How much water do you drink.... really?

Flippy44
Flippy44 Posts: 77
edited September 21 in Food and Nutrition
Ok so all of us strive for our 8 glasses. But that is 64oz of water and for me, getting down 32oz during a workday is a challenge. I've also heard that recently major medical journals are accepting that you "no longer" need to count coffee against your water intake (i.e. a cup of coffee can count as a cup of water). That helps (for me anyway!). I've also heard that the 8 servings is a bit of a myth in that many of the foods we eat contain water and that over-hydrating (drinking when you are not thirsty) is BAD for the body. Seems I can't win with all the 'data' out there.

What are your thoughts on water intake?

Replies

  • CFAITH_WARD
    CFAITH_WARD Posts: 281 Member
    I have heard that 2/3 your weight is the number of oz of water you should drink...I usually drink 10 -12 glasses a day...once you get used to it it isn't that difficult.
  • Ryhenblue
    Ryhenblue Posts: 390 Member
    I drink 12-16oz of Green Tea or a Diet Soda in the morning and then I drink 6-8 glasses of water. There are days where I drink other things and I have dropped as low as 4 glasses of water in a day. I average 64oz of liquid a day though. I don't count my other drinks towards my water intake.
  • biggphatdaddy
    biggphatdaddy Posts: 50
    I read that the 8 glasses thing is a myth too, but I read that it is the low end of the myth, you should probably strive to drink more than 8...I drop 8 to 10 of the 16 oz bottles a day...I completely cut out most other beverages...but teas and other drinks can count towards your totals also if that makes it easier...
  • KCmom
    KCmom Posts: 124
    At least 10-12 cups of water a day. (I sometimes have one diet soda during the day too, and I do not count that as fluid intake.)

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  • lovelypen50
    lovelypen50 Posts: 192 Member
    I drink tea sometimes. I am striving to drink at least 8-10 cups of water daily. Some times I do but sometimes I don't. I have cut out sodas to at least 1-2 a month.
  • lculian
    lculian Posts: 313 Member
    I drink 10-15 glasses a day. Depending on whether I work out. The only other thing I drink on a regular basis is tea. I gave up soda, and juice. I drink that much water because that's how thirsty I am. No soda, crystal light or juice means water. It took me a good three weeks before this became a habit.

    Now, I don't miss any of it and I actually crave water.

    Although every once in awhile I crave ice tea and vodka:wink:
  • Amandac6772
    Amandac6772 Posts: 1,311 Member
    Probably 10-12 cups a day.
  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
    12 at the least, but I strive for 15 everyday. The last week I've only gotten 8 and can seriously tell the difference. I'm SO sore, more tired, and definitely thirsty. Even at 15, I can be thirsty at night... I believe in half your weight in ounces at LEAST.
  • Ms_Natalie
    Ms_Natalie Posts: 1,030 Member
    I drink 5 - 6 pints of water every day and drink nothing else! I have consistently lost weight even when I have eaten horribly sometimes! :flowerforyou:

    It's water only for me, and on the odd occasion I drink tea once or twice a week!

    Although friday...I love a vodka or two! :love:
  • turboandrea
    turboandrea Posts: 108
    I can't help drinking 10-12 cups a day. That's only 5 or 6 refills of my water bottle and that is really easy to do just sitting at my desk. I always get rid of one bottle during a workout too.
  • Flippy44
    Flippy44 Posts: 77
    See this is where I'm stuck. All I drink is water or my morning coffee. That's it. No soda, juice, milk, diet drinks, etc. Just water and one coffee. But I am just NOT that thirsty to need 64 oz of fluid in a day. I drink water with my meals and keep a 32oz bottle at my desk but as I look at it right now (3:37pm) its about 2/3 full. Unless I consciously make myself drink, I just don't think of it.
  • cbirdso
    cbirdso Posts: 465 Member
    I don't drink soda, crystal light, or anything that has additives that inhibit weight loss (like aspertame, food dyes, or preservatives). I really don't know how many glasses of water I drink each day, but I have a twelve ounce glass of water with me throughout the day that I sip on and I fill it up each time it gets empty. I probably fill it up about 5 or 6 times during the day.

    I sometimes substitute tea (brewed then iced) for water every so often. I notice I feel so much better now that I drink more water.

