water - WHY is it important to lose weight

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  • WhoIsAmber
    WhoIsAmber Posts: 161 Member
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    I drink my 4 bottles a day (Eight 8oz servings) and that's it, don't like the taste of it plain; sometimes I add low-calorie, sugar-free flavoring to water to make it more palatable.

    I do notice that when I don't drink enough, I tend to not be able to "go" every day, as I should.
  • PinkPaintedLady
    PinkPaintedLady Posts: 67 Member
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    I went from drinking no straight water (just soda/coffee/juice/ect...) to drinking nothing but water, now I am up to 130 to 180 ounces a day average, never under a gallon. I only crave water now, and it amazes me how much I can put down after a short time of exclusive water drinking. at first I had to use the restroom all the time but now it is back to normal on a regular type schedule.


    <---same here!
  • ilikefootballz
    ilikefootballz Posts: 6
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    This is interesting because i have been toting my 24 ounce starbucks tumbler around and i have a goal to drink at least half of it before i leave for work in the morning and then refill it at least 3 times during the day...just making these little goals make some feel like i am accomplishing something positive during the day. This has helped me take the focus off on the food i consume and put it on accomplishing another goal thats equally important which helps me balance the two things.
  • txdahl
    txdahl Posts: 107 Member
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    Actually that is true, research has found that the drinking 8 glasses of water a day thing is a myth. Between normal food consumption and drinking throughout the day the average person is getting what they need. When you do feel extra thristy going for water instead of soda or coffee is the best choice.

    Now water while trying to lose weight has other benefits and if it is working for you then why change that, I am just getting back on MFP but the last time I was on here and when I did WW I did not drink much water and lost a lot of weight (should have never stopped MFP the last time!! lol) I am here again and do not intend to worry about my water intake unless exercising and am doing fine.
  • Aleluya17
    Aleluya17 Posts: 205 Member
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    i've finished my 4th glass (8 oz). Maybe I should go get another refill :)
  • kr1ssy23
    kr1ssy23 Posts: 270 Member
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    I'm just really excited to be drinking the water I should because I know it is making my body function properly and keeping kidney stones farther away!

    Kidney stones suck :(
  • jilaneeFthomas
    jilaneeFthomas Posts: 18
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    Water is over rated and is mostly a myth. We don't need that much. But, y'all carry on. I'm sure I'll be bashed for saying that.

    Water is REAL! I've seen it myself!
    LOL!
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
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    Water is over rated and is mostly a myth. We don't need that much. But, y'all carry on. I'm sure I'll be bashed for saying that.


    (I'm pretty sure you and I were in complete disagreement on some recent forum threads...
    ...but not this one.)


    ^yeah, this. But seriously, don't let that stop anyone from doing what they feel is right...(regardless of how much it is or isn't backed up by recent research).
  • emmy3111
    emmy3111 Posts: 482 Member
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    Of course you get water from other sources, especially other beverages... you just can't argue with it.

    I do find, however, that since I've been drinking a lot more water than I used to that

    1) I'm not as hungry
    2) I feel better
    3) I get less headaches
    4) I don't crave sugar as often

    I still drink coffee, tea and the occassional diet pop, but water makes up the majority of my beverages - and now I crave it :)
  • Clkafka
    Clkafka Posts: 45
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    Water is essential and if people eat a diet filled with fresh fruits and veggies, there is no need to drown in "glasses" of water. If you're thirsty, drink some water. Of course, rehydrating after a workout is important too. But drinking tons and tons of water is unnecessary if you are eating plenty of fresh fruits and veggies. When people ate fresher and cleaner, before all the processed foods (filled with salt), there was not a need to drink so, so much water.

    I believe the biggest reason why people find that adding water helps lose weight is because they are replacing another drink (usually filled with calories) and/or are drinking water when they otherwise would have eaten something. Plus, the water flushes the salt out and therefore flushes the excess water weight. But, if sodium intake is limited, that is kinda moot.

    Not that I am have succeeded in the fresh fruit and veggie, low sodium, eating cleaner thing. I have a long way to go.

    So, the 8 glasses of water thing may be a little bunk, but I still love water and drink 6-10 glasses a day, depending my thirst. I just don't obsess over it anymore.
  • RadioactivePirate
    RadioactivePirate Posts: 212
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    Two things I want to weigh in on:

    First, tea counts as water. Coffee counts as water. Coca Cola counts as water. Lettuce counts as water. Rice counts as water. All of these things add to the amount of water in your body to a greater or lesser extent. The question is, how much extra stuff do you want coming along with it? If you get all your daily fluids from sodas, well, you're getting a lot of other crap along with your water. But even caffeine content does not negate the water in something. Yes it's true caffeine is a diuretic, but it's not such an intense one that you get rid of more water than you consume when drinking a caffeinated beverage unless it's one of those low volume high caffeine things like energy shots. Coffee and tea are a net positive, and they have other benefits in addition to their water.

    And the thing about water and weight loss... I call "true but misleading and not true for everyone". The primary method by which water helps with weight loss is by making you feel full so you eat less and/or replacing higher calorie liquids with zero calorie liquids, so someone on a strict calorie-counting diet would actually NOT lose more weight this way, because we are tracking and eating the same number of calories regardless of water intake. It's certainly bad to be dehydrated, particularly if you are doing a lot of exercise, and we of course need water for our bodies to function normally, but water isn't magic.

    There are other ideas floating around about other ways water might help with weight loss, but they are based on a pretty sketchy study. People were placed on a calorie controlled diet and also required to either drink extra water or not based on which group they are in. And yes, the people drinking water lost more weight when the calories were supposedly equal. However, this study wasn't controlled - the water group KNEW they were supposed to lose more weight, and that's enough bias to make a study worthless right from the beginning. On top of that, having your subjects self-report calories consumed is one of the most inaccurate things you can do in a study because people lie about what they eat. It is much more likely that these flaws led to an inaccurate study than it is that water has intense weight-loss properties we never knew about.

    Drink/eat enough so that you aren't dehydrated all the time, but don't expect it to change your life or have a dramatic impact on your weight loss. It's just basic health.

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