The one myth that won't die: You need 8 cups of water
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Beer is mostly water. I consider myself sufficiently hydrated.0
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lemurcat12 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »More people are dehydrated in the world than water-logged.
I don't really care about the 8 cups a day guideline, but it's true that sometimes drinking huge amounts of water is elevated as some special diet magic, and that's silly.
I find it hard to believe that any significant number of people are dehydrated, assuming liquid is available to them. Seems like one would have to be extremely dysfunctional to not just naturally drink as much as one needs (insert thing about urine color being the best way to check here) ;-).
So great, drink your water, but don't stress about it or think that if you don't get at least 8 cups of pure water per day that means you can't lose or some silliness.
Disclaimer: I have always loved drinking (that too, sadly, but here I just mean anything thirst quenching) and I've never liked drinking calories, so guzzling lots of water throughout the day (without counting it) is just something I've always done, and it's always amazed me that people can eat a meal without having water or something else to drink too. So maybe some people really let themselves get dehydrated (when not in hot weather or engaging in athletic activity) but I can't really understand how that would be a common thing such that we have to actively try to drink water and count it.
That said, I usually do count my water at least up to the 8 cups, since it's an easy way to check something off and I like checking things off. The importance just seems oddly inflated, especially when people start insisting that tea can't count or some such.
Before I got my butt back into fitness, I was chronically dehydrated. I rarely drank water and mostly drank soda and alcoholic beverages and coffee. I would occasionally piss clear in those days, but it was rare...most mornings I would wake up with very dark yellow urine.
Consuming mostly water has fixed all that...I'm pretty much always pale to clear unless I have a rough Saturday night. I drink far more than the guideline of 8 glasses. On average I'd say about a gallon per day and more during the summer months...but I also live in the desert at over a mile high in elevation...dehydration happens quick here...it's pretty much the number one thing I warn tourists about on TripAdvisor.
Yeah, I suppose I'm open to this being a possibility. I just am so much the opposite that it's hard to get my mind around.
And lots of the woo on the water topic--including stuff like the "Swiss naturopath" quoted above make me think that the water topic is a made-up problem. But if there are people who are helped by being reminded to drink water, that's great.
I think the focus on everyone needing to drink more and more water, though (like the gallon challenges I mentioned) even when they feel like it's a chore and have perfectly correct colored urine ;-) are kind of silly and annoying. Totally agree it's not a big thing, though, and it is nice to see this from someone else's POV.
I think people forget that weight loss isn't the be all end all and that many of the things we should be doing to be healthy really don't have anything to do with weight loss. I think people forget that this isn't MyWeightlossPal and they think everything revolves around losing weight rather than just general health and well being.
Staying hydrated is healthy...doesn't really have anything to do with losing weight other than the fact that staying hydrated is going to help your body function optimally and perhaps that might have some impact on your metabolism...but yeah...I think most people forget that this is a general health and wellness site, not just weight loss. That's where I think all of the woo comes in.0 -
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This thread seems to filled with two groups... Group 1) those who seem to think there is some concrete, set in stone rule of 8 cups water per day (whether they trust that advice or are here to debate it), and Group 2) those who are able to see the larger picture and realize 8 cups/day is a loose guideline.
Be a part of group 2 and quit being super debatable for the sake of argument. You would need to consume upwards of 12 liters a day for any sort of negative effect.0 -
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irejuvenateme wrote: »If I remember correctly, I have been told by a doctor that because my blood pressure is quite low I should make sure I stay hydrated. Water has zero calories and great for detoxing - it's not a cureall, but for a lot of people, drinking water means not drinking sugary sodas and sometimes when we think we are hungry we are thirsty.
I have also see it help clear up the complexion too... I also see a nutritionist who reinforces my drinking plenty of water, though we have not spoken of the benefits of water persay.
I notice when I drink less water, I tend to eat more crap...
To each his own, if you "don't believe the hype" then go your own way.
That has to be one of the most mind boggling reaches to demonize food that I've seen on here.
Water influences your choice of foods to eat?
