Eight Cups of Water?

gummibaehr
gummibaehr Posts: 143
edited September 20 in Food and Nutrition
I've been trying really hard to drink the recommended 8 cups of water each day. It's hard for me! Don't get me wrong, I LOVE water. It is my preferred beverage. But it makes me have to go to the bathroom every one or two hours. It's very uncomfortable. I've tried pacing it out, but even that wasn't helping. Yesterday I drank only 6 cups of water and felt a bit better. Should I just stick with 6 since that's all my body seems to need?

Replies

  • ebkins7
    ebkins7 Posts: 427 Member
    I know the feeling of having to go often but as time goes by your body will eventually adjust. But if you feel that 6 is good for you, then do it, just make sure that you are properly hydrated. You can tell this by the color of your urine. If it's yellow, you need more water... it should be darn near clear in color.
  • DrBorkBork
    DrBorkBork Posts: 4,099 Member
    I don't understand why you fight going to the bathroom. A person should be getting 3-4 quarts of water a day, not 8 glasses. Have you tried using a really big mug/water bottle? It doesn't seem as much when it's contained in one unit. Kind of like using a small bowl/plate to make a portion look bigger. KWIM?
  • mvl1014
    mvl1014 Posts: 531
    ...A person should be getting 3-4 quarts of water a day, not 8 glasses...

    Why twice as much? Are you including water content in food in that number or all drinking?
  • courtney_love2001
    courtney_love2001 Posts: 1,468 Member
    6 cups of water isn't a lot at all! Are you drinking other liquids as well? I drink about 4L a day (about 16 cups), and I do pee often, but that is a good thing! It flushes toxins out of your body and keeps your body hydrated with much needed water. I just carry around a 1L bottle and sip on it all day; it is never a hassle for me to drink all my water. Sometimes I go overboard and end up using the bathroom a few times an hour, but that's when I cut back a little. I'm not saying drink 4L, but definitely try to drink as much water as you can. Your body will love you for it! :)
  • DrBorkBork
    DrBorkBork Posts: 4,099 Member
    Why twice as much? Are you including water content in food in that number or all drinking?

    Nope. I drink 90-120 oz of water a day. It's not hard to do. It helps flush out toxins (which is why one should go to the bathroom a lot). If your urine isn't nearly clear, you're not drinking enough water.
  • rmccully
    rmccully Posts: 319
    i read a post on here that said you need to drink half your body weight in ounces .

    for me 127 / 2 = 63.5 64 oz = 8 cups


    3 teaspoons is 1 tablespoon
    8 ounces is 1 cup
    16 ounces is 2 cups which is 1 pint
    32 ounces is 4 cups which is 2 pints which is 1 quart
    128 ounces is 16 cups which is 8 pints which is 4 quarts which is 1 gallon
  • gummibaehr
    gummibaehr Posts: 143
    I have a 1 liter bottle that I drink two of a day (which is actually a bit more than 8 cups). It started out okay, but now I have to go to the bathroom all the time. It's typically once and hour, but it can sometimes be two or three times. I can't always run to the bathroom when I feel like I have to go (busy at work with customers/phone/etc.) and it makes me really uncomfortable. It recently interrupted a work out and I really just wanted to scream. I know it's good for my body, but having to go so much is making me unhappy! I think every 3 hours is what's considered normal and I can deal with that. Once or more times an hour is TOO MUCH! When I drank 6 cups yesterday, my urine was still running clear and I didn't feel thirsty all day. I think if I drank 4 liters I would drown!! :noway:

    P.S. I eat a lot of fruit and veggies, too. Do I get hydrated from the water in those?
  • Nikki143
    Nikki143 Posts: 491 Member
    I drink 64 oz a day.. and Its a force of habit.. I also had to force myself to start drinking water...
  • DawnOf1969
    DawnOf1969 Posts: 726 Member
    I follow the advice of this hydration calculator:
    http://nutrition.about.com/library/blwatercalculator.htm
  • Michelle923
    Michelle923 Posts: 28 Member
    I found that my body started to adjust and I didn't have to go quite so often.
  • mandijo
    mandijo Posts: 618 Member
    I'm starting to feel that way too, but I have a 24 oz water bottle that I make myself drink in the morning before eleven. I fill it up and stick in the freezer at work for an hour and allow myself one diet coke. Drink the next 24 ounces before the end of the work day at 3 and then I make sure to drink the last 24 oz after or during my workout! I have to pee constantly too, but someone told me that your body eventually gets used to it and you don't go as much. If you are drinking anything that is a diuretic (i.e. my diet coke), you will have to pee twice as much! Like everyone has said, as long as your pee is clear, I think you are technically getting plenty of water. Hope this helps!
  • DrBorkBork
    DrBorkBork Posts: 4,099 Member
    Thanks for posting that quiz! I'm right on target at 90-120 a day.
  • LittleSpy
    LittleSpy Posts: 6,754 Member
    I think your body will adjust to the water if you just keep drinking 2 liters a day. I feel like I used to have to go to the restroom a lot more often when I first started trying to drink more water than I do now. I drink 2-3 liters in the 8 hours I'm at work and I go to the bathroom twice while I'm here, typically. I don't think I have an excessively large bladder or anything. :laugh: :embarassed:

