8 Cups of Water?

bluskies01
bluskies01 Posts: 72 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So the recommended 8 cups of water, they don't mean 8 literal cups right? Do they mean 8 16 oz. glasses, some other measurement? I've been drinking about 5-6 20 oz. bottles of water a day (I carry my Rubbermaid bottle with me everywhere lol) but I'm wondering if I should push myself to drink more? I'm pretty good about drinking it at work, and then slack off a little at home. I'm not drinking any other liquids btw, other than the occasional Sobe Life Water or small cup of skim milk (usually only once a week for both). Also, does my personal weight affect the amount of water I should be drinking? Thanks!

Replies

  • Kellyeee2013
    Kellyeee2013 Posts: 221
    They mean eight 8 ounce cups.
  • bpwparents
    bpwparents Posts: 359 Member
    They actually mean 8 , 8oz glasses of water (8oz=1 cup). You should be fine with what you're drinking already.
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
    Drink when you're thirsty
  • SCarolinaNiki
    SCarolinaNiki Posts: 5 Member
    Like everyone else said, 8-8oz cups so 64oz. I remember a few years ago when I read that I was surprised and though that surely the average person drank that much (at the time I was drinking about the same as you). However, since I got a new job I have found that I don't drink water enough because I don't have an easily accessible water cooler any more. I'm trying to change that though because I know water is really important to how your body works.
  • crobl
    crobl Posts: 380
    Drink when you're thirsty


    Wrong - the feeling of thirst actually indicates that the body is already slightly dehydrated.
  • bluskies01
    bluskies01 Posts: 72 Member
    Great thanks everyone! It's funny, since I cut out the caffeinated drinks I feel thirsty all the time! I know caffeine can dehydrate you, but maybe my body was just used to being dehydrated? I'm glad to know I'm drinking enough even on my off days. I think I do drink more at work bc I love the way our water cooler water tastes! I keep a container of tap water in my fridge to stay cold, but it still just doesn't taste great. I think I need to invest in a Brita pitcher.
  • jrmartinezb
    jrmartinezb Posts: 147 Member
    You might not need to actually drink 8 ounces of plain water daily. The water your body needs can come from other beverages like milk, tea, coffee, or even sodas (there might be very good reasons to limit the last two but hydration is not one of them). In fact, a lot of your water intake comes from food. For instance, an apple is about 80% water and a roasted chicken breast is about 60% water. I’m not saying that drinking 8 cups of water a day is a bad idea, just that there is no reason to be obsessive about it.
  • 5ftnFun
    5ftnFun Posts: 948 Member
    You might not need to actually drink 8 ounces of plain water daily. The water your body needs can come from other beverages like milk, tea, coffee, or even sodas (there might be very good reasons to limit the last two but hydration is not one of them). In fact, a lot of your water intake comes from food. For instance, an apple is about 80% water and a roasted chicken breast is about 60% water. I’m not saying that drinking 8 cups of water a day is a bad idea, just that there is no reason to be obsessive about it.

    This^
  • drkuhl2017
    drkuhl2017 Posts: 181 Member
    I have been told that you should be drinking half of your body weight in ounces of water. Take me for instance, I am 286.2 lbs so I should be drinking about 143 ounces of water every day.
  • janalayn
    janalayn Posts: 510 Member
    My doctor recommends a gallon of ice water a day. He does not allow me to include other beverages in my water total.
  • vkruithof
    vkruithof Posts: 227 Member
    Coffee and caffeinated drinks dehydrate you. You may need to drink an ounce and a half to recover every ounce of caffeinated beverages you drink to rehydrate.

    You should be drinking 1/2 your body weight in ounces of water every day. 200 lbs, 100 ounces of water = 12.5 8 ounce cups. I personally drink 13-16 sometimes a bit more.

    And if you drink alcoholic beverages, it's the same as drinking caffeinated beverages. You'll need to rehydrate your body by drinking even more water yet to compensate for that which you are losing by drinking the alcohol. My doctor recommended this to me and it's been serving me well. I have also read this in the Bob Harper books.

    Good luck! :o)
  • runs_in_heels
    runs_in_heels Posts: 97 Member
    Drink when you're thirsty


    Wrong - the feeling of thirst actually indicates that the body is already slightly dehydrated.

    YES. THAT. i seem to recall reading something that "feeling thirsty" is an indication that your body could be up to 20% dehydrated already...

    that said, yes to the "water comes from food too" - i drink a lot of water (12+ cups a day) because i work-out daily, & feel better, but i also love that i get so much water from apples and such. it's a food & a water! WIN!
  • dizy17
    dizy17 Posts: 236 Member
    I have been told that you should be drinking half of your body weight in ounces of water. Take me for instance, I am 286.2 lbs so I should be drinking about 143 ounces of water every day.

    I have also been told this and there is no way i can drink 150oz a day! lol
  • bluskies01
    bluskies01 Posts: 72 Member
    Well I guess I'm a little under half my weight, but not too bad, I'm getting about 120 oz. a day and I'm 270 lbs. I wasn't obsessing about it, I just want to make sure that I'm getting what my body needs, and that I understood what MFP is recommending. I don't drink alcoholic or caffeinated beverages, only the occasional sobe life water or skim milk.
  • Bob314159
    Bob314159 Posts: 1,178 Member
    Coffee and caffeinated drinks dehydrate you. You may need to drink an ounce and a half to recover every ounce of caffeinated beverages you drink to rehydrate.

