Water Consumption

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jetthomp
jetthomp Posts: 11 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've had a quick look and can't find a topic, however, i know that water is important, but can not seem to find anywhere that says exactly how much you should drink, infact, one report i read quickly said that you could drink too much.
What is everybody's feeling on this. What is a good guideline?

Replies

  • Erienneb
    Erienneb Posts: 592 Member
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    Drink when you're thirsty. That's really the only way to guage it. For example, I enjoy drinking water, and I end up around 80oz a day. I'm also close to six feet tall and 282lbs. My lips crack when I don't drink enough and I feel thirsty, so I drink. That's all. Don't force it.
  • esl269
    esl269 Posts: 29 Member
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    8 cups, I believe, is recommended.
  • sd75
    sd75 Posts: 49
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    I alos worry about this a little. I only tend to drink water as caffeine has a horrible effect on me - but i do wonder if in the fight against the flab too much water can be detrimental. Thats said tho - i get dehydrated quite quickly so always have water to have - adn suffer the same with cracked lips & dry skin if i'm not hydrated - devil & deep blue sea i think !!
  • slimfitnessmoms
    slimfitnessmoms Posts: 206 Member
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    Drink half your body weight in ounces.
  • sarahharmintx
    sarahharmintx Posts: 868 Member
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    I aim for 100 ounces. I usually get between 90 and 120.
  • alaskaang
    alaskaang Posts: 493 Member
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    I don't remember where I read it, but it seemed like a more realistic approach than a one size fits all 8 glasses a day and that was to take your weight, divide in half and that was the number of ounces per day. So if you are 200lbs, that's 100 ounces; 120lbs it's 60 ounces, etc.
  • kenazfehu
    kenazfehu Posts: 1,188 Member
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    I go with the 8 cups per day guideline, although some days I come out a little short and other days go over that 64 ounces.
  • zenchild
    zenchild Posts: 680 Member
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    As long as you're peeing often and pale yellow/clearish, you're fine. If it's dark, you're dehydrated. For me that means 6-8 cups a day depending on my activity level.
  • knightreader
    knightreader Posts: 813 Member
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    the 8 cups a day recommendation started, i think, from a water company trying to sell more. a frequent guideline on mfp is half your body weight in ounces. another is drink til your pee is clear.

    as for me, i aim for a gallon a day. and can tell when i am close or way off. my body just feels different.

    you will have to play around with it and see what works for you.

    i would drink as much as you can.

    good luck.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    You don't actually want your pee to be clear...that means you're overhydrated. Light yellow is ideal. Remember though, dark pee is common first thing in the morning and if you are taking certain meds.

    Overhydration for 99.9% of us isn't really something to worry about. Those who need to be concerned about severe overhydration, to the point of causing actualy medical problems, are folks training for endurance sports like marathons. In their case, they sweat out a lot of salt and water and therefore need to take in both salt/electrolytes/potassium and water to keep the right balance. Too much water in the equation and things go wonky. The only other case I'm aware of is that lady that was in the news years ago who guzzled gallons of water for some radio contest...but again, extreme situation, not your normal day to day.

    And yes, as others have said, a good guideline is 1 oz per pound of body weight. If you're active or live in a warm climate, you could even drink a bit more and be safe. Or try to get more hydration through foods like fresh fruits and veg.
  • fatmom51
    fatmom51 Posts: 173 Member
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    I alos worry about this a little. I only tend to drink water as caffeine has a horrible effect on me - but i do wonder if in the fight against the flab too much water can be detrimental. Thats said tho - i get dehydrated quite quickly so always have water to have - adn suffer the same with cracked lips & dry skin if i'm not hydrated - devil & deep blue sea i think !!

