Why do we have To Drink So Much Water

julimonster

Because you get dehydrated when you drink too much liquor ;-)

LOL:drinker:

Greg3705

I was once told we should drink half our body weight. For example a 300 lbs person should drink 150 oz. Keeps you hydrated, flushes you body, keeps you ph balance. Plus all if the restroom trips burn more calories

blondie1471

lol

rinnismom

it is said (somewhere, i forget) that to find out how much your body needs you take your weight and multiply by .5. the number it gives you is the ounces you should drink a day. for example: 167 x .5 = 83.5. that number tells me that i need 10-11 glasses a day.

i tweak mine because (obviously) i sweat more during workouts and during the summer. during the winter, i tend to keep it around 8 glasses, excluding my coffee. primarily, though, it's what your body is telling you. listen to it.

KENNEAN1

1oz per 25lbs, then that mean I need to drink appox. 13 cups a day. Well, I think I got that down pack, because i drink three 32oz cups a day.

WinnerVictorious

having eight 8 oz glasses of water a day is a complete myth. there is no medical or scientific basis for that.

drink when you're thirsty. that's sufficient. that's enough to replenish your body with what it uses/loses each day.

http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-18563_162-3991145.html

extra water also does not suppress hunger. extra water is also not needed to flush "toxins" out of the body.

jillica

I'm probably not gong to say this correctly/scientifically/accurately but I had a nutritionist tell me something like this...

If your kidneys aren't properly hydrated then your liver has to help the kidneys filter. If your liver is busy helping the kidneys, it won't be able to do another one of its jobs fully - metabolizing fat.

WinnerVictorious

take anything a "nutritionist" tells you with a healthy dose of skepticism.

http://www.quackometer.net/blog/2006/11/quack-word-16-nutritionist.html

icimani

I have a relative who has a PhD in Sports Nutrition and does research for the Army. Some of his research had to do with body core temperature and included how quickly the body recovered from overheating with just water, sports drinks, adding certain enzymes/vitamins/minerals, etc. He says that all liquid counts as "water" unless it contains caffeine, because caffeine can act as a diuretic.

I see a nutritionist - who is also a registered dietician and a certified sports nutritionist. (She's also a fan of MFP, at least the calorie tracker piece of it, but says there there are some really crazy people on the boards! LOL) She told me that she doesn't recommend a specific amount of water/liquid, but rather to go by the color of your urine which should generally be a light yellow. Of course, that color will be effected by many things - I take my multivitamin right before I go to bed so my urine color in the morning is pretty bright yellow.

mensasu

I have no proof to this but just a variety of things I have read re water

1) Hydration is important during weight loss as it helps your skin's elasticity and may help it "spring back" as the fat is lost and may help reduce or eliminate the droopy skin problem. For myself I notice that if I don't stay hydrated my neck will show more "looseness" during my weight loss.

2) As you lose/use the fat cells any toxins that were stored in them are released into your bloodstream and the water will help flush them. I have no idea if this is true but it makes sense to me as many toxins are considered fat-stored.

3) If you are on medications some are liver deactivated and others are kidney flushed. If you don't have enough fluid to flush your kidneys or if your kidney function is impaired then the second type of drugs are not reduced in your bloodstream as expected and you can have problems. At least that's what the cardiologist told my mom re her drugs.

4) Beyond that of course dehydration is bad and can cause death. I don't think you necessarily need the "8 cups" that MFP recommends nor that it be all H20, but for myself I try to get about 8 cups of liquids/day to help flush out any excess sodium as I also have to watch my high blood pressure.

As I said - just my thoughts

notmac

If your thirsty your already dehydrated

^^^ This, thirst is a late sign of being dehydrated, our body is largely made up of water, every system in our body relies on being hydrated. How much is enough, will always be a question and debate.

kms1320

having eight 8 oz glasses of water a day is a complete myth. there is no medical or scientific basis for that.

drink when you're thirsty. that's sufficient. that's enough to replenish your body with what it uses/loses each day.

http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-18563_162-3991145.html

extra water also does not suppress hunger. extra water is also not needed to flush "toxins" out of the body.

I don't think I've ever seen a more BS report. A couple snipets and some he-said she-said by one doctor, glamorized for ratings.

Tell you what, you do what has been working for you, and I'll do what has been working for me. Here's a tip.. posting on message boards doesn't burn calories.

dawndw

Plain and simple you can survive a longtime without food but you will die without water. I get dehydrated I get a migraine. i drink minimum 10 glasses a day.

ohmelgosh79

helps me poop.

THIS is true. among all of the other things people are posting about kidneys, toxins, skin, etc, it helps move things along.

LaLouve_RK

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/775650-water-drink-it-seriously

mabelbabel1

In the UK there is a Channel Four health programme called the Food Hospital. It looks at the effects food and diet can have on our health and medical conditions.

Last week one of the GP's did a piece on the myths surrounding drinking water...here's a link to it...it's worth a few mins.

http://foodhospital.channel4.com/The-Truth-About/pixie-investigates/series-2-episode/wonders-of-water-episode-5/

WinnerVictorious

having eight 8 oz glasses of water a day is a complete myth. there is no medical or scientific basis for that.

drink when you're thirsty. that's sufficient. that's enough to replenish your body with what it uses/loses each day.

http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-18563_162-3991145.html

extra water also does not suppress hunger. extra water is also not needed to flush "toxins" out of the body.

I don't think I've ever seen a more BS report. A couple snipets and some he-said she-said by one doctor, glamorized for ratings.

Tell you what, you do what has been working for you, and I'll do what has been working for me. Here's a tip.. posting on message boards doesn't burn calories.

fine. do what you want. drink as much water as you think you need. i don't really care.

however, the human body is a remarkable machine. we were "designed" with an alert that lets us know when we need to replenish our water supply. it's called thirst. it's been working just fine for us since the very first humans. you don't need to drink when you're not thirsty and you don't need to obsessively follow an "8 x 8" rule that nobody can support scientifically. that's all i'm saying.

RNTanya

I asked my friend who is a nephrologist about the 8 glass/day recommendation. He said the body probably only 'needs' 6 glasses a day and you're already about 5% dehydrated by the time you're thirsty. So I drink a minimum of 8 cups because my skin looks better and it keeps me from holding onto water weight. Again, it's personal preference I think.