Too much water?

merrillfoster
merrillfoster Posts: 855 Member
edited September 23 in Health and Weight Loss
Is there such a thing as too much water? I switched from diet coke to water and am drinking about 20 glasses a day, but have gained, rather than lost, weight. Is this going to go away (soon, preferably)? Am I drinking too much?

Replies

  • klwatkins
    klwatkins Posts: 16 Member
    I drink a lot of water too! Ready to see the replys!
  • girliegirl1822
    girliegirl1822 Posts: 164 Member
    thats a good question all I drink is water also.
  • lushy20
    lushy20 Posts: 215 Member
    i would like to know this also i didnt think water had any calories?
  • Sheriemae
    Sheriemae Posts: 248
    I'm not sure if you're drinking to much. I drink between 10-15 8oz a day, and I am still losing. How is your sodium intake? I use to be horrible with it, my husband pointed it out to me when he looked at my old food journals, and ever since I started getting the recommended or lower I've been losing more.
  • carrie145
    carrie145 Posts: 297
    I'm not sure if you're drinking to much. I drink between 10-15 8oz a day, and I am still losing. How is your sodium intake? I use to be horrible with it, my husband pointed it out to me when he looked at my old food journals, and ever since I started getting the recommended or lower I've been losing more.
  • carrie145
    carrie145 Posts: 297
    I agree with Sheriemae..Keep an eye on your salt intake.
  • I have been told by my spin instructor that you can drink too much water. He said one gallon of water can weigh 7 pounds. Just think what that can do if you are not filtering out the excess water everyday. I know there are times that I retain water and weigh more. If you eat alot of salt this can cause you to retain water as well.
  • Aeriel
    Aeriel Posts: 864 Member
    Too much can flush essential ions from your body. I was actually told by my doctor to add salt to my food when I had water retention issues, because he said it can be caused by too much or too little water. For me, it was too much. Your body needs a balance and you have to find it for yourself. I drink 8 glasses a day, +/- 2 glasses depending on how I feel that day and how much I exercise. Too little, I feel thirsty and dehydrated, too much and I feel bloated.:smile:
  • lushy20
    lushy20 Posts: 215 Member
    i have found this paragraph on a website seems it can be dangerous to drink too much water.


    Dangers of Too Much Water
    Don't start drinking an extra gallon of water a day - that can kill you, especially if you are fasting or eating very little. Water taken in must be in balance with body salt - electrolytes. The body needs to maintain salt balance or risk hyponatremia with heart attack and even death. Drinking too much water dilutes the salt in your blood and tissues - and can kill you. Healthy athletes have died from drinking too much plain water and not replacing salt. Dieters should not plunge into drinking gallons of water a day in hopes of burning a few more calories. Drink an extra few glasses, yes. But a gallon is too much.



    found it on this website.

    http://walking.about.com/cs/howtoloseweight/a/water011204.htm
  • fuhrmeister
    fuhrmeister Posts: 1,796 Member
    try the link below it will take you to a quiz that helps you decide how much water to drink. I should be getting about 18 glasses of water and I uasually get an average of 12

    There is such a thing as drinking too much water. which can result in drowning your organs but it is very hard to do and requires that you to drink a lot in a short time period.


    http://nutrition.about.com/library/blwatercalculator.htm
  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
    It is possible to drink too much water - but unless you're drinking a large volume in a short time period, or drinking a ton of water while doing lengthy strenuous exercises (like long-distance running) you should be fine.

    The concern about drinking a ton of water is that in the scenarios above, your electrolytes (specifically sodium) can be out of balance - too little sodium (or watered down sodium, essentially) can cause serious health problems (it's called hyponatremia). However, most people (even people who regularly exercise) don't have to worry as long as they're drinking water throughout the day (not all at once) because most people get plenty of sodium in our regular diets. If you notice any of the following symptoms, you should consider spreading your water out more or cutting back some, and seeing a doctor if the symptoms are serious:

    -headache
    -confusion or altered mental state,
    -seizures
    -restlessness,
    -muscle spasms or cramps,
    -weakness, and tiredness.
    -nausea and vomiting may accompany any of the symptoms
    -decreased consciousness which can proceed to coma and death

