Why SO MUCH WATER!

If you're thirsty, drink. If you're hungry but don't think you should be, drink. Thirst sometimes masks as hunger. If your pee is orange, drink more. I couldn't tell you how much I drink during the day. It's not a gallon, I can guarantee you that.

Hello All,

I just wanted to know the reasoning behind 8 cups of water a day. I don't like to drink water but I've been trying to make myself drink it. Yesterday morning I worked out and was happy with my weighin of 244.4 (first time in weeks I broke 245) Then I calculated my calories and made sure to drink 8 glasses of water. When I woke up this morning and weighed myself I was pissed off when I weighed 247.4! I was really discouraged. I ended up completing another cardio work out about 2 hours later and when I weighed myself after I was 245.2. I think drinking all that water inflated my weight and after going hard in the gym I lost most of it. My question is this, why force myself to drink 8 cups of water? Based on the math I found 8 cups of water is approx 4 pounds. I wasn't hungry when I drunk the water, I was just doing it because I thought it is what I'm suppose to do to lose weight but I don't want to keep adding water weight just to sweat it out.

You don't always need to drink that much water no. In fact several recent studies show no benefits at all of drinking that much water, one was a nice study where all stationary bike riders got fluids through IV so nobody could tell how much water they were getting, and no performance differences were noted in the "adequately hydrated" group. Really, if you take some sips of water while exercising, drink whenever you are thirsty, drink water instead of soda, and your urine isn't darkened, that's all you really need to do. Too much water actually can reduce performance, and if its enough in one sitting (before your body can eliminate it) its actually detrimental, so definitely don't sit around and force yourself to drink the water just because you "drank 2 cups today and I have 6 cups left" or something.

The issue of your weight above though after a workout you should expect, and is not really a problem because your muscles will always absorb some water weight after a workout (depending on the amount of inflammation due to your workout intensity) and then reduce later. And you will always weigh less after you sweat like crazy in a workout, and regain some when you rehydrate. I wouldn't weigh yourself so often either, it will just frustrate you, I'm right around where you are and know from experience Once/wk is enough, same day, same time in relation to your workouts and same time in the morning is best, just after you get up. I can fluctuate several pounds easily throughout the day.

I don't like to drink water but I've been trying to make myself drink it.

I think drinking all that water inflated my weight and after going hard in the gym I lost most of it.

Hey,

Depends on the glass size - I have 2 or 3 litres a day if that's any help. You don't have to drink it plain. Add tea & coffee (no extra cals), or concentrated fruit juice, sugar and additives (soda), fat and protein (milk) - or have it sparkling. Just log the extra cals.

Your body will always keep roughly the same percentage of water in it so don't worry. It's not fat and you won't 'hold on' to it.

and what do you think carries the toxins out? The water ( and other fluids) dilute and "flush" the toxins out.

In my case, the amount of water is NOT broscience. My doctor spent several months doing 24 and 48 hour urine tests to determine the correct amount of water for me. I thought it was rather interesting that it happened to be 1/2 my body weight in ounces. At 64oz, I was still dehydrated according to my urine tests.

Ok, so you are a special snowflake that needs a set amount of water. Maybe you only eat a lot of dry foods or you sweat excessively. Anyway, if you drank less of water your body would still carry out the horrid toxins (still not sure where people are ingesting all these toxins) , your urine would just be more concentrated.

and what do you think carries the toxins out? The water ( and other fluids) dilute and "flush" the toxins out.

In my case, the amount of water is NOT broscience. My doctor spent several months doing 24 and 48 hour urine tests to determine the correct amount of water for me. I thought it was rather interesting that it happened to be 1/2 my body weight in ounces. At 64oz, I was still dehydrated according to my urine tests.

Ok, so you are a special snowflake that needs a set amount of water. Maybe you only eat a lot of dry foods or you sweat excessively. Anyway, if you drank less of water your body would still carry out the horrid toxins (still not sure where people are ingesting all these toxins) , your urine would just be more concentrated.

Never said I was a special snowflake...but I did have medical testing done every 3-6 months for 2 years. When I drank 64oz, my urine was pale, yet my urine output was too low. The mineral concentration was high enough to promote stone formation.

The reason I told my story is that at that time in my life, I was only about 15lbs lighter than OP.

Possibly because people (and water 'manufacturers/sellers' say so) ..... Have a read of this (There's a BBC program associated with this if you can get BBC i-player where you are. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24464774

The gist of it is that you drink what you need when you're thirsty - your body will do the rest. If you drink too much you'll be going to the loo more to sort out the excess. It's likened to oxygen, you don't breathe extra because oxygen is good for you, you breathe what you need. Likewise water, your body should tell you what you need - not somebody who produces water and makes money from it.