water, 8 cups a day or 8 - 12 oz glasses a day?

MandysChange
MandysChange Posts: 40 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I know I am suppose to be drinking 8 (something) of water per day. Is it recommended to drink 8 cups a day (1 cup=8oz) or 8 glasses a day (1 glass=12 oz)? I am confused and I know I am way over thinking this. I was drinking 8 cups a day but my output still was darker than I would like. No, I am not sick and I don't have an infection. I just want to make sure that I am drinking enough water.

Thanks!

Replies

  • _John_
    _John_ Posts: 8,646 Member
    believe current concensus is to drink water when you are thirsty or enough so that you do not feel thirsty. There's no hard rule anymore to my knowledge.
  • enewsome2
    enewsome2 Posts: 355 Member
    Hopefully not TMI, but certain medications (including multivitamins) can change the color of your output
  • sweetpea03b
    sweetpea03b Posts: 1,123 Member
    It's 8oz.... but I've always been told a better rule is going with 1/2 your body weight in water. For instance, I weigh 177 so I try to drink 89oz everyday.

    But, water is my drink of choice other than my 2 cups of coffee and 1 glass of wine everyday.
  • DeluxeDiva2B
    DeluxeDiva2B Posts: 19 Member
    Should be (8) 12 oz glasses, but I've also heard to drink 1/2 your body wieght in ounces of water. This is what I shoot for - for me, that's almost 1 gallon a day (123 oz). It's easier that it would seem...I always keep a glass or bottle of water within reaching distance throughtout the day...it's surprising how fast you'll reach your goal! I look at it this way...can you EVER drink too much water?? :)
  • YogaNikki
    YogaNikki Posts: 284 Member
    I just drink water. All day long. WAY over either of those choices. It helps flush me out and feel less hungry through the day. If your output is darker than you would like, up your intake. Water is one of those beautiful resources - it has zero calories and if you have too much, it just works its way out of the body. So drink up! :-)
  • JAyers27
    JAyers27 Posts: 34 Member
    I've read that you should drink enough water to have at least one clear urination a day.
  • MandysChange
    MandysChange Posts: 40 Member
    Thank you for your answers. If I drink half of my body weight I would need to drink 201 ounces a day. That is a lot of water and I don't know if I can drink that much, but clearly I am not drinking enough. Thanks!
  • stew71455
    stew71455 Posts: 12
    The water consumption of 8 cups of water equaling 64 oz per day is a standard guideline that some members of the medical community advised me is what we should drink per day regardless if you are thirsty or not. This amount helps keep your body hydrated and flush your systems of impurities and much better than Gator Aide type drinks during you daily routine. I have trouble myself remembering to drink the 64 oz. but I do try to drink water with lunch and dinner which helps
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    just stay hydrated...there is no special magical properties about drinking exactly 8 x 8 fl oz of water per day. I drink about 1 - 2 gallons but I kill my fitness, and live in the desert more than a mile above sea level. just stay hydrated and don't over-think silly stuff.

    Also, if you really want to stay on top of it then get yourself a good 24 oz water bottle and keep it with you pretty much always...that's what I do.
  • HWeatherholt
    HWeatherholt Posts: 283 Member
    The general "rule" is 8 - 8 ounce glasses a day.

    However, I also have read on a board here as well as on several other health related sites that you really should be drinking .5 ounces per pound you weigh. So a 160 pound person would need to drink 160 x .5 = 80 ounces = 10 glasses at 8 ounces a piece. You could also decide your weight by 2 to determine the number of ounces or divide your weight by 16 to determine the number of glasses.

    I did a quick google search just now and found this....http://www.pbs.org/americaswalking/fuel/fueldrinking.html

    I've also read that you are drinking enough water if when you urinate it is clear.

    I weigh myself every morning (only officially weigh in on Monday) and divide my weight by 16, and then round up, no matter what. I strive for this number as my minimum. Now I don't always hit it, but more often than not I get it plus some.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    If you wait until you are thirsty you are already dehydrated.

    I drink about 8-10 cups a day (a cup=8oz)

    According to the mayo clinic a woman needs about 9 and a man about 13 cups of liquids...not necessarily water.

    But factors have to be taken into account, exercise, temp, climate, breast feeding and health.

    Generally if you drink enough fluid so that you rarely feel thirsty and produce 1.5 liters (6.3 cups) or more of colorless or light yellow urine a day, your fluid intake is probably adequate. If you're concerned about your fluid intake or have health issues, check with your doctor or a registered dietitian. He or she can help you determine the amount of water that's right for you.

