How important is water consumption?

Hydration is important for health. But that can come from any liquid you drink (except for alcohol) and many of the foods that you eat. You could lose weight without ever once drinking any water (if you wanted).

When dehydrated or under-hydrated your stomach could be sending you hunger signals when you're really just thirsty. In that case, it could prevent over eating and help in weight loss.

Most the rules of thumbs have little to no basis. The most reasonable ones I have heard relate to the color of your urine (tint of yellow) and the firmness of your stool (banana). The urine one is based on Army guidance to prevent heat stroke. The stool recommendation is what a colorectal Surgeon recommended to me.

fishshark wrote: »

janejellyroll wrote: »

Hydration is important for health. But that can come from any liquid you drink (except for alcohol) and many of the foods that you eat. You could lose weight without ever once drinking any water (if you wanted).

u get a tiny tiny amount of hydration from alcohol.. esp beer.

Bring on the beer!

I will say that while drinking about a gallon of water a day I tend to be less dizzy and have less headaches as well as just generally feel better. I think it is easy to be dehydrated and that can have a lot of negative effects.
I know a lot of people don't drink as much water, but I just find I feel a lot better. I like water ice cold but I do drink a lot of it and have learned to like the taste of it more. Some days I put lemon in it and some days I will use crystal light or something. Also will drink green tea on cold days.
I don't have it as much for weight loss now as I do because I just feel better.

fishshark wrote: »

janejellyroll wrote: »

Hydration is important for health. But that can come from any liquid you drink (except for alcohol) and many of the foods that you eat. You could lose weight without ever once drinking any water (if you wanted).

u get a tiny tiny amount of hydration from alcohol.. esp beer.

Haha, not me.
1 beer = 2 trips to the restroom
4 beers = 8 trips
And so on....

Lack of hydration may give the appearance of bloat as well. The body retains old water until fresh water is supplied.. thus allowing for elements to move out and be cleansed at the same time.

Hello, I haven't read all the posts so if I'm repeating, I apologize. I have a formula to figure out how much water one needs per day, and is personalized instead of generalized advice. This is not a simple question that will need only a couple sentences for an answer.

Weigh yourself. Divide your weight in half to determine how many ounces of water you should drink each day. This is a rough estimate for people who are not active, according to the Sports Medicine Institute. Based on this formula, a 100-lb. sedentary person should drink 50 ounces -- which equals 6.25 cups or 1.48 liters -- of water per day.
OR
Divide your weight by 2/3, instead of 1/2, if you play sports or work out regularly. A 100-lb. active person will need approximately 66 ounces of water per day, which equals 8.25 cups or 1.95 liters.
Add 16 additional ounces of water to your total from above if you live in a dry climate. Also add another 16 ounces if you engage in strenuous exercise beyond the activity involved in a basic workout, such as rigorous training for a marathon or a major sporting event, recommends Dr. Thomas Stearns Lee, a homeopathic physician.
Drink more water than your recommended amount if you feel thirsty, are sweating excessively due to extreme heat, or are doing physical activity that causes you to perspire more than usual.
Avoid drinking sugary and caffeinated beverages in excess. Although you can consume foods that contain water -- such as fruit -- and drinks that contain water -- such as juice, soda, coffee and tea -- to help fulfill your daily-recommended amount of water, limit your intake of sugary and caffeinated beverages, for health reasons.

So, using the above formula, a person weighing 150 pounds may multiply their weight by 2. 150 x 2 = 300. then divide by 3. 300 / 3 = 100 ounces. A 150 pound person needs to drink at least 100 ounces of water per day. 8 ounces equals one cup.

Why do we need water?
Every cell, tissue, and organ in your body needs water to work correctly. For example, your body uses water to maintain its temperature, remove waste, and lubricate joints.Water makes up more than half of your body weight. You lose water each day when you go to the bathroom, sweat, and even when you breathe. You lose water even faster when the weather is really hot, when you are physically active, or if you have a fever. Vomiting and diarrhea can also lead to rapid water loss. If you don’t replace the water you lose, you can become dehydrated.
Symptoms of dehydration include the following:

•Little or no urine, or urine that is darker than usual
•Dry mouth
•Sleepiness or fatigue
•Extreme thirst
•Headache
•Confusion
•Dizziness or lightheaded feeling
•No tears when crying

People who like to run, or run marathons are at risk, and we get many in the ER of all ages during a marathon.

If you ignore symptoms of dehydration, there could be severe side effects and consequences including coma and death, heat injury, kidney failure, low blood volume shock (hypovolemic shock), seizures or swelling of the brain also known as cerebral edema.

Coma and Death: This is the most extreme and rare side effects, but if ignored, severe cases of dehydration could lead to a state of coma or even death.

Heat Injury: When you are working out and sweating profusely and if you don’t drink sufficient fluids, you could get a heat injury, which could be heat cramps, heat exhaustion, or a heat stroke.

Kidney Failure: You could face renal failure when your kidneys are not functioning properly and are unable to get rid of waste and excess fluids from your body.

Low Blood Volume Shock: This is one of the more serious side effects of dehydration and could be life threatening at times. It occurs when the blood volume in your body is reduced, leading to a dip in your blood pressure and the quantity of oxygen in your system.

Seizures: When there is an electrolyte imbalance in your body, it can cause involuntary muscle spasms and lead to blackouts.

Swelling of the Brain: When your body gets dehydrated, it tries to retain some of the water lost and could pull back excess waters into cells, which will swell and rupture. If the water cells affect the brain cells, it could be fatal.


One of the first treatments we give clients in the emergency room is an IV of fluids. Many state that that their pain (of different sources) is subsiding. Many start to get a better affect. Many start to calm their anxiety, Etc. Hydration is more important that many will take seriously. Good, Fluoride free, never tap water, H2O is the way to go. Once your body gets a taste of real and pure water, you will breath better, think better, and overall perform better. I found a water purification system to use, well my boyfriend did, and I swear by it. As a medical personnel I feel comfortable enough expressing that with pure water, one will also be able to defecate as God himself intended. Everything is better in life with proper hydration.