8 glasses of Water a day .... Myth?!?

melgibson
melgibson Posts: 702 Member
edited September 2024 in Food and Nutrition
For some time I have doubted that I need 8 glasses of water a day.
My reasons are that I am petite at 5"1', I need less calories than average, I am smaller in mass than average and therefore need less than average because I am less than average everywhere else...
Makes sense to me.

I thought I'd research this a little and see what I could find as a recommendation, surely there would be a guide either to weight or size, and there is ... 1ml per cals consumed per day, so I'd have to drink between 1000ml and 1300mls a day which is around half the recommended amount.
This seems like a much more realistic amount to me as I am a smaller frame and lower weight and seems in scale to a larger person being average needing 8 x 8oz.

In my search I discovered this site....

http://www.scienceagogo.com/news/20020711213420data_trunc_sys.shtml

They claim that we don't need 8 x 8 glasses of water a day and in fact that tea/coffee other fluids and even beer counts to water intake. They say it doesn't have to be water alone.
They also claim that they are risks in drinking excess water. Giving examples of deaths from drinking too much water!!

Just thought I'd throw it out there and see what you all thought?

Replies

  • tamalea
    tamalea Posts: 107 Member
    I have been doing weight watchers for a while now. Years ago it use to be that you had to drink decaffinated liquids to be considered water, now it is anything. I don't particularly like to drink plain water, so I found this refreshing. I count my coffee, tea and crystal light. I definately get more than eight glasses. Heck if you think about it all these drinks are just flavored water.
  • Jenks
    Jenks Posts: 349
    I looked into this before, I found this info:
    .5 times your weight in pounds to get the number of ounces divided by 8 to get the number of glasses. Example: 115 lbs x .5 = 57.5 ounces. 57.5 divided by 8 equals 7.2 glasses. Often, we replace fluids by consuming beverages such as milk, fruit juices, coffee, tea, and sodas. Our bodies will extract the water from these sources through digestion and metabolism.

    On this website:
    http://www.femalemuscle.com/wilkins/hydration.html
  • baggins706
    baggins706 Posts: 310
    I can agree with you but I tend to follow this rule in how much water I should drink a day "A good estimate is to take your body weight in pounds and divide that number in half. That gives you the number of ounces of water per day that you need to drink. For example, if you weigh 160 pounds, you should drink at least 80 ounces of water per day." so right now at 167 pounds I drink 5 16.9 bottles of water a day!
  • Michellerw1
    Michellerw1 Posts: 367
    I have heard before that if you drink water everytime you are thirsty or hungry you will get what your body needs in a day. People who have diets higher in sodium need more water.

    The risks you face when drinking too much water really are only a factor when you are drinking a LOT more than recomended. Basically what happens is electrolytes in your blood become diluted. Hence, all the sports drinks with electrolytes!
  • bethinagain
    bethinagain Posts: 282 Member
    I saw something on discovery health channel a while back, where they took 2 group on 15 people each. The first group had to drink 8 - 8oz. glasses of water everyday and the second group just did their normal daily intake of food and fluids. After 90 days, they compared the blood and urine to the results from day one. The "water group" was less nurished than the non-water group. It showed that group 1 had less vitamins and nutrients in their bodies than the other group. Water tends to flush away all the good stuff before the body has a chance to absorb it.
  • melgibson
    melgibson Posts: 702 Member
    I have been doing weight watchers for a while now. Years ago it use to be that you had to drink decaffinated liquids to be considered water, now it is anything. I don't particularly like to drink plain water, so I found this refreshing. I count my coffee, tea and crystal light. I definately get more than eight glasses. Heck if you think about it all these drinks are just flavored water.

    Exactly... I have switched to decaf tea but keep coffee as caffeinated. so I get half of each, I tend to drink around the same tea and coffee a day- maybe one or two of each.
    I also drink fruit juices and love diluteable squash too but have given these up largely since MFP as I can't get 8 glasses of water in unless I have only water!! :cry:
    I really feel that I am over doing the water when I do hit 8 plus glasses as I still want me tea/coffee as they are part of my day. :smile:
  • melgibson
    melgibson Posts: 702 Member
    I looked into this before, I found this info:
    .5 times your weight in pounds to get the number of ounces divided by 8 to get the number of glasses. Example: 115 lbs x .5 = 57.5 ounces. 57.5 divided by 8 equals 7.2 glasses. Often, we replace fluids by consuming beverages such as milk, fruit juices, coffee, tea, and sodas. Our bodies will extract the water from these sources through digestion and metabolism.

    On this website:
    http://www.femalemuscle.com/wilkins/hydration.html

    Thanks :bigsmile:
    This is what I figured was right. the body is an amzing thing and it will draw water from where it finds it.
    I'm glad that's I'm not alone on this :smile:
  • obifatkanobi
    obifatkanobi Posts: 190
    Thanks for sharing! I agree that many of the things we bring in add water to our diets, but some of them also cause us to lose water. I believe the 8 X 8 rule is a general guide, and we need to customize it for our own bodies based on what we are eating, drinking, and doing. Weather also plays into this, so is there a set number of ounces of water to take in? I don't think so, but believe instead, it changes daily.

