The definitive "How much water do I *really* need" thread

I have been on MFP for almost 2 years and see so many posts about how much water to drink and what counts as water. Really, it doesn't matter if you drink X cups a day, however you may define a "cup". What matters is that you are hydrated- that is the whole point of drinking water, to keep the body hydrated.

Instead of measuring cups, weighing ounces, or getting too caught up in the details, just look at your pee. Dark yellow? Drink more liquids because you are dehydrated. Think of your first pee of the morning, it is dark because you haven't consumed any liquids for hours on end. Is your pee pale yellow or almost clear? Congratulations, you are well hydrated! The US military has a hydration chart, use it as your guide and stay hydrated, no matter how many cups you consume per day.

http://usaphcapps.amedd.army.mil/HIOShoppingCart/Uploads/thumbnails/259A.jpg

I just stumbled across this post. I haven't looked at the image at the link, unless it says "Drink to thirst", it's wrong.

As a former soldier and officer who's had the opportunity to spend time in the desert, I drank the absurd amounts of water that I was ordered to drink and, as an officer, I ordered my men to drink the absurd amounts of water that the Army ordered me to order them to drink. :-)

The reason I use the word "absurd" is that we all knew that it was silly (down to the newest, greenest Private) and, lo and behold, here in 2013, Dr Tim Noakes has published his book "Waterlogged" that discusses the flawed science upon which the drinking requirements were based.

The color of your urine is not a reliable guide to how much water you need because of individual variation in urine color. The most simple and most reliable way to know how much water to drink is to drink when you're thirsty.

The color of your urine is not a reliable guide to how much water you need because of individual variation in urine color. The most simple and most reliable way to know how much water to drink is to drink when you're thirsty.

I think this is true for most people. That said, I had to train myself to feel thirst when I first started trying to drink more water. I didn't naturally want to drink a lot, could rarely finish a full glass or can or whatever of anything, and my body got used to getting most fluids from food. Even now if I don't think about it I can literally go a whole day without wanting more to drink than a cup of coffee in the morning and a small glass of water with dinner.

I started keeping a water bottle on my desk at work during a fitness kick a while back, and lo and behold! It turned out I was thirsty after all!

In a situation like that, I think either the eight glasses a day rule or keeping an eye on pee is probably a good idea. For the rest of y'all, drinking to thirst is likely best.

I think where you're heading is that that your thirst mechanism may be compromised. If so, that's wise to substitute a different mechanism to keep hydrated.

Unfortunately, there's so much marketing, hype, and peer pressure that the truth about the situation is obscured. Compounding the issue is that the First Lady has decided to push water, ostensibly because we need more water even though there's zero science behind it. If you didn't catch it, check out all of the corporations who are "partnering" with her - the bottled water companies! What a shock, eh?

I drink around a litre a day and my pee is always dark orangey. What's that about guys?

All I know is that when I regularly drink 8 or more cups of water a day I feel bettter, have more energy and my skin isn't dry.

I drink around a litre a day and my pee is always dark orangey. What's that about guys?

you have ebola. RIP.

Sometimes the color of urine isn't the best bet. I know that there are certain medications and things that can alter the color of your urine.