Any thoughts on the 'water myth'?

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anamelina
anamelina Posts: 13
in Introduce Yourself
Hi there,

I am relatively new to MFP and finding it really helpful so far, one of the things I have been a bit lax on is drinking water, although I think I take in enough fluid during the day with my food choices and other drinks I have read that there is no definative guidance on how much fluid we take in and whether it actually needs to be water. Recently I read that there is no evidence that drinking water makes you loose weight but is a useful tool in dieting as it can help reduce the calories you take in? However I have also been told that drinking ice water can increase the amount of calories we burn as the body has to use up calories in order to raise the temp of the water being processed? Anyway it seems a bit simplistic to me, is there anyone who is more knowledgable about these things...:smile:

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  • mandijo
    mandijo Posts: 618 Member
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    Well drinking water will flush out the sodium and other "crap" that's in your body. The drinking cold water is better for you because your body has to burn calories to warm it up to your body temperature. That's what I was told. Hope it helps a bit!
  • kkyishkkii
    kkyishkkii Posts: 51
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    Certainly what is true is that when we first begin to diet those extra few pounds we lose at the beginning is mostly water, so its important to keep your hydration levels up. It doesn't have to be solely water that you take in but be aware that tea/coffee and fizzy drinks can dehydrate us more
  • Manda1987
    Manda1987 Posts: 207
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    Water doesn't necessarily help you lose weight consistently, but I find that if my intake drops below 12-15 cups a day I end up putting on water weight... often in the realm of 1-3 lbs at a time! It also helps you to feel full, so you tend to eat less. So no, there's no magical effect, but it does help.

    As for fluid vs. water... I count herbal teas (with no caffeine) as water. Juice has sugar which can dehydrate you. Anything caffeinated will make you retain water. So pretty much, I try to stick to water or the occasional herbal tea only.
  • canadianchick11
    canadianchick11 Posts: 42
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    Ive heard that it helps burn calories faster, but idk if thats true. It does help flush out your system, keep your muscles from cramping and improves your skin, so either way i think its a good idea. Good luck!
  • dave4d
    dave4d Posts: 1,155 Member
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    I know in extra bathroom trips you will burn more calories, by doing more exercise by walking to the bathroom more. :tongue:
  • anamelina
    anamelina Posts: 13
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    Thanks Guys!

    I've always known that its no bad thing to keep hydrated, I was just wondering if the ice water thing had any scientific merit. I will start to drink more water and keep you posted if I notice any changes in my rate of weight loss.

    Good luck to all of you too, I'm really glad for the feedback it has really helped.

    :flowerforyou:
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
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    Your body only burns about a tenth of a calorie warming your digestive tract after drinking ice water.

    You need to drink at least 8 glasses of water every day. It keeps your body hydrated so that your body doesn't retain water. It also helps cleanse your body of toxins.
  • Mindful_Trent
    Mindful_Trent Posts: 3,954 Member
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    I don't think there's a magic amount of water that everyone should be trying to drink, but I do know that when I drink plenty of water in a day (7-10 glasses) I feel a TON better, have more energy, lose weight easier.... etc. Water is one of the key ingredients in our bodies and pretty much every bodily function uses water in one way or another. Forget about drinking for weight loss - staying well hydrated is vital to our overall health.
  • scagneti
    scagneti Posts: 707 Member
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    Your body only burns about a tenth of a calorie warming your digestive tract after drinking ice water.


    Where did you get your number from? I've read repeatedly that it's around 9 extra Calories per cup for drinking ice cold water than body temp. Since a calorie is raising one gram of water one degree, your number seems off.

    Here's the math -- 0 degrees to 37 degrees = 37 calories per gram. A cup of water is 236 grams. 236 x 37 = 8732 calories or 8.732 Calories (kilocalorie) per 8oz cup.