    You found a site I want to look into, and you found your daily needs. This is important, but, excess water also flushes out many of the bad things our bodies build up over the day, works for cooling our bodies, and keeps our joints lubricated and moving smoothly. If things begin to go wrong, look first to see if your bringing in enough water. Often, just increasing your water intake can increase alertness, strength, energy, and relieve pain.

    Again, thanks for sharing with us, and thanks to all who have added some input, it all adds together to give a clear picture of what we need to succeed at being healthier. It's great to know the daily average, and it's great to know all the factors that can increase, and even decrease this amount. Water, like calorie consumption, changes daily, and so we should be aware and adjust to meet our needs...
  • Michellerw1
    Michellerw1 Posts: 367
    Alot of foods have a high water content. This article is pretty interesting.

    http://www.cookinglight.com/eating-smart/nutrition-101/1-day-11-cups-water-00400000027053/
  • AnneElise
    AnneElise Posts: 4,206 Member
    I agree that 8 glasses is probably for the average person so you need to adjust that for your body size... don't forget though when you work out you need to drink even more water than if you arn't active... so for me I generally think if I wasn't working out I wouldn't need 8 glasses... but since I do work out I try to at least hit 8.

    If you are doing athletic activities then water that is in juice/tea/coffee won't really work for you. Even water in sports drinks isn't enough to keep you hydrated.

    also remember to check the sources of the websites and articles that you read.... there is an article on the internet supporting almost anything out there. I love the article posted below. I think that it explains water needs very well!

    http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/water/nu00283
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
    I drink minimum of half my weight in ounces of water but I've found I lose weigh easier when I drink more, and I've found my magic number to be at least 120 oz. This also prevents me from retaining water weight for too long if I eat an excessive amount of sodium. I used to retain water for up to a week on say, 80 oz. of water (I'm around 160) but now I only retain for one or two days if I'm consistently drinking 120 oz.


    I think it all just depends on what you're drinking water for... just to survive, to lose weight, or to stay hydrated. I drink a lot of water mainly so I stay full and don't eat crap but also because I genuinely am really thirsty throughout the day if I don't. I could drink only 80 oz. of water and be sooo thirsty. It just doesn't work for me.

    I say just find what works for you.
  • BeautifulScarsWECHANGED
    BeautifulScarsWECHANGED Posts: 749 Member
    I've heard from a number of naturalpaths that you need to drink half you weight in ounces in water each day. If you weight 120 lbs, then you would drink 60 oz of water a day.
  • jlewis2896
    jlewis2896 Posts: 763 Member
    I'm 5'1" also, and I get at least 80oz of water per day. I do count uncaffeinated beverages toward my water intake also, I agree with you on that!!

    I think the odds of dying from over-hydration are pretty rare. i have only ever heard of it in military situations where soldiers are forced to hydrate in the desert......

    I do know that if I start to go under 8 glasses of water per day I stop losing weight, I have heard that not drinking can slow your metabolism, not sure if that's valid, but my weight loss and hydration directly correlate, so I drink drink drink!!!
  • melgibson
    melgibson Posts: 702 Member
    Thanks everyone :bigsmile:

    You all make very good and totally valid points and I agree with you all.
    For me I think the right amount is around 6 8oz glasses plus my decaf tea and intake from food.
    I do eat a lot of salads, fruits and veg and have soya milk with my cereal everyday which are largely water.
    I do drink plenty of water with workouts and I feel I need what I drink.

    I have played around with the amounts of water I drink and experimented and I honestly can't say I've noticed any difference in the way my body looses weight. Sadly :grumble:

    I will always drink water every single day and lots of it because I believe it's good for me but I think I'll stop beating myself up if I don't hit 8-9 glasses like I have been aiming for this year.

    Thanks for all the links I will have a good read and learn as much as I can as I know this is an important issue to us all.
  • SHAMEKALACHELLE
    SHAMEKALACHELLE Posts: 25 Member
    All of this sounds good. If I'm thirsty, I drink water. If I sweat, I drink water. If it's 90 degrees outside, I definately drink it! I say drink it as you need it, and if you don't like water, figure out ways to get it in.
    As a personal rule of thumb, if my urine is bright yellow by the end of the day, then I haven't drank enough.
    I LOVE WATER. : )
  • megamom
    megamom Posts: 920 Member
    I also have heard and read that the 8 glasses a day is a myth and they are not sure where that magic number comes from. I agree with the other posters. In the summer I drink a lot of water as I exercise and sweat it out. In the winter I mostly drink coffee or tea. I only drink when I am thirsty.
  • clairebear82
    clairebear82 Posts: 60
    That's interesting, thanks Mel, it means I need over 2 litres a day, might have a go at that and see if it makes a difference. x
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