I've heard of people confusing hunger and thirst signals, but this is something new.
Also, with low blood pressure, care should be taken not to overhydrate so as to not upset your electrolyte balance.
BTDT. I have chronic dry mouth/thirst as a side effect from a medication I'm on and drink a lot of water as a result. I've managed to dilute my blood sodium levels, and that's lowered my blood pressure in the past.
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thankyou4thevenom wrote: »Need2Exerc1se wrote: »kshama2001 wrote: »It's really no burden to sip water (for me, weak tea) all day long. I get 64 ounces no sweat.
It WAS a burden in Boot Camp to have to chug two glasses of water before being allowed to leave the table.
I would consider sipping water all day a burden. I'm a chugger. I often chug down 12-16 oz of water at a time when I'm thirsty.
I'm a chugger too. I don't like sipping water. I can drink herbal teas all day but give me a glass I'll drink it all on one go.
Another chugger checking in. I only sip when I'm exercising.
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cwolfman13 wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »More people are dehydrated in the world than water-logged.
I don't really care about the 8 cups a day guideline, but it's true that sometimes drinking huge amounts of water is elevated as some special diet magic, and that's silly.
I find it hard to believe that any significant number of people are dehydrated, assuming liquid is available to them. Seems like one would have to be extremely dysfunctional to not just naturally drink as much as one needs (insert thing about urine color being the best way to check here) ;-).
So great, drink your water, but don't stress about it or think that if you don't get at least 8 cups of pure water per day that means you can't lose or some silliness.
Disclaimer: I have always loved drinking (that too, sadly, but here I just mean anything thirst quenching) and I've never liked drinking calories, so guzzling lots of water throughout the day (without counting it) is just something I've always done, and it's always amazed me that people can eat a meal without having water or something else to drink too. So maybe some people really let themselves get dehydrated (when not in hot weather or engaging in athletic activity) but I can't really understand how that would be a common thing such that we have to actively try to drink water and count it.
That said, I usually do count my water at least up to the 8 cups, since it's an easy way to check something off and I like checking things off. The importance just seems oddly inflated, especially when people start insisting that tea can't count or some such.
Before I got my butt back into fitness, I was chronically dehydrated. I rarely drank water and mostly drank soda and alcoholic beverages and coffee. I would occasionally piss clear in those days, but it was rare...most mornings I would wake up with very dark yellow urine.
Consuming mostly water has fixed all that...I'm pretty much always pale to clear unless I have a rough Saturday night. I drink far more than the guideline of 8 glasses. On average I'd say about a gallon per day and more during the summer months...but I also live in the desert at over a mile high in elevation...dehydration happens quick here...it's pretty much the number one thing I warn tourists about on TripAdvisor.
Yeah, I suppose I'm open to this being a possibility. I just am so much the opposite that it's hard to get my mind around.
And lots of the woo on the water topic--including stuff like the "Swiss naturopath" quoted above make me think that the water topic is a made-up problem. But if there are people who are helped by being reminded to drink water, that's great.
I think the focus on everyone needing to drink more and more water, though (like the gallon challenges I mentioned) even when they feel like it's a chore and have perfectly correct colored urine ;-) are kind of silly and annoying. Totally agree it's not a big thing, though, and it is nice to see this from someone else's POV.
I think people forget that weight loss isn't the be all end all and that many of the things we should be doing to be healthy really don't have anything to do with weight loss. I think people forget that this isn't MyWeightlossPal and they think everything revolves around losing weight rather than just general health and well being.
Staying hydrated is healthy...doesn't really have anything to do with losing weight other than the fact that staying hydrated is going to help your body function optimally and perhaps that might have some impact on your metabolism...but yeah...I think most people forget that this is a general health and wellness site, not just weight loss. That's where I think all of the woo comes in.
Yeah, I agree that the site is about fitness, not just weight loss, and that hydration is a good thing (and something I'd say to think about on a hot day or if exercising). I just do tend to feel thirsty when I need water, so I'm surprised that many people apparently do not. So often the advice doesn't have much to do with actual hydration needs, though, and does get framed in the weight loss context (and seems superstitious--like more is always better and if you aren't losing it's because you need to drink more plain water).
