Why drink a gallon of water?

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  • iheidibefitt
    iheidibefitt Posts: 80 Member
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    I aim to drink roughly half my body weight in ounces of fluid each day (most of that is water, but that also includes my morning cup of tea, and anything else I might happen to drink that day). I will drink more if it is hot out, or I have a particularly long workout (ie on Saturday I am doing a 62 mile bike ride - I'll probably drink 40-60 ounces just during the ride, and I'll drink my normal 80 ounces on top of that throughout the rest of the day).

    That has worked for me over the last 18 months. I find when I drink less, my weight loss stalls, even when my food and exercise remains the same.

    Makes total sense for you. 62 miles, that's awesome!
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
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    Because drinking from a gallon jug makes me feel hardcore

    hahaha I thought body builders because that's who I'm used to seeing with jugs of water.
    Bodybuilders do it because a guy at the gym that is bigger then they are told them do. Bodybuilders do a lot of things because a guy at the gym who was bigger then they are told them to....

    :huh: :huh:

    Well I for one, usually carry around a gallon jug of water.....

    Especially if you are prep'ing for a competition......You are trying to keep yourself pissing during your prep week that way when you start cutting your water out, your body doesn't hold onto it for a few days....

    That way when you do your carb reload, the glycogen stores in your muscles are re-filled.....and hopefully any subcutaneous water will be pulled into the muscle.
    Because the carbs will soak up the water.

    And plus I have my gallon jug, that way I don't have to keep running to the water fountain to refill my bottle.
  • MississippiMama87
    MississippiMama87 Posts: 204 Member
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    Because drinking from a gallon jug makes me feel hardcore

    :laugh: My boyfriend does this when he goes to the gym and I always give him a hard time!

    I definitely drink a good bit of water...probably 9-12 glasses or 5 16.9 oz. bottles per day. I'm a little crazy about the urine color thing though.

    Personally, I feel better when I drink a good amount of water and I don't tend to get that sleepy feeling in the afternoon at work. I like the 1/2 your body weight in ounces rule myself as a good go-by.
  • iheidibefitt
    iheidibefitt Posts: 80 Member
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    Because drinking from a gallon jug makes me feel hardcore

    hahaha I thought body builders because that's who I'm used to seeing with jugs of water.
    Bodybuilders do it because a guy at the gym that is bigger then they are told them do. Bodybuilders do a lot of things because a guy at the gym who was bigger then they are told them to....

    :huh: :huh:

    Well I for one, usually carry around a gallon jug of water.....

    Especially if you are prep'ing for a competition......You are trying to keep yourself pissing during your prep week that way when you start cutting your water out, your body doesn't hold onto it for a few days....

    That way when you do your carb reload, the glycogen stores in your muscles are re-filled.....and hopefully any subcutaneous water will be pulled into the muscle.
    Because the carbs will soak up the water.

    And plus I have my gallon jug, that way I don't have to keep running to the water fountain to refill my bottle.

    I've always heard body builders dehydrate..and I figured that many muscles needed more water anyway.
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
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    I've always heard body builders dehydrate..and I figured that many muscles needed more water anyway.

    More muscles, more water...can't hurt...
    Their lifting style lends to one where they are trying to draw as much fluid into the muscle so it swells up.

    But the drinking is also a strategy as well, as I mentioned above.
  • iheidibefitt
    iheidibefitt Posts: 80 Member
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    I've always heard body builders dehydrate..and I figured that many muscles needed more water anyway.

    More muscles, more water...can't hurt...
    Their lifting style lends to one where they are trying to draw as much fluid into the muscle so it swells up.

    But the drinking is also a strategy as well, as I mentioned above.

    Thought it had something to do with that.
  • Joannah700
    Joannah700 Posts: 2,665 Member
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    Because drinking from a gallon jug makes me feel hardcore

    hahaha I thought body builders because that's who I'm used to seeing with jugs of water.
    Bodybuilders do it because a guy at the gym that is bigger then they are told them do. Bodybuilders do a lot of things because a guy at the gym who was bigger then they are told them to....

    I figured it was because with so many muscles they require more water...that when they're in competition they dehydrate so their muscles will pop.

    This makes perfect sense.

    I bet there is a youtube video of this happening.

    I also finished my liter bottle while reading this because it made me thirsty...so thanks for getting me closer to my daily goal!
  • iheidibefitt
    iheidibefitt Posts: 80 Member
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    Because drinking from a gallon jug makes me feel hardcore

    hahaha I thought body builders because that's who I'm used to seeing with jugs of water.
    Bodybuilders do it because a guy at the gym that is bigger then they are told them do. Bodybuilders do a lot of things because a guy at the gym who was bigger then they are told them to....

