Which way would you really look thinner?

SlimmingMeDown
SlimmingMeDown Posts: 63 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I've read two things about getting rid of water weight to look thinner/fit into clothes:

a) Drinking at least 8 cups of water a day rids you of excess sodium water weight.

b) Taking diuretics rids you of water weight because you are getting rid of waste.

So which would be the effective solution? One encourages you to drink a lot of water and the other has you flush it away. It seems like contradictory solutions.

Safety issues aside, which one works better -- A or B? Have you tried either one?
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Replies

  • rileamoyer
    rileamoyer Posts: 2,412 Member
    My personal opinion - non medical, just my experience.

    Taking diuretic supplements or RX is ok if you have medical issues causing you to retain fluids.

    Water is the best method to flush your body, drinking water does not in itself cause fluid retention.
  • climbing_trees
    climbing_trees Posts: 726 Member
    Drink more water. Your body works better when you're hydrated.
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
    Uh...
  • upscalelifedownscalebutt
    upscalelifedownscalebutt Posts: 90 Member
    Drinking water works better unless you have a medical condition that is causing retention, but don't go to extremes and drink too much too fast. Stick to a few liters a day or you can get "water drunk".
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
    Urggggh.

    Drink enough water for your body and don't take diuretics unless you need them medically. What is with people?! You should never abuse your body to "look" thin.
  • SlimmingMeDown
    SlimmingMeDown Posts: 63 Member
    My personal opinion - non medical, just my experience.

    Taking diuretic supplements or RX is ok if you have medical issues causing you to retain fluids.

    Water is the best method to flush your body, drinking water does not in itself cause fluid retention.

    That is what I hear. I have been drinking 8 cups of water a day for the past few weeks and wonder if it is actually doing me any good in that department. I mean visually it does not seem to change anything, but I guess that is hard to measure.
  • book_lover123
    book_lover123 Posts: 7
    Maybe she's just curious. Doesn't mean she's necessarily going to do it!
    People on this website have a serious issue with being rude.
    I don't take anything, I just drink a lot of water. But I get dehydrated really easily.
  • TriShamelessly
    TriShamelessly Posts: 905 Member
    Drink water. Avoid pills unless medically necessary.
  • Eleonora91
    Eleonora91 Posts: 688 Member
    So I've read two things about getting rid of water weight to look thinner/fit into clothes:

    a) Drinking at least 8 cups of water a day rids you of excess sodium water weight.

    b) Taking diuretics rids you of water weight because you are getting rid of waste.

    So which would be the effective solution? One encourages you to drink a lot of water and the other has you flush it away. It seems like contradictory solutions.

    Safety issues aside, which one works better -- A or B? Have you tried either one?

    They're not contradictory. If you drink 8 cups of water a day you're going to expel them throughout the day anyway - the safe way. Your body will use that water to solubilize wastes and toxins and everything else hence it will not weigh on your weight in the end. (Except for normal, physiological fluctuations).

    Taking diuretics does the same WITHOUT considering if you're drinking enough water and without respecting your bodily functions. Your body was made to expel liquids on its own way. If you force him to expel more water than you drink it might deprive you of your healthy water content.

    If you really want to clean your body up from *excess* liquids and wastes go for a cup of green tea and try to keep your intestinal functions regular by eating fibers or appropriate aliments.

    I have a cup of draining herbal tea a day (which I alternate with a cup of puryfing herbal tea) + 1 cup of fiber yogurt everyday. It works fine.
  • SlimmingMeDown
    SlimmingMeDown Posts: 63 Member
    Urggggh.

    Drink enough water for your body and don't take diuretics unless you need them medically. What is with people?! You should never abuse your body to "look" thin.

    Yeah, I'm not taking them. I asked a question for general reference. Maybe you need to read a little closer.
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
    A works better for me. the diuretics purge water and then my body fills it back up twice as full - so I stick with plan A
  • grimendale
    grimendale Posts: 2,153 Member
    My girlfriend is on prescription diuretics for an inner ear issue. They are effective for reducing water retention, but come with a host of side effects (including potassium leaching, skin dryness, hair and nail problems, frequent urination, and dehydration). Drinking more water is more effective if the issue is a salt imbalance since diuretics will not address the underlying issue.
  • SlimmingMeDown
    SlimmingMeDown Posts: 63 Member
    Maybe she's just curious. Doesn't mean she's necessarily going to do it!
    People on this website have a serious issue with being rude.
    I don't take anything, I just drink a lot of water. But I get dehydrated really easily.

    Thank you. I am just curious. Perhaps I get dehydrated without actually knowing it, in which case the water is good anyway.
  • happysherri
    happysherri Posts: 1,360 Member
    My vote is for WATER, drink more. It benefits your body in so many other ways too.
  • wild_wild_life
    wild_wild_life Posts: 1,334 Member
    You can't/shouldn't take diuretics without drinking more water anyway so it's kind of a false choice. Diuretics increase your excretion of fluids which is great when you have kidney or heart disease but would result in significant dehydration in a healthy person who does not compensate with increased water intake. And yes, figure competitors do dehydrate themselves to look thinner, but only in very specific controlled situations.
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
    Many people find drinking when they're thirsty and maintaining a calorific deficit through diet and exercise makes them look thinner.
  • wild_wild_life
    wild_wild_life Posts: 1,334 Member
    Many people find drinking when they're thirsty and maintaining a calorific deficit through diet and exercise makes them look thinner.
    LOL. What witchcraft is this? :laugh:
  • SlimmingMeDown
    SlimmingMeDown Posts: 63 Member
    Taking diuretics does the same WITHOUT considering if you're drinking enough water and without respecting your bodily functions. Your body was made to expel liquids on its own way. If you force him to expel more water than you drink it might deprive you of your healthy water content.