    Obviously some of these are serious, but most people do not have to worry about this because we get enough sodium (most people get MORE than enough) and most people aren't engaging in the type of exercise that puts us most at danger - marathon running is when you tend to hear of people having this problem often, because they drink too much plain water, sweat out a lot of salt, and don't replace the sodium they need.
  • mcelledge
    mcelledge Posts: 68 Member
    I think there is such a thing as too much water. Drinking 64 oz a day is the most anyone should drink i think. When i did that i lost weight .
  • sarahsmom1
    sarahsmom1 Posts: 1,501 Member
    You need to check the color of you urine. It is suppose to be lemonade aide in color. If its lighter than that you are drinking tooooooo much water. If it is darker than you are not drinking enough water. You must remember water is to rehydrate your body from exercise and heat.not to be used as food replacement, to make yourself full. Water flushes out your vitamins, minerals and sodium from you system that are vital components to you over all health. It can damage your kidneys. And the answer to you question is yes you can drink to much water.
  • CeejayGee
    CeejayGee Posts: 299 Member
    There was actually an incident a couple of years ago where one of the radio talk shows had a water drinking contest and a woman died aftering ingesting like 1-2 gallons of water in a very short time. It messes with the ions and electrolites in your body.
  • gangstagirl625
    gangstagirl625 Posts: 187 Member
    my guestion for u is what ur sodium intake. 2500 mg is all u should have in sodium if u have mor than that u will retain water which means u will gain and not lose
  • ArchyJill
    ArchyJill Posts: 548 Member
    I drink boatloads of water...literally. Once I got a cramp in my calf during spin class and I'm pretty sure it's because I had drank close to 240 ounces of water up to that point. Have since switched to a diluted sports drink mix after lunch and am doing fine. Do what feels good for you and it will be hard to go wrong.
  • I drink 90-100 oz a day & have never had any issues other than alot of potty breaks :wink:
    Keep the sodium in check & you'll be fine!!
  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
    I think there is such a thing as too much water. Drinking 64 oz a day is the most anyone should drink i think. When i did that i lost weight .

    64 oz is definitely NOT the max. Assuming someone has healthy kidneys, their body can filter out 800 to 1,000 milliliters, which is 27-34 oz per HOUR. As long as someone isn't drinking more than that on a regular basis, they should be fine.

    20 cups (at 8oz/cup) is 160oz - spread out over 16 hours that someone is awake is only 10 oz. per hour. It may be more than we technically need, but it is not a dangerously high level. It's just important to spread it out and not guzzle all of that at once.

    The weight gain is likely related to other factors, not the water.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    I think there is such a thing as too much water. Drinking 64 oz a day is the most anyone should drink i think. When i did that i lost weight .

    That is the minimum you should get 8-8oz glasses/day (64oz)
  • TennVolsGal
    TennVolsGal Posts: 218 Member
    i have found this paragraph on a website seems it can be dangerous to drink too much water.


    Dangers of Too Much Water
    Don't start drinking an extra gallon of water a day - that can kill you, especially if you are fasting or eating very little. Water taken in must be in balance with body salt - electrolytes. The body needs to maintain salt balance or risk hyponatremia with heart attack and even death. Drinking too much water dilutes the salt in your blood and tissues - and can kill you. Healthy athletes have died from drinking too much plain water and not replacing salt. Dieters should not plunge into drinking gallons of water a day in hopes of burning a few more calories. Drink an extra few glasses, yes. But a gallon is too much.



    found it on this website.

    http://walking.about.com/cs/howtoloseweight/a/water011204.htm



    I'm in nursing school and this is most definately a fact.......I would say stick to the 8 (8 oz) glasses of water a day and if you want or feel you need more dont go over 12 glasses. If your getting that much on a regulare basis don't restrict your sodium since your flushing so much out in your urine and you should be safe.
    If you still see no lose of the scale I would see you doctor.
    Good luck!
  • I learned the hard way. You can indeed drink too much water.

    Drinking 8-10 GLASSES of water a day, I had thrown off my electrolytes. Generally, wasn't feeling good so I went to the doctor. He was stumped until I mentioned how much water I had been drinking. Problem was I was drinking 16-20 cups of water a day. Now in my defense, it was summer and my office was hot. Even still, my doctor says it's the cups vs glasses that causes the problem :)

    Two days of Gatorade every 4 hours and I was fine. No harm no foul.

