Too much water? Ladies-help?

bgelliott

The rule of thumb is half your body weight in ounces.

I tell people 1x's your body weight in ounces, not half

kah68

The rule of thumb is half your body weight in ounces.

I tell people 1x's your body weight in ounces, not half

I think that may be true under certain circumstances or for extremely active individuals, but from what I've read and from the nutritionists/trainers I work with the rule of thumb is half your body weight in ounces.

olDave

I know this is partly about TOM but it's also about the whole water issue.....

Almost everyday someone in these forums posts that they struggle with drinking so much water. No matter what others say, they seem to ignore anyone who doesn't agree with the idea that we need so much plain water....and yet they wonder why it's so hard to drink it all.

It's good to be skeptical about other people's opinions on a public forum. So, here is an article on the subject with opinions from people in the medical field who SHOULD know. It's not simply MY opinion.

If nothing else, this demonstrates that this subject is debatable and not a hard scientific or medical fact. The question will then be..."Who do you believe?"

Peace.

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Eight glasses of water a day an urban myth'?

Water and a well-balanced diet 'do far more than water alone,' Australian researcher says

CBC News

Posted: Jun 10, 2012 12:51 AM ET

Last Updated: Jun 10, 2012 12:48 AM ET

The common advice to drink eight glasses of water a day doesn't hold water, say nutrition and kidney specialists who want to dispel the myth.

"What drove us to drink two litres of water a day?" asks an editorial in this week's issue of the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health.

The recommendation was driven by vested interests rather than health, suggests author Speros Tsindos of the department of dietetics and human nutrition at La Trobe University in Victoria, Australia.
Other beverages also help us meet the body's fluid needs, say nutrition specialists. (Aaron Harris/Canadian Press)
"Humans need to maintain fluid balance and need to drink water when required, but should also consider fluid in unprocessed fruits and vegetables and juices. There is further evidence that water and a well-balanced diet does far more than water alone," Tsindos wrote.

"Water is important for health; however, the recommendation of eight glasses of pure water per day appears an overestimation of requirements."

Even a baked potato is 75 per cent water, said nutrition Prof. Susan Barr of the University of British Columbia, who sat on a Canadian-U.S. committee that looked at fluid intake.

"There's nothing magical about water from a glass of water as opposed to water from a food or any other beverage," Barr said.

Drinking caffeinated beverages such as tea and coffee do not lead to dehydration, said Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, a nephrologist at the University of Pennsylvania who reviewed research claims on drinking eight glasses of water and studied how the kidneys handle it.

Let thirst guide you

"Drinking the coffee will count towards your total water intake for the day," Goldfarb said.

Goldfarb said despite the common idea that it's important to "drink eight glasses of eight ounces of water" a day, "There’s no evidence that benefits health in any real way and it really represents an urban myth."

There's no evidence you need to drink more water than what thirst dictates, Goldfarb added.

Studies on desert nomads showed people can consume minimal amounts of water in harsh environments. The military has also looked at how much water soldiers need to take with them when patrolling in hot climates without harming their performance.

"If one is just playing a game of tennis in an indoor facility, for example, or having a short run on a treadmill in an air-conditioned gym, the need to maintain hydration during that is just non-existent," Goldfarb advised.

People have died of dehydration and from drinking too much water too quickly.

A good guide to tell if the body’s finely tuned fluid balance is to check the colour of your urine. If it's very dark, you're on the dry side; if it's very light or translucent, then you need to drink a bit less water, said Dr. David Price, head of family medicine at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont.

Serah87

I drink 20-24 cups of water day, not including tea, milk, etc., I see nothing wrong with drinking that much. :bigsmile:

airen123

The extreme max is 32 oz per hour (A Nalgene bottle). Your kidneys can't process any more than that.

Bettyeditor

So I have been logging with MFP a little over 2 weeks now and working on doing excercise. I am VERY proud of myself so far, I am determined to make a lifestyle change. Not just a temporary diet. I increased my water intake (I already drink alot) but is there such a thing as too much water? I know there is, but what is the extreme? I'm driking about 12 cups a day I would say. Maybe sometimes about 15. I'm just over TOM (ended yesterday) and I have some swelling in my feet. Is this from TOM or drinking too much?