    I can't imagine too much water being detrimental to the fight against the flab. And while water is important, most liquids count as long as you count the calories if the liquids are not calorie free. (So you can count your milk, coffee, tea, Crystal Light, etc. as part of your fluid intake.)
    Most of the others are right -- as long as your urine is pale yellowish/clear -- you're well-hydrated.
    For the most part, though, I wouldn't overthink it too much. Just make sure you're drinking if you're thirsty. What works for me (especially when I'm at my job at a school) is to fill a water bottle and drink it during the 2-3 classes I have. Then refill it during the teacher's break period, drink it. Refill it at lunch and drink it through the end of the day. That alone takes care of about 6 cups of water since my water bottle holds 16 ozs. It doesn't seem that bad since I'm just taking sips here and there, not trying to down a whole cup at once.
  • jetthomp
    jetthomp Posts: 11 Member
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    omg, i drink very little to be honest and my lips are nearly always cracked and dry. I'm now wondering whether i'm dehydrated alot of the time. xx
  • sarahrbraun
    sarahrbraun Posts: 2,261 Member
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    omg, i drink very little to be honest and my lips are nearly always cracked and dry. I'm now wondering whether i'm dehydrated alot of the time. xx

    I'm guessing that you ARE chronically dehydrated. I was like that for years....and then I landed in the ER with a 14mm kidney stone. It took 3 weeks and 3 surgeries to deal with it ( stent placement, lithotripsy, then a scope with a laser). After the stone was taken care of, my urologist decided to see WHY a 37 year old woman had already had 3 stones. The first test he did was a 48 hour urine collection. I had to collect all my urine, then shake it and send a sample to a lab. He discovered that I only peed 50% of what he would have expected, and that meant that there were high mineral levels in my kidneys, and they were creating crystals! I made SURE to drink 64oz on the days I did those tests. He told me to drink MORE and do another test in 6 months.

    In 6 months I was drinking about 96 ounces a day and he said that was looking better, but to keep going. I weigh 198lbs, and most days I drink 128oz of water...and on hot days, I have been known to drink 200oz. The day of my last 24 hour collection I drank 160oz because it was 100 degrees that day and I was thirsty--he said my labs were great and he didn't need to see me for 12 months.

    I did ask him specifically about the 64oz a day *rule* that is so highly debated here on MFP. he said that for every ONE person he sees who drinks enough to make themselves sick, he sees HUNDREDS of people who walk around chronically dehydrated. He also said it is SOOO good for you, calorie free, and fairly easy to get.

    I try to drink 32oz before I leave the gym in the morning, 32oz around lunch time, 32oz by the end of dinner, and the last 32oz between dinner and bed time. yes, I pee a TON. yes, I pee mostly pale or clear.
  • RobfromLakewood
    RobfromLakewood Posts: 684
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    I drink about 14 cups of water a day. Par tof what helps me is hat I try not to drink anything else but water except for morning coffee. The other part is something I got from CostCo, called the sodastream. It seems i liked carbonation most of all when it came to s0odas. Just having the bubbles is enough for me.
  • drmerc
    drmerc Posts: 2,603 Member
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    When you get thirsty drink
    Just stay hydrated
  • kenazfehu
    kenazfehu Posts: 1,188 Member
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    the 8 cups a day recommendation started, i think, from a water company trying to sell more.

    Actually, it comes from scientific calculations of what the average person loses through perspiration, evaporation, and urine per day. If you're more active or larger than average, you need more. Less active or smaller, less.
  • Cranktastic
    Cranktastic Posts: 1,517 Member
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    42
  • wildcata77
    wildcata77 Posts: 660
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    I stick to trying for a good 8, 8oz servings a day. That is the average of what most "experts" reccomend, and I try to get 2-4 more servings when I workout.

    But, listen to your body. I NEVER drank enough fluids until the last few years, I mean ZERO water servings. Now, working out I can tell if I haven't had enough water that day b/c I get tired and cramp quicker.

    So, 64oz is a good jumping off point but listen to your body to figure out what you really need. Also, you can sub some caffeine-free drinks for water...for instances, whole juices, decaf tea, milk can be consider water servings although most of those have calories and water is a freebie.

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