    My doctor's suggestion? 8-10 CUPS of water a day spread out through the day. That's your 64-80 oz a day. I drink way more than that in a day now, but I do have juice and milk in addition to the water.
  • TennVolsGal
    TennVolsGal Posts: 218 Member
    try the link below it will take you to a quiz that helps you decide how much water to drink. I should be getting about 18 glasses of water and I uasually get an average of 12

    There is such a thing as drinking too much water. which can result in drowning your organs but it is very hard to do and requires that you to drink a lot in a short time period.


    http://nutrition.about.com/library/blwatercalculator.htm

    Loved the link but dang it said I should drink 124.5 ounces of water today, or 3.7 liters. I know I have been getting atleast 64oz. but not that much so drink up to me!
  • winningthin
    winningthin Posts: 31 Member
    I remember that incident (regarding the radio station water drinking contest and the woman who died from drinking too much of it -- it was really sad as she had children and was quite young). I am also awre of similar incidents that were broadcast across several news stations nationally. Based on these reports, I agree that drinking too much water in a short period of time can be extremely dangerous. I'm sure a doctor could support this information with greater detail and facts.
  • Below is from a nutritionist that has a program that I was and still am trying to follow:

    Drink lots of water.

    Another very important key to getting a flat belly is remembering to drink lots of water.

    How much? Before each of your five mini-meals during the day, drink 12 ounces of pure, fresh water—that’s the same amount of fluid found in the average soft drink can. Then drink another 12 ounces of water with your meal. Because you should be eating five mini-meals each day, that’s a minimum of 10 glasses of water each and every day.

    Many people think drinking water will make them look bloated. But I assure you the exact opposite is true. Most men and women are actually in a constant state of mild dehydration, so their bodies hoard water like a squirrel stores acorns for winter. If you begin drinking an increased amount of water (about 10 glasses) for a few days, your body will naturally release excess water weight and you’ll become less bloated and lighter.

    Water helps flush out toxins that can be released when fat is burned for energy and is involved in our body’s metabolic functions. Another important thing to keep in mind is that water makes up 75 percent of muscle tissue. Not to mention that it plays a key role in burning stored fat as fuel. So you may not lose fat as easily if you aren’t properly hydrated. (Get my drift?)

    Did you know that being dehydrated by as little as 1 or 2 percent of your body weight can impair both mental and physical functions? That includes burning body fat, by the way. (Fatigue and weakness can result from not drinking enough water as well.) I suggest carrying water with you while you work, play, and exercise—try to get in the habit of sipping it throughout the day.

    The key is to drink water even when you’re not thirsty, because by the time your body clues you in, you’re already too low. So put away those diet soft drinks and sugar-filled fruit juices. Instead, replenish your body with lots of pure water
  • joan41
    joan41 Posts: 170 Member
    I personally try to drink 12 a day, but I have found that if I go much over like closer to 15 for a few days in a row, my side kind of like where my kidneys are will start hurting, almost like a pinching feeling. So I try to stay closer to 12!
  • fuhrmeister
    fuhrmeister Posts: 1,796 Member
    I think there is such a thing as too much water. Drinking 64 oz a day is the most anyone should drink i think. When i did that i lost weight .

    64 oz is definitely NOT the max. Assuming someone has healthy kidneys, their body can filter out 800 to 1,000 milliliters, which is 27-34 oz per HOUR. As long as someone isn't drinking more than that on a regular basis, they should be fine.

    20 cups (at 8oz/cup) is 160oz - spread out over 16 hours that someone is awake is only 10 oz. per hour. It may be more than we technically need, but it is not a dangerously high level. It's just important to spread it out and not guzzle all of that at once.

    The weight gain is likely related to other factors, not the water.

    I totallly think you are on the money here. When I was working as an aechaeologist....hiking through the woods all day in the south. I used to drink at leat 100 oz of water a day b/c it was hot and I was sweating. but I also drank 32oz of gatorade to replace the electrolites and a lunch with some salt in it.

    Now that I have a desk job I drink 8-14 8oz cups of water depending on the amount of exercise I do.
  • sarahsmom1
    sarahsmom1 Posts: 1,501 Member
    If your going to look up articles on anything that is medical on the internet please look on sites the have .gov, .org etc like the Mayo Clinic any one can say anything just because they say their a Doctor or a trainer doesn't make it true. Do not trust Wikipedia any one can change the information
This discussion has been closed.