Thanks in advance!

Its hard to drink too much, and 12 cups a day is not too much (that's my average). Usually swelling for me is related to sodium. But if you have enough potassium in your diet, your body can excrete excess sodium and you won't get water retention. So you can monitor your sodium and potassium intake (I display both those columns in my diary).

glovepuppet

if your feet/lower legs swell often, get a checkup.
sometimes swelling is a symptom of something else.

for now, sit with your feet up.

svavasdottir

wish i could stomach as much water ...>.<

EmilyEmpowered

there is a point where you can drink too much water. I know that it wont cause death to be overhydrated, but for me personally if I drink too much water/green tea it does impact how I feel. I think everyone needs to evaluate for themselves, because while some people here are saying they drink soooo much water in a day, if I drink more than 12 glasses I get very sick, and sometimes if I am not that active even the 12 is too many. I get dizzy, nauseous, feel super bloated, and my kidneys hurt (I have kidney issues anyway, and especially if I have an infection and drink too much, it is excruciating pain from overworking my kidneys)

If you like drinking that much water, keep doing it, but no one should be drinking a ton of water every day just because theres this idea out there that you have to drink gallons of it a day. Go by how YOU feel, not what you read. You get a lot of water from our foods anyway, especially if you are eating lost of fruits and veggies.

I also agree with the comment stating you should get checked for diabetes and other blood sugar issues, as yes it does cause you to be extremely thirsty.

cvilain13

A good way to force yourself to drink water is to drink 2 cups whenever you've put something in the microwave while waiting for something to cook. When I make my oatmeal every morning, I drink at least 4 cups of water before I even eat what I've made. It's a really good way to feel full before you start eating too--which will lead you to eat less. It also helps food to break down and absorb into the body.
I find that most of the time my pee is clear, with only a tiny tinge of yellow if anything, because I drink so much water.

glovepuppet

do you generally feel well and full of energy?

nhouse3417

With drinking so much how are you not always on the toliet? Are you able to go all night without having to pee? With my 7-9 glasses a day I get up atleast once to pee....

kdsp2911

do you generally feel well and full of energy?

I really started making changes in my eating and excercise habits a little over 2 weeks ago, and yes I feel better than I have in a very long time

kdsp2911

With drinking so much how are you not always on the toliet? Are you able to go all night without having to pee? With my 7-9 glasses a day I get up atleast once to pee....

Thinking all the way back to my teen years, I have always been up at least once to pee during the night. So that is very normal for me lol.

BarackMeLikeAHurricane

I've been drinking about 8-10 liters (32-40 cups) a day on average

Why?

I'm thirsty

BarackMeLikeAHurricane

The extreme max is 32 oz per hour (A Nalgene bottle). Your kidneys can't process any more than that.

I definitely drink more than that on a regular basis. The other day I drank over 5 liters in less than 2 hours.

MysticRealm

I've been drinking about 8-10 liters (32-40 cups) a day on average

Why?

I'm thirsty

Have you gone to see a doctor?

jzammetti

There IS such a thing as "water poisoning", where you ingest too much water and it essentially flushes out too many electrolytes and can make you very sick. But it would be very difficult to drink enough water to make that happen. I'm talking in GALLONS a day, probably. You would most likely make yourself throw up before you ever got to that point. My goal is 12 cups a day, too, and I've been sustaining that for a couple months. You're good!

I am not sure how much can cause this - but I do know that this is true. We had a case in oregon where a college student died of water poisoning...she drank gallons in a short period of time.

redraidergirl2009

Sometimes I drink 12-15, infact most days. I get really bloated and retain water but my medicine makes me so thirsty so I'm trying to drink less until I can go tell my doc

BarackMeLikeAHurricane

I've been drinking about 8-10 liters (32-40 cups) a day on average

Why?

I'm thirsty

Have you gone to see a doctor?

Yup, no diabetes or any other problems like that. My liver is in pretty bad shape and my vitamin D was low but that's about it. I started taking a vitamin D supplement per my doctor's recommendation. Maybe my liver slowly dying inside of me has something to do with it but I'm not really sure. I just drink when I'm thirsty which is basically all the time.