    One thing I've noticed is that if I drink coffee, I have to make an extra trip to the bathroom -- I believe research shows caffeine is only a diuretic at higher levels (than what's in a couple cups of coffee) but my body begs to differ. :ohwell:

    Anyway, water is good. I really feel like crud when I don't get in at least 40-50oz. Most days I drink well over 80 and I feel much better overall. Less hungry, less junky, less irritable, my head hurts less, etc.
  • courtney_love2001
    courtney_love2001 Posts: 1,468 Member
    Man if I had to pee that much all the time, I would cut back too :) I probably go once an hour, and I'm ok with that. However, I am not in a situation where going to the bathroom is a hassle. Next year (I start working in the hospital), I will probably be dehydrated :indifferent: because I won't have time to go to the bathroom all the time. If it is interfering with your life, consider drinking more when you get home at night (I do drink a lot then).
  • Oompa_Loompa
    Oompa_Loompa Posts: 1,099 Member
    I've been trying really hard to drink the recommended 8 cups of water each day. It's hard for me! Don't get me wrong, I LOVE water. It is my preferred beverage. But it makes me have to go to the bathroom every one or two hours. It's very uncomfortable. I've tried pacing it out, but even that wasn't helping. Yesterday I drank only 6 cups of water and felt a bit better. Should I just stick with 6 since that's all my body seems to need?

    I have no problem not drinking enough..I actually worry about drinking TOO MUCH. And I run to the bathroom seriously every 20 to 30 minutes...nothing wrong with the little extra excersise of getting up and down! lol
  • ebkins7
    ebkins7 Posts: 427 Member
    Why twice as much? Are you including water content in food in that number or all drinking?

    Nope. I drink 90-120 oz of water a day. It's not hard to do. It helps flush out toxins (which is why one should go to the bathroom a lot). If your urine isn't nearly clear, you're not drinking enough water.


    I agree with you that drinking water flushes your system and that your urine should be clear rather than yellow... but there is such a thing as OVER HYDRATING. It can make you really sick! So be careful!
  • LittleSpy
    LittleSpy Posts: 6,754 Member

    I agree with you that drinking water flushes your system and that your urine should be clear rather than yellow... but there is such a thing as OVER HYDRATING. It can make you really sick! So be careful!

    It's really not about how MUCH water you drink. It's about how fast you drink it. If you chug 4 liters of water, it's possible you could have an issue with hyperhydration (flushing out too many electrolytes, mainly I think). If you drink 4 liters of water throughout the day, you're not going to have any problem at all. If you drink 15 liters throughout the day, then yeah, you may have a problem. But 15 liters -- that's about 60 cups!
    This is all, of course, being stated based on the assumption of normal kidney function.
  • ebkins7
    ebkins7 Posts: 427 Member

    I agree with you that drinking water flushes your system and that your urine should be clear rather than yellow... but there is such a thing as OVER HYDRATING. It can make you really sick! So be careful!

    It's really not about how MUCH water you drink. It's about how fast you drink it. If you chug 4 liters of water, it's possible you could have an issue with hyperhydration (flushing out too many electrolytes, mainly I think). If you drink 4 liters of water throughout the day, you're not going to have any problem at all. If you drink 15 liters throughout the day, then yeah, you may have a problem. But 15 liters -- that's about 60 cups!
    This is all, of course, being stated based on the assumption of normal kidney function.