    Makes complete sense. Both just have their own way of working.
  • Mutant13
    Mutant13 Posts: 2,485 Member
    Many people find drinking when they're thirsty and maintaining a calorific deficit through diet and exercise makes them look thinner.
    LOL. What witchcraft is this? :laugh:

    Don't be so silly Berry. That can't possibly work
  • Eleonora91
    Eleonora91 Posts: 688 Member
    Taking diuretics does the same WITHOUT considering if you're drinking enough water and without respecting your bodily functions. Your body was made to expel liquids on its own way. If you force him to expel more water than you drink it might deprive you of your healthy water content.

    Makes complete sense. Both just have their own way of working.

    Yep. That's why they're aimed for people who cannot correctly expel liquids.
    Losing liquids wouldn't probably even make anyone look thinner, if their problem is having exceeding bodily fat. You can only lose that by burning it down gradually with exercise, unfortunately.
    On the bright side I don't think anything bad is going to happen you if you drink 2-3 lt of water a day.
    You'll pee a lot and feel so much better already.
  • book_lover123
    book_lover123 Posts: 7
    Maybe she's just curious. Doesn't mean she's necessarily going to do it!
    People on this website have a serious issue with being rude.
    I don't take anything, I just drink a lot of water. But I get dehydrated really easily.

    Thank you. I am just curious. Perhaps I get dehydrated without actually knowing it, in which case the water is good anyway.
    Yeah, maybe so. I literally never feel not thirsty, I don't know why. Every time I go to a restraunt I drink a minimum of 3 glasses of water before I've relaxed how much I drink. And the water never makes me so stuffed that I can't eat, I don't know what wrong with me. Lol.
  • kelsully
    kelsully Posts: 1,008 Member
    Maybe she's just curious. Doesn't mean she's necessarily going to do it!
    People on this website have a serious issue with being rude.
    I don't take anything, I just drink a lot of water. But I get dehydrated really easily.

    Thank you. I am just curious. Perhaps I get dehydrated without actually knowing it, in which case the water is good anyway.
    Yeah, maybe so. I literally never feel not thirsty, I don't know why. Every time I go to a restraunt I drink a minimum of 3 glasses of water before I've relaxed how much I drink. And the water never makes me so stuffed that I can't eat, I don't know what wrong with me. Lol.


    Beverages, unless carbonated, do not make me feel full...ever. Drinking more water, which I have to force myself to do, only makes me feel thirsty. Odd I know.
  • SlimmingMeDown
    SlimmingMeDown Posts: 63 Member
    Maybe she's just curious. Doesn't mean she's necessarily going to do it!
    People on this website have a serious issue with being rude.
    I don't take anything, I just drink a lot of water. But I get dehydrated really easily.

    Thank you. I am just curious. Perhaps I get dehydrated without actually knowing it, in which case the water is good anyway.
    Yeah, maybe so. I literally never feel not thirsty, I don't know why. Every time I go to a restraunt I drink a minimum of 3 glasses of water before I've relaxed how much I drink. And the water never makes me so stuffed that I can't eat, I don't know what wrong with me. Lol.

    I wish it did stuff me more. But I think when you get used to drinking a certain amount, you just start to want it on a consistent basis, because that has started to happen to me too.

    I have never been one for soda, so water usually takes that spot.

    Drinking Pepsi on a hot day is the worst. It never really quenches.
  • kelsully
    kelsully Posts: 1,008 Member
    So I've read two things about getting rid of water weight to look thinner/fit into clothes:

    a) Drinking at least 8 cups of water a day rids you of excess sodium water weight.

    b) Taking diuretics rids you of water weight because you are getting rid of waste.

    So which would be the effective solution? One encourages you to drink a lot of water and the other has you flush it away. It seems like contradictory solutions.

    Safety issues aside, which one works better -- A or B? Have you tried either one?


    The only time I took diurectics was when I was retaining mass quantities of water in my limbs after the birth of my last child. I went into congestive heart failure and was retaining fluids. I flushed the fluids quickly.....so quickly the hospital staff could not keep up with it. It sucked and I would not recommend the method for any reason.
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
    Yeah, maybe so. I literally never feel not thirsty, I don't know why. Every time I go to a restraunt I drink a minimum of 3 glasses of water before I've relaxed how much I drink. And the water never makes me so stuffed that I can't eat, I don't know what wrong with me. Lol.

    Feeling thirsty constantly or frequently can be a symptom of diabetes or other diseases. If you haven't had blood work done recently, it would be worth checking out.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,989 Member
    Wearing correct clothing and colors makes one "look" thinner.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    Losing far and exercising makes you look thinner. I've never understood the preoccupation on these boards with water and water weight. The world is not obese because everyone's carrying around a whole bunch of water weight!
  • aschroeder2749
    aschroeder2749 Posts: 172 Member
    Maybe she's just curious. Doesn't mean she's necessarily going to do it!
    People on this website have a serious issue with being rude.
    I don't take anything, I just drink a lot of water. But I get dehydrated really easily.


    Yeah they are....we aren't all fitness gurus here. Some of us are new to fitness entirely. The sarcasm and rudeness is unbecoming.
  • shell_mc
    shell_mc Posts: 109 Member
    The only time I've taken a diuretic is when I'm feeling particularly bloated and water doesn't seem to be helping (TOM, ate chinese food, etc.).

    Otherwise, water or other fluids should do the trick. Dandelion Root tea is supposed to be a natural diuretic. Sometimes, I'll brew that and add some lemon and cranberry juices.
  • misschoppo
    misschoppo Posts: 463 Member
    Many people find drinking when they're thirsty and maintaining a calorific deficit through diet and exercise makes them look thinner.
    LOL. What witchcraft is this? :laugh:

    :smile:

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