Anyway, if people feel being reminded helps them, excellent. And if others don't want to drink more water than they are and have appropriately-colored urine, good for them too!0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »cwolfman13 wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »More people are dehydrated in the world than water-logged.
I don't really care about the 8 cups a day guideline, but it's true that sometimes drinking huge amounts of water is elevated as some special diet magic, and that's silly.
I find it hard to believe that any significant number of people are dehydrated, assuming liquid is available to them. Seems like one would have to be extremely dysfunctional to not just naturally drink as much as one needs (insert thing about urine color being the best way to check here) ;-).
So great, drink your water, but don't stress about it or think that if you don't get at least 8 cups of pure water per day that means you can't lose or some silliness.
Disclaimer: I have always loved drinking (that too, sadly, but here I just mean anything thirst quenching) and I've never liked drinking calories, so guzzling lots of water throughout the day (without counting it) is just something I've always done, and it's always amazed me that people can eat a meal without having water or something else to drink too. So maybe some people really let themselves get dehydrated (when not in hot weather or engaging in athletic activity) but I can't really understand how that would be a common thing such that we have to actively try to drink water and count it.
That said, I usually do count my water at least up to the 8 cups, since it's an easy way to check something off and I like checking things off. The importance just seems oddly inflated, especially when people start insisting that tea can't count or some such.
Before I got my butt back into fitness, I was chronically dehydrated. I rarely drank water and mostly drank soda and alcoholic beverages and coffee. I would occasionally piss clear in those days, but it was rare...most mornings I would wake up with very dark yellow urine.
Consuming mostly water has fixed all that...I'm pretty much always pale to clear unless I have a rough Saturday night. I drink far more than the guideline of 8 glasses. On average I'd say about a gallon per day and more during the summer months...but I also live in the desert at over a mile high in elevation...dehydration happens quick here...it's pretty much the number one thing I warn tourists about on TripAdvisor.
Yeah, I suppose I'm open to this being a possibility. I just am so much the opposite that it's hard to get my mind around.
And lots of the woo on the water topic--including stuff like the "Swiss naturopath" quoted above make me think that the water topic is a made-up problem. But if there are people who are helped by being reminded to drink water, that's great.
I think the focus on everyone needing to drink more and more water, though (like the gallon challenges I mentioned) even when they feel like it's a chore and have perfectly correct colored urine ;-) are kind of silly and annoying. Totally agree it's not a big thing, though, and it is nice to see this from someone else's POV.
I think people forget that weight loss isn't the be all end all and that many of the things we should be doing to be healthy really don't have anything to do with weight loss. I think people forget that this isn't MyWeightlossPal and they think everything revolves around losing weight rather than just general health and well being.
Staying hydrated is healthy...doesn't really have anything to do with losing weight other than the fact that staying hydrated is going to help your body function optimally and perhaps that might have some impact on your metabolism...but yeah...I think most people forget that this is a general health and wellness site, not just weight loss. That's where I think all of the woo comes in.
Yeah, I agree that the site is about fitness, not just weight loss, and that hydration is a good thing (and something I'd say to think about on a hot day or if exercising). I just do tend to feel thirsty when I need water, so I'm surprised that many people apparently do not. So often the advice doesn't have much to do with actual hydration needs, though, and does get framed in the weight loss context (and seems superstitious--like more is always better and if you aren't losing it's because you need to drink more plain water).
Anyway, if people feel being reminded helps them, excellent. And if others don't want to drink more water than they are and have appropriately-colored urine, good for them too!
I think one of the reasons it gets framed in the context of weight loss is that a lot of people who have chronically overeaten confuse hunger and thirst signals.
Giving blanket advice to just drink 8 glasses of water a day doesn't address this, but adding some information that you might be thirsty rather than hungry and it's a good idea to try drinking water to see if it's the case? That's sound dieting advice.
A bonus will be that the dieter ends up likely more hydrated than they had been previously.