    I figured it was because with so many muscles they require more water...that when they're in competition they dehydrate so their muscles will pop.

    This makes perfect sense.

    I bet there is a youtube video of this happening.

    I also finished my liter bottle while reading this because it made me thirsty...so thanks for getting me closer to my daily goal!

    Anything to help! lol
  • sccet
    sccet Posts: 141 Member
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    Can't hurt, might help.

    I follow the body weight in lbs/2 = h2o in ounces per day rule, plus I add water on running days (4 cups) and lifting days (2-3 cups).

    Works for me and I feel great.
  • sweetbamaTLC
    sweetbamaTLC Posts: 170 Member
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    Can't hurt, might help.

    I follow the body weight in lbs/2 = h2o in ounces per day rule, plus I add water on running days (4 cups) and lifting days (2-3 cups).

    Works for me and I feel great.

    ^^I was just about to ask if anyone had heard of this formula^^ I've seen it from time to time, and use that as a target for myself, but really never knew the basis for it.
  • iheidibefitt
    iheidibefitt Posts: 80 Member
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    Can't hurt, might help.

    I follow the body weight in lbs/2 = h2o in ounces per day rule, plus I add water on running days (4 cups) and lifting days (2-3 cups).

    Works for me and I feel great.

    ^^I was just about to ask if anyone had heard of this formula^^ I've seen it from time to time, and use that as a target for myself, but really never knew the basis for it.

    I've never heard of it.
  • thedianeiane
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    I learned in my exercise biology classes that general rules like "# of glasses of water/day" are largely unfounded, especially considering how people have vastly different energy expenditures/body sizes/calorie intakes. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but the WHO (world health organization) uses a sliding scale that recommends about 1 mL H2O/kcal of energy expenditure, which can usually be increased to 1.5 mL H2O/kcal of energy to cover for activity/sweating.

    I don't like doing math, so I kind of (squeamish people don't keep reading!!) look at the color of my pee and make sure it's not too yellow or too clear lol.
  • iheidibefitt
    iheidibefitt Posts: 80 Member
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    I learned in my exercise biology classes that general rules like "# of glasses of water/day" are largely unfounded, especially considering how people have vastly different energy expenditures/body sizes/calorie intakes. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but the WHO (world health organization) uses a sliding scale that recommends about 1 mL H2O/kcal of energy expenditure, which can usually be increased to 1.5 mL H2O/kcal of energy to cover for activity/sweating.

    I don't like doing math, so I kind of (squeamish people don't keep reading!!) look at the color of my pee and make sure it's not too yellow or too clear lol.

    I'm with you!
  • kmsnyg
    kmsnyg Posts: 100 Member
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    Water is all I drink, so I regularly drink about 12-15 glasses a day. I have a brita bottle and I fill it up all day. One it keeps me full (I'm way less hungry when I drink alot) and two, it helps when I eat more sodium than I should (which is somewhat often).
  • CoachJen71
    CoachJen71 Posts: 1,200 Member
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    I don't even bother with the 8 glasses a day thing.

    http://www.snopes.com/medical/myths/8glasses.asp

    Same here, for the same reason. And because I really just don't like drinking water.
  • sbarella
    sbarella Posts: 713 Member
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    I don't even bother with the 8 glasses a day thing.

    http://www.snopes.com/medical/myths/8glasses.asp

    Same here, for the same reason. And because I really just don't like drinking water.
    Same. My hypothalamus works just fine, so if my body needs more water it never fails to let me know.
  • 0torque0
    0torque0 Posts: 362 Member
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    I thought in addition to hydration, it helps flush toxins from your body which helps prevent kidney stones and UTI. Is that wrong?
  • iheidibefitt
    iheidibefitt Posts: 80 Member
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    I thought in addition to hydration, it helps flush toxins from your body which helps prevent kidney stones and UTI. Is that wrong?

    Both true. I never really took in account people's sizes, etc. But that makes total sense. You hear "8 cups a day" but sometimes don't really think more into it, I never did.
  • Charisma_Black
    Charisma_Black Posts: 87 Member
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    I'm the exact same whereby I would drink alot of water during work. However, fail to do so as much when I get home. When I'm at the gym I could easily go through 2 litres. At the weekend I don't drink as much and I really need to!!
  • 0torque0
    0torque0 Posts: 362 Member
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    I thought in addition to hydration, it helps flush toxins from your body which helps prevent kidney stones and UTI. Is that wrong?

    Both true. I never really took in account people's sizes, etc. But that makes total sense. You hear "8 cups a day" but sometimes don't really think more into it, I never did.

    moral of the story: if i just drink 7 cups a day doesn't mean that I'm unhealthy....