Is it possible to be drinking too much water?

MinCa70
MinCa70 Posts: 7
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all,

I'm new...

A quick question. I drink A LOT of water. Like... up to 14-16 glasses per day. No, I'm not diabetic... I've always been a big water drinker. And I haven't even started exercising regularly yet!

Do you think that kind of water intake helps or hurts my weight loss efforts (and health) long-term?

Just interested in your opinions. Thanks in advance. :flowerforyou:

Replies

  • nicola1141
    nicola1141 Posts: 613 Member
    Definitely helps. It is VERY hard to drink "too much" water. It can happen, but 14-16 glasses is not going to do it for you. Drinking water is healthy, helps flush out the system, gets your kidneys working. Drinking too much mostly happens in situations when you're losing a lot of sodium (mostly if sweating a lot) and drinking pure water without replacing sodium. Marathon runners sometimes, and a lot of those kids who died at raves? Well that's because they raved all night, drank tonnes of water, danced and sweated and didn't replace sodium. My dad's a neprhologist (kidney specialist) and when my sister was a raver, his advice was "if you're going to go and rave all night, at least eat a bag of chips first".
  • janetsalley
    janetsalley Posts: 122 Member
    water, water, water....is your friend, as matter of fact you have a head start on a lot of us because most of us only starting drinking water when we joined MFP!! Drink up!
  • spfldpam
    spfldpam Posts: 738 Member
    I drink 14 or more glasses of water that are 8oz most days. It won't hurt you and in face will help in your weight loss. My goal was 80 oz a day but now I try to get 112 oz or more in a day. I count decaf coffee, decaf tea, 20 cal hot chocolate, 0cal Sobe as water drank. I do drink plain water from time to time but mostly it's not but I was told by my nutritionist that is ok.
    Good luck!
  • ktliu
    ktliu Posts: 334 Member
    yes you can, it will wash off all the minerals you need.
    http://chemistry.about.com/cs/5/f/blwaterintox.htm
    Read the post above.
  • MinCa70
    MinCa70 Posts: 7
    Thanks, everyone! Wow, what a supportive group!

    I did read the article, as well, and the end quote was as follows:

    "The bottom line is this: it's possible to drink too much water, but unless you are running a marathon or an infant, water intoxication is a very uncommon condition."

    I usually add Propel Zero, and I've got an eye on my sodium intake. Also my... uh... (sorry) urine is still yellow (probably the vitamins and medications that I take), so I don't think I'm overdoing it.

    Just wanted to check in with y'all. Thanks again!
  • JerseyGirl081
    JerseyGirl081 Posts: 98 Member
    It definitely depends on the person and how active you are but yes you can have water poisoning but as you know it's pretty rare. As long as you are staying hydrated you should be just fine. I actually drink over a gallon of water a day with no problems at all. :smile:
  • sharleengc
    sharleengc Posts: 792 Member
    I pretty much only drink water. Besides the cup of coffee I have in the morning, that's all I drink. I couldn't tell you how many glasses but it's a lot. :)

    My only suggestion is to not chug a bunch of water then step on the scale.
  • CrazyTrackLady
    CrazyTrackLady Posts: 1,337 Member
    Yes, you can drink too much water. There is a condition called hyponatremia, which means too much water in your red blood cells. The water dilutes the blood cells and prevents them from functioning properly.

    I believe there is a lot of unnecessary hype out there about how much water we NEED to drink. I suspect the bottled water companies have something to do with this hype.
  • Determinedgirl02
    Determinedgirl02 Posts: 18
    I was told that in order to lose weight I should drink 1/2 my weight in water. So for me I should be drinking 13 8oz glasses of water a day. I don't usually count the water I drink while exercising...not sure if I should be or not. :smile:
  • 1223345
    1223345 Posts: 1,386 Member
    YES! People push water like it okay, and you could really literally kill yourself by drinking too much water!

    http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=strange-but-true-drinking-too-much-water-can-kill

    http://chemistry.about.com/cs/5/f/blwaterintox.htm
  • WillowBreeze
    WillowBreeze Posts: 102
    I drink about 120 oz a day.. that's 4 nalgene bottle, 16 glasses a day. I'm still alive and well. Remember, drinking coffee and sweating depletes the water in your body. Drink a lot of coffee or do intense workouts, you need to replenish and take in more than the "8 glasses recommended per day"
  • MinCa70
    MinCa70 Posts: 7
    My only suggestion is to not chug a bunch of water then step on the scale.

    LOL! Good point!!!
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    Possible, but unlikely. I did have water toxicity, however, i drank in the range of 190 fl oz.'s.