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Yes, the site is myfitnesspal, but this particular forum is the General Diet and Weight Loss forum, so it's perfectly acceptable that people are discussing things in the context of weight loss. There are separate forums for fitness, maintaining weight, increasing weight, etc., where it would be more appropriate to discuss topics in that context.0
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smotheredincheese wrote: »LovingLife_Erin wrote: »smotheredincheese wrote: »I drink water after exercising but other than that I drink mostly tea. I don't have sugar in it, and a mug of tea contains the same amount of fluid as a mug of water, so I don't see how drinking plain water would benefit me over drinking tea.
This is pretty much me. I may have some Robinson's low cal squash with water at times, but other than water when I'm working out/out and need a cool drink, I pretty much only drink tea with no sugar. Yummy yummy tea!
Are you also British by any chance? I'm guessing tea plays a bigger role in hydration for us than it does for most American posters on here!
I'm Canadian but I've lived in England for several years and have a British husband (who, oddly enough hates all hot drinks... The weirdo!) . I did drink lots of tea before I moved there though as I think us canucks do tend to drink more tea than Americans. I've had some hilarious responses from waitresses in the states when ordering tea in the summer there. Yes... Even in 30 degree (Celsius) I want hot tea lol.
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That's so weird. I order tea in the summer in the US all the time. Of course, I also order coffee (also hot), and that's really common. Don't know why tea would be different.0
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This is not really a myth (or a rule); it is an attainable and logical guideline. More people are dehydrated in the world than water-logged. Consider all the people in the world, not just yourself. If you take diuretics, consume caffeine or other drugs, workout/sweat a lot, have a high sodium diet or regular alcohol intake, live in a hot climate, etc. then it would be wise to also ensure you're appropriately hydrated.
Another reason: I naturally have lower blood pressure and my doctor keeps reminding me to drink lots of water to keep it up so I don't get dizzy or faint when exerting myself. I typically drink 3 liters of water-type beverages in addition to coffee, tea, wine, beer, etc. (I know I can count coffee and tea, I prefer not to). I generally drink at least half as fizzy water and the rest might be diet soda or Crystal light or whatever flavoring trips my trigger that day.
It also helps with the hand-to-mouth habit I have which used to mean constant snacking and now means constant sipping. Good thing I never started smoking cigarettes.
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It's really simple: Lots of water helps you stay regular. You will eliminate more regularly which helps your metabolism!0
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mantium999 wrote: »Beer is mostly water. I consider myself sufficiently hydrated.
I just snorted coffee. Ow! And I somewhat agree - there is a definitely a sweet spot of sufficient hydration in drinking beer. It's just too bad about all the calories that come with it.0 -
irejuvenateme wrote: »If I remember correctly, I have been told by a doctor that because my blood pressure is quite low I should make sure I stay hydrated. Water has zero calories and great for detoxing - it's not a cureall, but for a lot of people, drinking water means not drinking sugary sodas and sometimes when we think we are hungry we are thirsty.
I have also see it help clear up the complexion too... I also see a nutritionist who reinforces my drinking plenty of water, though we have not spoken of the benefits of water persay.
I notice when I drink less water, I tend to eat more crap...
To each his own, if you "don't believe the hype" then go your own way.
Detoxing?0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »That's so weird. I order tea in the summer in the US all the time. Of course, I also order coffee (also hot), and that's really common. Don't know why tea would be different.
Yup...I order hot coffee allllll the time. Never had anyone even raise an eyebrow.0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »That's so weird. I order tea in the summer in the US all the time. Of course, I also order coffee (also hot), and that's really common. Don't know why tea would be different.
I think it is so ingrained in people that the only tea that people drink in summer is iced tea. They are surprised when people want it hot.
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I drink between 12 to 18 cups of water a day, it helps me feel full, my skin and hair are looking healthier. I have seen a difference since I started drinking water.0
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I get urinary tract infections if I don't drink plenty of water in addition to the 8 cups of tea I drink a day....
</Over-share>
The reason water helps for weight loss is that if you eat lots of high sodium foods, you get water retention. Diluting the sodium by drinking water releases the water weight, causing you to lose up to a few pounds in water-weight at the beginning of a diet.