    I agree... but not always... every body is different! I used to drink a gallon of water a day... but that was from the time I got up to the time I went to bed so a good 16 hours... I'm not saying that this is what she is doing I'm just sending out a warning just in case! Just trying to be helpful!
  • DrBorkBork
    DrBorkBork Posts: 4,099 Member
    I drink those 4 quarts over a 12 hour period. :)
  • gummibaehr
    gummibaehr Posts: 143
    Thanks everyone! I really appreciate all the advice! I do hope my body adjusts to the new water intake. I really wasn't drinking enough before and maybe my body is just like "WTH?!" right now?
  • gmvanloo
    gmvanloo Posts: 100 Member
    A few years ago I saw a nutrtionalist and they said if you are peeing that much and getting your 8 glasses of water a day then you have a mineral imbalance. She suggested I drink Raseberry Leaf tea to help get my minerals back in balance. It helped and I have found that if I eat a "clean" diet that helps too.

    So maybe try that and see if it helps.
  • Fieldsy
    Fieldsy Posts: 1,105 Member
    I drink about a gallon of water a day
  • LittleSpy
    LittleSpy Posts: 6,754 Member

    I agree... but not always... every body is different! I used to drink a gallon of water a day... but that was from the time I got up to the time I went to bed so a good 16 hours... I'm not saying that this is what she is doing I'm just sending out a warning just in case! Just trying to be helpful!

    Right, trying to be helpful -- I think that's what we're all doing.
    The reason I bothered responding to your post is because it's possible someone is going to read your post and think "OMG, I'm going to die if I drink 4 liters of water a day." So, something needed to be said explaining that if you have healthy kidneys and drink 4 liters of water over the course of a day, you're going to be fine.

    We have to remember our audience. :smile: A lot of people (myself included) are here still trying to learn. While we cynics and skeptics know better than to take everything (or anything, really) we read at face value, others aren't so fortunate (or unfortunate). So, then you end up with a bunch of "I read somewhere that you shouldn't drink more than 3 liters of water a day because otherwise you're over hydrating yourself and you'll die" posts and then the minsinformation spreads everywhere & then there are a ton of people who have absolutely no clue what the fact of the matter really is and that's a problem for me.

    Also, you agree but not always about what? Healthy human (adult) kidneys can easily and safely process WAY more than 4 liters of water a day without complication (15 liters) -- that doesn't vary so much (Keyword is "healthy"). The science of the matter is you are unlikely to suffer from over hydration even if you drink a lot of water, as long as you drink over time as opposed to intaking an enormous volume at one time. There's really no "everyone is different" about it in this case when it comes to healthy (adult) human kidneys.

    I just think warning someone drinking 4 liters a day about over hydration could cause very unnecessary alarm/panic in other MFP users so I wanted to clarify (to the best of my limited knowledge). :wink: I didn't mean to step on your toes! :smile:
  • MyFamilyRox15
    MyFamilyRox15 Posts: 25 Member
    I don't understand why you fight going to the bathroom. A person should be getting 3-4 quarts of water a day, not 8 glasses. Have you tried using a really big mug/water bottle? It doesn't seem as much when it's contained in one unit. Kind of like using a small bowl/plate to make a portion look bigger. KWIM?

    Hello!
    Trying to get on board with the water intake here!
    The co workers or boss don't appreciate the frequent potty calls while on the job.
    Also, while on the road, it's very distracting to have to 'stop' and have to 'go'...
    There is some excellent advice and thoughts on this topic on this thread.
    Very inspiring.
  • Iceprincessk25
    Iceprincessk25 Posts: 1,888 Member
    I teach so I get a break at lunch and then I'm not allowed to leave the kids in the classroom alone which SUCKS when you have to peeeeeeeeeeeeee!
  • Fieldsy
    Fieldsy Posts: 1,105 Member
    when at work I have to walk about 100 yards to the bathroom every time....I hate that! lol

    exercise though I guess
  • AnneElise
    AnneElise Posts: 4,206 Member
    I teach so I get a break at lunch and then I'm not allowed to leave the kids in the classroom alone which SUCKS when you have to peeeeeeeeeeeeee!

    I teach too... I get to go at lunch and on my prep... and thats it! I usually am okay because I am so busy but I hate waking up at night so much to pee!
  • hoczus
    hoczus Posts: 6
    I don't understand why you fight going to the bathroom. A person should be getting 3-4 quarts of water a day, not 8 glasses. Have you tried using a really big mug/water bottle? It doesn't seem as much when it's contained in one unit. Kind of like using a small bowl/plate to make a portion look bigger. KWIM?

    Hello!
    Trying to get on board with the water intake here!
    The co workers or boss don't appreciate the frequent potty calls while on the job.
    Also, while on the road, it's very distracting to have to 'stop' and have to 'go'...
    There is some excellent advice and thoughts on this topic on this thread.
    Very inspiring.

    I promise I don't mind! Not that we work together often :)
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