    Not advisable for a 5'3.5 girl.
  • Bmoviemama
    Bmoviemama Posts: 90
    It is very difficult to overdose on water. I'm a nurse and I have only seen this happen to renal patient or those with impaired liver function.
  • blanhe2
    blanhe2 Posts: 88
    As long as you do not drink them in one go, you should be fine!
  • stunningalmond
    stunningalmond Posts: 275 Member
    If it's not making you feel sick, I think you're fine. Like many others have said, it is possible to drink too much, but it's very hard to do.
  • stunningalmond
    stunningalmond Posts: 275 Member
    I was told that in order to lose weight I should drink 1/2 my weight in water. So for me I should be drinking 13 8oz glasses of water a day. I don't usually count the water I drink while exercising...not sure if I should be or not. :smile:

    I count the water I drink while I exercise. It's still water in my books. Lol!
  • Iron_Maiden
    Iron_Maiden Posts: 326 Member
    YES, is the answer. It's harmful and even lethal to drink too much water. I, personally drink about a gallon a day and do not exceed far beyond that. Dangerous levels vary person by person - based on weight, etc. Please do your research so you are safe. :)
  • kjacobs06
    kjacobs06 Posts: 13 Member
    I was told by a nutritionist to drink 8 8oz glasses of water a day... PLUS 8 oz extra for every 25 lbs I need to lose. But also... I supposed it is possible to overfilter your kidneys and do damage. I would imagine it would take a lot of water to do that.
  • bethlaf
    bethlaf Posts: 954 Member
    LEt me be CLEAR on this , 1.
    8 glasses is a minimum , bigger you are , more you need .
    my husband and DD were both shocked when i explained to them the need for more water than the 8 glasses .


    take your body weight - divide in 1/2
    less 20% from normal fruit and food .
    thats generally the minimum water/fluid you need a day .

    drinking coffee or tea and counting that as part of your water? bad idea, only add about 2/3 of the total ounces as hydration because your body loses more due to caffeine

    if you work out, add back in another 8 -10 oz for every 30 minutes you exercise.

    most people need more like 12 glasses of water a day.
    some much more
    I know for me , if I'm below 100 oz, I am DEAD thirsty!


    ODing on water, unlikely!
    if you find you drink a LOT like, more than gallon a day and are still thirsty, evaluate the other intake, are you eating a lot of salt, is some of what you're drinking not water but dark soda tea or coffee???
    when was the last time you had sugars checked?
    are you diagnosed pre diabetic?
    or insulin resistant syndrome?
  • Iron_Maiden
    Iron_Maiden Posts: 326 Member
    LEt me be CLEAR on this , 1.
    8 glasses is a minimum , bigger you are , more you need .
    my husband and DD were both shocked when i explained to them the need for more water than the 8 glasses .


    take your body weight - divide in 1/2
    less 20% from normal fruit and food .
    thats generally the minimum water/fluid you need a day .

    drinking coffee or tea and counting that as part of your water? bad idea, only add about 2/3 of the total ounces as hydration because your body loses more due to caffeine

    if you work out, add back in another 8 -10 oz for every 30 minutes you exercise.

    most people need more like 12 glasses of water a day.
    some much more
    I know for me , if I'm below 100 oz, I am DEAD thirsty!


    ODing on water, unlikely!
    if you find you drink a LOT like, more than gallon a day and are still thirsty, evaluate the other intake, are you eating a lot of salt, is some of what you're drinking not water but dark soda tea or coffee???
    when was the last time you had sugars checked?
    are you diagnosed pre diabetic?
    or insulin resistant syndrome?

    Overdosing on water is absolute fact (not common but fact). It throws off electrolyte levels, etc. Yes, it takes a lot but it happens.

    http://www.mindthesciencegap.org/2013/02/04/can-you-od-on-water/

    http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hyponatremia/DS00974
  • smn76237
    smn76237 Posts: 318 Member
    Yes, you can drink too much water. However, in order to suffer from water intoxication, you usually need to have drank a serious amount of water in a very short time (ie, a gallon in an hour), or have sweat a lot and drank a lot of water without replenishing the sodium in your body first (like the marathon runner from one of the links posted).
    The average person does not have to concern themselves with drinking too much water.
  • MinCa70
    MinCa70 Posts: 7
    As long as you do not drink them in one go, you should be fine!

    That made me laugh! Good point, though. Thanks!
  • msliu7911
    msliu7911 Posts: 638 Member
    Yes. Only after consumption of watermelon seeds though. Drinking too much water after the seed will cause watermelon growth in your belly. Then you have a whole new issue to worry about.


    On a lighter note, unless its to the levels of toxicity as others have mentioned, you're good. :)
  • slkehl
    slkehl Posts: 3,801 Member
    "The bottom line is this: it's possible to drink too much water, but unless you are running a marathon or an infant, water intoxication is a very uncommon condition."

    Add "unless you are rushing a frat" to the list. My friend was in a frat that had a pledge die during hell week. One of the initiation rites involved drinking gallons and gallons of water. They learned about water intoxication the hard way.
  • mjl54
    mjl54 Posts: 127 Member
    http://www.nbcnews.com/id/16614865/ns/us_news-life/t/woman-dies-after-water-drinking-contest/#.UWPDL6VdVFI

    it is possible

    drink responsibly lol

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