    No - just another MFP myth -- read http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/caffeinated-drinks/AN01661

    The same for 8 glasses of water a day - I wish MFP would remove that counter - read http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2010/12/08/the-myth-behind-drinking-8-glasses-of-water-a-day/
  • 714rah714
    714rah714 Posts: 759 Member
    Wrong - the feeling of thirst actually indicates that the body is already slightly dehydrated.
    Millions of years of evolution swept away in one sentence
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
    Drink when you're thirsty


    Wrong - the feeling of thirst actually indicates that the body is already slightly dehydrated.

    Maybe you're just unfamiliar with what "thirst" feels like. I end up drinking around 8 liters (not cups) of water a day because I only drink when I'm thirsty. I keep 4-6 500mL water bottles in my gigantic purse and any time I feel thirsty I drink. When I eat dinner I go through about 6 liters. If you're in tune with your body, you'll know when you need water.
  • melsinct
    melsinct Posts: 3,512 Member
    There is no magic number of cups or ounces you need to hit-it is about hydration. You can determine your hydration level via pee color. The link below has all of the info including a color chart from the US military on how to determine if you need to drink water or not:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/857659-the-definitive-how-much-water-do-i-really-need-thread
  • jltotaro
    jltotaro Posts: 23
    I have been told that you should be drinking half of your body weight in ounces of water. Take me for instance, I am 286.2 lbs so I should be drinking about 143 ounces of water every day.

    THIS. Our karate instructor constantly tells us this. And that is minimum on days you're NOT exercising. If you're exercising, you should drink more than that.

    Now me, I have been trying, but I have to pee ALL the time!!!
  • bluskies01
    bluskies01 Posts: 72 Member
    There is no magic number of cups or ounces you need to hit-it is about hydration. You can determine your hydration level via pee color. The link below has all of the info including a color chart from the US military on how to determine if you need to drink water or not:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/857659-the-definitive-how-much-water-do-i-really-need-thread

    Good to know! Is this the color when mixed with the toilet water? lol sorry if TMI. I don't ever get to see at work bc the toilets are autoflush, I'll try to pay more attention at home!
  • jennaworksout
    jennaworksout Posts: 1,739 Member
    i try to get 8 in a day, but if you get 4 - 6 I think thats pretty acceptable , I don't always getmy full 8 but try for 4 at the least , I also count my herbal tea as a glass of water if I have some.
  • jrmartinezb
    jrmartinezb Posts: 147 Member
    Coffee and caffeinated drinks dehydrate you. You may need to drink an ounce and a half to recover every ounce of caffeinated beverages you drink to rehydrate.

    The claim that caffeinated beverages dehydrate you is at best disputed. Caffeine does have a diuretic effect, but recent research suggests that the effect is not that big. When taken in moderation (1-2 cups a day), the diuretic effect of caffeinated beverage is no larger than the effect of other beverages. Plus, regular drinkers seem to develop a resistance. Of course there is variation in everyone so some people might be more sensitive to it.

    An ounce of caffeinated beverages making you lose an ounce of water seems wildly exaggerated. Is that supposed to happen through a diuretic effect? If that were the case, four cups of coffee would make you double your average urine excretion. That would be enough to warrant medical attention and symptoms of dehydration would be quite obvious.
  • mistesh
    mistesh Posts: 243 Member
    The notion of eight glasses of water, of say eight ounces each, is a myth. In 1945 the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council recommended approximately "1 milliliter of water for each calorie of food," which would amount to roughly 2 to 2.5 quarts per day (64 to 80 ounces). The board added, "[M]ost of this quantity is contained in prepared foods.” But this sentence seems to have been forgotten by everyone. Be sure though to drink a big glass of water before each of the three daily meals.
  • melsinct
    melsinct Posts: 3,512 Member
    There is no magic number of cups or ounces you need to hit-it is about hydration. You can determine your hydration level via pee color. The link below has all of the info including a color chart from the US military on how to determine if you need to drink water or not:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/857659-the-definitive-how-much-water-do-i-really-need-thread

    Good to know! Is this the color when mixed with the toilet water? lol sorry if TMI. I don't ever get to see at work bc the toilets are autoflush, I'll try to pay more attention at home!

    LOL, yes, it is the mixed color. Don't worry, you don't have to take pee samples regularly :laugh:
  • crobl
    crobl Posts: 380
    Drink when you're thirsty


    Wrong - the feeling of thirst actually indicates that the body is already slightly dehydrated.

    Maybe you're just unfamiliar with what "thirst" feels like. I end up drinking around 8 liters (not cups) of water a day because I only drink when I'm thirsty. I keep 4-6 500mL water bottles in my gigantic purse and any time I feel thirsty I drink. When I eat dinner I go through about 6 liters. If you're in tune with your body, you'll know when you need water.

    Hahaha....you're right, as a former collegiate athlete and a nationally certified health care professional with advanced training on nutrition/hydration as they specifically relate to heat related illness I most definitely am "unfamiliar" with what thirst feels like.

    Oh wait - I actually do know what I'm talking about, and I'm right! But thanks...

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