    This does not take into account any calories burned by drinking water iteself, just drinking water at zero degrees celsius. If you drink 10 x 8ozs per day, then you've burned an extra 87.32 calories per day, which is around 1 1/2 pounds extra per two months (9 pounds a year).
  • dave4d
    dave4d Posts: 1,155 Member
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    Your body only burns about a tenth of a calorie warming your digestive tract after drinking ice water.


    Where did you get your number from? I've read repeatedly that it's around 9 extra Calories per cup for drinking ice cold water than body temp. Since a calorie is raising one gram of water one degree, your number seems off.

    Here's the math -- 0 degrees to 37 degrees = 37 calories per gram. A cup of water is 236 grams. 236 x 37 = 8732 calories or 8.732 Calories (kilocalorie) per 8oz cup.


    This does not take into account any calories burned by drinking water iteself, just drinking water at zero degrees celsius. If you drink 10 x 8ozs per day, then you've burned an extra 87.32 calories per day, which is around 1 1/2 pounds extra per two months (9 pounds a year).

    If you drank water at 0 degrees wouldn't it be frozen, so you'd have to eat it instead. I would imagine ice water would be a few degrees above zero, but I'm no scientist. The numbers should be pretty close still.
  • scagneti
    scagneti Posts: 707 Member
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    Your body only burns about a tenth of a calorie warming your digestive tract after drinking ice water.


    Where did you get your number from? I've read repeatedly that it's around 9 extra Calories per cup for drinking ice cold water than body temp. Since a calorie is raising one gram of water one degree, your number seems off.

    Here's the math -- 0 degrees to 37 degrees = 37 calories per gram. A cup of water is 236 grams. 236 x 37 = 8732 calories or 8.732 Calories (kilocalorie) per 8oz cup.


    This does not take into account any calories burned by drinking water iteself, just drinking water at zero degrees celsius. If you drink 10 x 8ozs per day, then you've burned an extra 87.32 calories per day, which is around 1 1/2 pounds extra per two months (9 pounds a year).

    If you drank water at 0 degrees wouldn't it be frozen, so you'd have to eat it instead. I would imagine ice water would be a few degrees above zero, but I'm no scientist. The numbers should be pretty close still.

    I'm not sure if it would be all the way frozen yet. You know that stage that you have that thin ice film on top of water? What if you drank it like that?? :tongue:

    Fine, for argument's sake, let's say the water is 1 Celsuis, so the math would be 236 x 36, which is 8496 calories or almost 8.5 Calories per 8oz.
  • backinthenines
    backinthenines Posts: 1,083 Member
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    For me I find that eat less when I am well hydrated. I think I have one of those bodies that mistakes thirst for hunger, and when I make a conscious effort to be well hydrated I am much less likely to snack unnecessarily.

    Furthermore in sports it is said that not being appropriately hydrated can impair performance by up to 30%!! I train a lot better when I have drunk a lot of water during the day.

    http://www.humankinetics.com/excerpts/excerpts/dehydration-and-its-effects-on-performance
  • naomi_bridgman
    naomi_bridgman Posts: 2
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    well to be honest - ana, i think this question is stuuuupid.
    - Only because im your daughter.

    LET THE DEBATE BEGIN!
  • koosdel
    koosdel Posts: 3,317 Member
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    Eating a big MAC burns calories, so does watching tv, going potty, and squashing spiders. But all those activities burn so little calories that it is barely worth counting.

    The so called ice water diet would require one to drink 388 cups of freezing water to loose one pound. Also, some people go nuts with things.... I could imagine someone being hospitalized with toxic shock from water overdose.

    Eight glasses of water a day? Not really. If you are perspiring it all out, then sure it might be ok. BUT!! YOU CAN GET WATER LOGGED TOO! If you constantly fill your stomache with anything, energy will be diverted away from your muscle tissues to your digestive system.

    Being thirsty is a learned behavior. Waaaay back when in my military days, one of the hardest things to do was train myself not to drink my water ration all at once. Though, after I got used to it I was fine. Well, except when they made up push the truck. Never complain about too much walking in the military. They will let you take the truck all right, they will let you push it anywhere you want to go. The big meanies.

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