How much water is too much?

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Off10h8ed
Off10h8ed Posts: 282 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I have a 1QT container I use for water. I generally drink 4+ containers in a 24 hour period. Yes... that is 1 gallon plus each day. My question is... how much is too much?

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  • chivalryder
    chivalryder Posts: 4,391 Member
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    2 Gallons in less than 1 hour kills people.

    2 gallons over a period of a day... Probably not.
  • Off10h8ed
    Off10h8ed Posts: 282 Member
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    Thanks!
  • mariagabriella
    mariagabriella Posts: 267 Member
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    depends on how much you weight/what you do..

    I usually drink about 3L on a rest day. 3-5L on a workout day..
  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
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    I drink well over a gallon per day... hasnt hurt me yet and it pleases all of the doctors that oversee my care...
  • ooOOooGravy
    ooOOooGravy Posts: 476 Member
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    Just dont go too crazy. I understand that noone has ever died in Marathon from dyhydration. but too many have of drinking too much.

    I usually drink around 3 to 5 pints aday (including my coffees) more when i go on +1 hour runs
  • Off10h8ed
    Off10h8ed Posts: 282 Member
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    I do not force myself to drink 1+ gallon per day. I generally only drink when I am thirsty (and yes, my blood sugar is fine, it is checked yearly). I just never realized how much I drank until I started here and tracked it. :)
  • deanna_bond
    deanna_bond Posts: 104 Member
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    Im usually already done drinking the minium 8 8oz a day by 10 am. Not includeing teas or coffee. right now im at 1 to 2 liters
  • SuffolkSally
    SuffolkSally Posts: 964 Member
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    If you're thirsty, drink. I get through about 4 litres a day (not sure what that is in relation to gallons...) Many people are dehydrated without knowing it. It IS possible to do yourself harm through excessive intake (it's a rare psychiatric syndrome) but your intake doesn't sound excessive, and you're drinking in response to signals from your body, not forcing it. I wouldn't worry :)
  • evademers
    evademers Posts: 55
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    I drink 3 to 4 32oz bottles a day 2 usually by 10 am then try to drink the rest by the end of the day :) I know you can drink to much water but i would do some research on how much is to much to be safe :)
  • SuffolkSally
    SuffolkSally Posts: 964 Member
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    I just checked the conversion and I drink about a gallon a day too.
  • PercivalHackworth
    PercivalHackworth Posts: 1,437 Member
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    Too much water is too much when the color of your pee is white, your body keeps flushing out the water you just had.
    No need to force yourself, drink when you feel thirsty, don't overdo it and you will be fine.
  • PercivalHackworth
    PercivalHackworth Posts: 1,437 Member
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    If you're thirsty, drink. I get through about 4 litres a day (not sure what that is in relation to gallons...) Many people are dehydrated without knowing it. It IS possible to do yourself harm through excessive intake (it's a rare psychiatric syndrome) but your intake doesn't sound excessive, and you're drinking in response to signals from your body, not forcing it. I wouldn't worry :)

    Hyponatremia is not that rare and this has nothing to do with psychiatry
    http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/hydrationandfluid/a/Hyponatremia.htm
  • SuffolkSally
    SuffolkSally Posts: 964 Member
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    If you're thirsty, drink. I get through about 4 litres a day (not sure what that is in relation to gallons...) Many people are dehydrated without knowing it. It IS possible to do yourself harm through excessive intake (it's a rare psychiatric syndrome) but your intake doesn't sound excessive, and you're drinking in response to signals from your body, not forcing it. I wouldn't worry :)

    Hyponatremia is not that rare and this has nothing to do with psychiatry
    http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/hydrationandfluid/a/Hyponatremia.htm

    Fair point - my background's in mental health not sports medicine and I didn't know about this - very interesting.
  • Off10h8ed
    Off10h8ed Posts: 282 Member
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    If you're thirsty, drink. I get through about 4 litres a day (not sure what that is in relation to gallons...) Many people are dehydrated without knowing it. It IS possible to do yourself harm through excessive intake (it's a rare psychiatric syndrome) but your intake doesn't sound excessive, and you're drinking in response to signals from your body, not forcing it. I wouldn't worry :)

    Hyponatremia is not that rare and this has nothing to do with psychiatry
    http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/hydrationandfluid/a/Hyponatremia.htm

    Fair point - my background's in mental health not sports medicine and I didn't know about this - very interesting.

    I went to the hyponatremia link. I calculated my intake and according to that, I am consuming under my max if I drink my 5 containers a day. I will keep it at five as much as I can. Thanks for the information.
  • jonwv
    jonwv Posts: 362 Member
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    I was drinking around 2 gallons a day...the doctors told me to stop, said i was getting water intoxication.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    Drink when you are thirsty, stop when you aren't. There is absolutely no scientific or biological reason to make yourself drink an arbitrary amount of water. Your. Key can only absorb a few ounces of water an hour, the rest just gets eliminated, serving no other purpose other than to make you go to the bathroom more often. Most hydration actually comes from food.
  • breehard2703
    breehard2703 Posts: 6 Member
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    You are supposed to drink half your body weight in ounces of water each day.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    You are supposed to drink half your body weight in ounces of water each day.
    No, there's absolutely no medical basis for that statement at all. How much fluid you need (not water, fluid, as it comes from food, water, juice, milk, soda, coffee, tea, whatever you consume,) is based mostly on activity level and climate, body weight is not really a good indicator.

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