    To ward off dehydration and make sure your body has the fluids it needs, make water your beverage of choice. It's also a good idea to:

    Drink a glass of water or other calorie-free or low-calorie beverage with each meal and between each meal.
    Drink water before, during and after exercise.
  • echofm1
    echofm1 Posts: 471 Member
    It's 8oz.... but I've always been told a better rule is going with 1/2 your body weight in water. For instance, I weigh 177 so I try to drink 89oz everyday.

    But, water is my drink of choice other than my 2 cups of coffee and 1 glass of wine everyday.

    That would put me at 19 glasses of water a day? :noway:
  • Anselee
    Anselee Posts: 62 Member
    I'm a huge water drinker, not sure of what the rule is but I generally fall somewhere around 2 liters of water a day. I notice I snack less with more water
  • LVCeltGirl
    LVCeltGirl Posts: 473
    I know I am suppose to be drinking 8 (something) of water per day. Is it recommended to drink 8 cups a day (1 cup=8oz) or 8 glasses a day (1 glass=12 oz)? I am confused and I know I am way over thinking this. I was drinking 8 cups a day but my output still was darker than I would like. No, I am not sick and I don't have an infection. I just want to make sure that I am drinking enough water.

    Thanks!

    I recently read that it's supposed to be 1/2 your body weight in ounces daily. Plus another 8 to 16 oz for working out and/or living in a hot/dry climate. I think that advice was on a medical website but I'm not sure anymore. Yes, I was overthinking it too and so I had to look it up. I know that sometimes my "hunger" is actually that I'm thirsty. Of course, my body is all messed up and I have really strange signals so it may not be the same for you.

    I do like the half your body weight suggestion because it's really straightforward. It did take me a couple of weeks to get used to that much water but now it's really easy to get it in. I just make it my goal of 1 gallon daily (that means over the approximately 16 hours I'm awake or at least 8 oz of water per hour that I'm awake) and I don't think I'll adjust down as I continue to lose. Since your body is mostly water, it takes water to make it run correctly and I'd rather be addicted to water than soda (diet or full of sugar).

    Other than that, I say drink what you're comfortable with, shooting for at least 8 of them (cups or glasses).
  • LVCeltGirl
    LVCeltGirl Posts: 473
    Thank you for your answers. If I drink half of my body weight I would need to drink 201 ounces a day. That is a lot of water and I don't know if I can drink that much, but clearly I am not drinking enough. Thanks!

    I know how daunting that amount of ounces is. Start slowing, say shoot for 128 ounces (or 1 gallon). I get a one gallon jug that I refill at a water store (I prefer water stores over water kiosks, but I can taste dirt in water that isn't filtered enough for me). Then I know that my minimum water intake is that gallon throughout the day, all other choices of liquid has to be worked around my water. I do drink Coke Zero and unsweetened tea also but keep that to between 8 and 40 ounces daily on top of my water.
  • lisalsd1
    lisalsd1 Posts: 1,519 Member
    I just read 2 different articles: one said 8x8 (eight 8 oz glasses). The other said 3 liters for a man, 2.2 liters for a woman. I didn't do the math, so I don't know how close those are.

    I drink 3-4 liters everyday. I sweat like nobody's business at the gym...I still feel slightly dehydrated in the mornings. I would say shoot for 2-3 liters at least.
  • bekahlou75
    bekahlou75 Posts: 304 Member
    I drink water all day. I fill a styrofoam 32 oz. cup with water from our water fountain. Lots of times I can be done with half of it by the time I get back to my desk. Drinking through a straw makes it easy for me to drink tons. Then I pee....and the whole process starts over.
  • bekahlou75
    bekahlou75 Posts: 304 Member
    Just read this article. It states that :
    "The latest guidelines from the Institute of Medicine recommend that most women consume about 91 ounces—that’s actually about 9 cups of total water a day. Men need a bit more; about 125 ounces (or 13 cups) a day. But there's good news: that total includes other beverages (like coffee, tea, soda and milk) as well as foods (for example, one medium apple translates to about 6 ounces of fluid). "

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/21/how-much-water-should-you-drink_n_4275006.html
  • tindy5799
    tindy5799 Posts: 221 Member
    I think those numbers are pretty arbitrary.

    I just picked 100 ounces as my goal because it was double what I was drinking at the time. I bought a 32 ounce Nalgene to help me count and it became easy to drink 3-4 of them a day. The first week I was really aware of how much I was drinking and now if I DON'T consume at least 100 ounces, my body is SO thirsty and makes me drink more.
  • kjimmie4848
    kjimmie4848 Posts: 123 Member
    I read this a couple weeks ago and thought it was interesting...http://butterbeliever.com/8-reasons-not-to-drink-8-glasses-of-water-a-day/

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