Processing sugar requires water, so sugary drinks (including fruit juice) don't hydrate you as much as plain water as some of the water they contain is used to digest the rest of the drink.
That said, drinking exactly 8 cups is probably not perfect for everyone.0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »That's so weird. I order tea in the summer in the US all the time. Of course, I also order coffee (also hot), and that's really common. Don't know why tea would be different.
Yup...I order hot coffee allllll the time. Never had anyone even raise an eyebrow.
I don't really like cold drinks in general; for me tea and coffee especially should be HOT, even in summer. So far as water is concerned, I used to drink almost none during the day - even during my three-week vacation in Egypt, I only carried around a small bottle of water and barely touched it.
When I started my weight-loss project in December, one of the things I researched was water drinking, and have been trying to drink 8 helpings of 8 ounces every day. I can't vouch for what it does about weightloss, but I can say that I believe that hydrating has helped skin, hair and other aspects of my body (even the yucky patchy elbow skin is improving).
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Not drinking enough fluids leads to dehydration. Drinking too much affects your electrolytes. In between is a huge gap where you drink enough. The exact amount will vary from person to person but the 8 cups guideline is as good of a place to start as any. You will eventually find your "happy place" where you are getting enough for you. It is really hard to OD on water so if in doubt, drink!0
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Thecuntress wrote: »It's really simple: Lots of water helps you stay regular. You will eliminate more regularly which helps your metabolism!
Um, no. No matter how full of poop you are.
Btw, nice username. Real klassy. <rollseyes>0 -
I mostly dislike the idea that people need to be told to drink water, as I always drank a lot (plenty according to all relevant signs), but I guess it is helpful for some.0
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lemurcat12 wrote: »That's so weird. I order tea in the summer in the US all the time. Of course, I also order coffee (also hot), and that's really common. Don't know why tea would be different.
It could just have been where I was, or isolated incidents, but it's happened a few times. Normally it's, "Tea? You want hot tea? Are you sure?" Followed by a funny look. I've had one lady watch me drink it and shook her head like I was crazy! It was pretty amusing really. I'm sure not all Americans are like that though!
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I love drinking water and drink it often. I always have. I grew up in a household that didn't have soda or juices. If we did have juice it was really watered down Koolaid from the powder.
That whole idea of 8 cups daily is on the same level as "don't eat before you go to bed" It's just been spread around for years so everyone just sort of believes it without researching into it more.0 -
Myths take a looooong time to die, and there are a lot around here.0
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I am really surprised that so many people feel, if I understand correctly, that dehydration can be some kind of ongoing problem. I mean, probably some people have a totally damaged relationship with liquids, but if they do, their body is going to remind them very quickly and persistently. How come for millions of years primates and humans didn't have to "focus on hydration" and now all of a sudden we do - what changed in a couple of decades? Drinking lots of soda, tea, beer etc instead if water is not a detriment to hydration; actually from what I've read, as soon as humans learnt to make fermented beverages or teas they preferred them as much safer to drink than the kind of water they often had access to. Then there are whole tribes of people (and also many other mammals) that get most of their hydration from food...
I am not saying that no one is chronically dehydrated because they forget to drink - may be some people are, but I doubt how many they can really be.0 -
The govt said we need 8 glasses of water
They also put out the very fact based movie "Reefer Madness"
I believe,..0 -
I am old, and observing this odd behavior of having a water bottle near you 24/7. I have catagorized the need for a water bottle in groups.
If you live in the desert, you might need a water bottle.
If you have just exercised, you might need a water bottle.
If you are on medication for something that might dehydrate you, you might need a water bottle.
but.....
If you are heading to a grocery store and are gone from you place for 30 minutes, you don't really need a water bottle.
If you carry a water bottle as a fashion accessory, and have "blinged it up"...then you don't really need a water bottle.
I live in Oregon... there aren't deserts and hey if we really get dehydrated then we just stop and drink hose water....I know...we are dangerous like that.0
This discussion has been closed.
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