function. So for me, I weigh 155 pounds and drink around 75-80 ounces of water per day. Much more personalized and specific for my body's needs then the general 64oz rule.
  • LCSoulkat
    LCSoulkat Posts: 89 Member
    I generally get in a good amount of water a day, but from looking at all of the posts, is it really a bad thing if you start having colorless urine? If so, why is that bad?

    I'm still waiting on my answer to that as well....I thought it would be a good thing and hope it still is....means all the crap is out of your system..no?
  • Spiritwarrior3000
    Spiritwarrior3000 Posts: 322 Member
    Clear urine is a good sign that your hydrated if its yellow it means your dehydrated and if you feel a burning sensation when you pee it could be an infection. But drink as much water as you want really i mean water is very good for the body so don't worry.
  • rachmass1
    rachmass1 Posts: 470 Member
    http://healthyliving.msn.com/health-wellness/what-your-urine-is-telling-you-about-your-health-1

    Lack of color is supposed to be a good thing
  • crimsoncat
    crimsoncat Posts: 457 Member
    For the record, overhydration is pretty hard to do as your body will tell you by subtle signs like throwing up:

    http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/overhydration
  • nas061
    nas061 Posts: 256 Member
    Urine is naturally yellow. Sure, a dark yellow indicates dehydration but aiming for colourless urine is not necessary.
    From Wikipedia...

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urine

    "Color

    Urine varies in appearance, depending principally upon a body's level of hydration, as well as other factors. Normal urine is a transparent solution ranging from colorless to amber but is usually a pale yellow. In the urine of a healthy individual the color comes primarily from the presence of urobilin. Urobilin in turn is a final waste product resulting from the breakdown of heme from hemoglobin during the destruction of aging blood cells.

    Colorless urine indicates over-hydration, generally preferable to dehydration (though it can remove essential salts from the body).

    Colorless urine in drug tests can suggest an attempt to avoid detection of illicit drugs in the bloodstream through over-hydration."
  • mate03
    mate03 Posts: 5
    If you drink too much you flush out more than water. craving extra ordinary amounts of water is a sign something is wrong such as diabeties or even cancer as your body craves to wash out the toxin be it sugar or cancer. I know this from experience. I was drinking over a gallon/ day and it was my first cue something was wrong. Had my sister inlaw heeded it as well as her doctor she might not be dead from cancer.
    Also if you drink way to much water you can have almost the same reaction as if you have heat exhustion. Suoer athletes have been know to super charge on water and end up in the ER. There is documented proof.
    8 cups is a guideline. When you exercise more you need more as well as in dry climates. Most people walk around in a state of semi dehydration. If you dring your about 8 cups you will have a clearer head as well as more energy and your body will function better. Give up the sodas, including diet, as well as coffee and tea and replace them with water and your will clean out everything. You will feel better as wel as your body will function better.
  • denezy
    denezy Posts: 573 Member
    The more water I drink, the more weight i lose.
  • JohnMessmer
    JohnMessmer Posts: 536
    The more water you drink, the clearer your urine, the more weight you lose. According to the Mayo Clinic, Adult Males should drink no fewer than 8 glasses a day, with a target of 3 liters (12-13 glasses).
  • PeteyogiW
    PeteyogiW Posts: 60
    The more water you drink, the clearer your urine, the more weight you lose. According to the Mayo Clinic, Adult Males should drink no fewer than 8 glasses a day, with a target of 3 liters (12-13 glasses).
    Just out of curiosity, does the water contained in beer count, or is it cancelled out by the alcohol content. May be a silly question, but curious anyway :-)
  • sarahrbraun
    sarahrbraun Posts: 2,261 Member
    The more water you drink, the clearer your urine, the more weight you lose. According to the Mayo Clinic, Adult Males should drink no fewer than 8 glasses a day, with a target of 3 liters (12-13 glasses).
    Just out of curiosity, does the water contained in beer count, or is it cancelled out by the alcohol content. May be a silly question, but curious anyway :-)

    to some extent it counts....but alcohol has calories and CAN be dehydrating. I personally would rather eat my calories than drink them.

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