    I have to admit I like beer,wine, and other alcohol every now and then, but realize it is "junk" food.
  • LeahSylina
    LeahSylina Posts: 40
    I strive for the 8 cups a day that MFP recommends, or more. A few times I've managed to exceed that and drink 10 cups. I'm not sure if it's true that I need it or not, but I figure it can't hurt. Plus, water is all I drink besides my cup of coffee in the morning. I have a 16 oz bottle of water and I fill that 4 times a day and just carry it around with me around the house or out on the go (if somehow I manage to make it out of the house lol). I feel good drinking that much water, even if it means I have to pee like every hour on the hour.
  • tlamhain
    tlamhain Posts: 15
    This is what I have used to figure out what I should get for water....

    http://nutrition.about.com/library/blwatercalculator.htm
  • LeahSylina
    LeahSylina Posts: 40
    Interesting, that quiz says I need 74.5 oz of water, more than the standard 64. I think I'll start striving for that.

    One thing I forgot to mention in my other post is that it's not dangerous to drink when you are not thirsty. In fact I think I remember reading that by the time you feel thirsty, your body is all ready dehydrated. I don't know how true that is, but it has always stuck with me. There is a such thing as water intoxication (when the water you drink depleates the sodium in your body down to dangerous levels) but that can really only happen if you power down a ton of glasses of water all at once.

    I could never drink this much water before I was pg with my son. I craved water when I was pregnant with him though, I drank so much water I thought I would drown in it, lol. Now drinking 8 cups a day doesn't seem that bad. I think it is something you have to slowly get used to.
  • lilmissy2
    lilmissy2 Posts: 595 Member
    I'm not saying there is any harm at all to drinking 8 glasses or more per day although I wouldn't recommend having much over that, but I want to comment on this from a different perspective, for your interest, since the OP mentioned overhydration.

    When I tube feed people in hospital (or in the community), obviously it is quite important to monitor their hydration and ensure they are getting enough fluid. The majority of people will be overhydrated (ie their blood sodium, potassium and other indicatores will drop below normal) if you give them more than 2.5L (10 cups) of fluid total (ie including in food, or in this case in the feed) per day and some smaller people will only require 1-1.5L total. Of course if they were sweating a lot ie in an extreme fever or if they are active, that would go up... but probably not to more than 3.5L including food.
  • lizzys
    lizzys Posts: 841 Member
    :noway: : you make me look bad i"M still working on a 80z glass i drink coffee and ice tea and soda ::blushing: i will do better:
  • kickitlarson
    kickitlarson Posts: 204 Member
    I drink a total of 3 liters of water and nothing else everyday (about 13 cups). I drink 1 liter first thing in the morning and the rest throughout the day however never right before or after meals. I love being hydrated. Hydration= elimination and I definitely don't want toxins hanging out any longer than necessary. i do live in a warm climate & break a sweat daily. I think that info about counting coffee or soda is a bunch of crap. I would count anything with caffeine as a negative and would result in drinking even more water....same goes for alcohol. If you are thirsty you are already dehydrated. You should be peeing clear 8-10 times a day & getting up to pee at night should be a normal thing. happy hydrating!!
  • Flippy44
    Flippy44 Posts: 77
    I'm not saying there is any harm at all to drinking 8 glasses or more per day although I wouldn't recommend having much over that, but I want to comment on this from a different perspective, for your interest, since the OP mentioned overhydration.

    When I tube feed people in hospital (or in the community), obviously it is quite important to monitor their hydration and ensure they are getting enough fluid. The majority of people will be overhydrated (ie their blood sodium, potassium and other indicatores will drop below normal) if you give them more than 2.5L (10 cups) of fluid total (ie including in food, or in this case in the feed) per day and some smaller people will only require 1-1.5L total. Of course if they were sweating a lot ie in an extreme fever or if they are active, that would go up... but probably not to more than 3.5L including food.

    Thanks! This was the info I was thinking of. The study I read said that the human body is designed to get a lot of our water through food. It also DID say that the human body was really made to drink water - not the other stuff we tend to put in there - but that one should only drink when thirsty. For now - I'm going with that. :D
  • mbeuchert24
    mbeuchert24 Posts: 204 Member
    :noway: : you make me look bad i"M still working on a 80z glass i drink coffee and ice tea and soda ::blushing: i will do better:

    Don't worry! I'm right there with ya! I probably manage 8 oz of water a week! I hate hate hate water LOL. I know though once I start getting my fitness routine down I'll also get better at drinking water.
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