How do YOU drink 8 glasses of water a day?

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Replies

  • 2011rocket3touring
    2011rocket3touring Posts: 1,346 Member
    Are you exercising? As I get better with my exercising my need for water has gone up.
  • larydoe
    larydoe Posts: 9 Member
    I agree with everyone about getting a good water bottle and just sipping throughout the day. One thing to consider is that if you are eating fruits and vegetables that are higher in water content (watermelon, grapes, cantaloupe for example) you are getting a portion of that daily intake from those items.

    Not to be too graphic, but the color of urine will easily tell you if you are drinking enough. Darker bad, lighter good.

    Good luck!
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,611 Member
    edited May 2016
    -- 2-3 cups of plain coffee (approx. 400 ml each)
    -- 1-2 cups of plain tea (approx. 400 ml each)
    -- 750 ml bottle of plain water
    -- 1 litre of Coke Zero

    Total: 3350 ml ... 13.4 cups of "water" a day. :)

    More if I go cycling.


    Any less than that and my feet cramp.





  • Dannigreen31
    Dannigreen31 Posts: 557 Member
    I don't. I have to force myself to drink even a few cups. Even at the gym I force the water down me. I prefer hot drinks. I'm never thirsty
  • mellyo77
    mellyo77 Posts: 214 Member
    AliceAxe wrote: »
    AliceAxe wrote: »
    Ive been wondering this too! I got up to 6 but then it started making me nauseous to drink more so I had to back it off.

    but I see many of you count other drinks as well? I thought only pure water counted..

    I keep water with me all the time too and try to remeber to down a a glass before meals , usualy as I start too cook.

    Water in the food that you cook, counts as well; such as: soup & the nauseousness, was most likely a sign; of water poisoning.

    thanks for the info, oh gee so , yeah I wasnt counting all that because I read other liquids counted more as food . Since there is a separate drinks section on MFP from the water tally , Ive been counting them separately. good thing I backed off! I'll have to take a look back at my diary and see how much liquids in general I was actualy consuming. it seemed like I was peeing way too much! haha


    I respectfully disagree - 6 cups of water plus water from soups etc will not send someone into hyponatremia (water poisoning). Hyponatremia happens when you consume too much water and do not consume enough electrolytes to balance it and the sodium levels in the body drop below safety points. This happens to athletes (for example marathon runners) who are engaged in extensive long term activity and drink large quantities of water. 6 cups of water and eating things like soup and vegetables will not give someone "water poisoning". The very principal is contradictory - foods have sodium which counteract the fluid intake - 6 cups of water is not a large amount.
  • nordlead2005
    nordlead2005 Posts: 1,303 Member
    Machka9 wrote: »
    -- 2-3 cups of plain coffee (approx. 400 ml each)
    -- 1-2 cups of plain tea (approx. 400 ml each)
    -- 750 ml bottle of plain water
    -- 1 litre of Coke Zero

    Total: 3350 ml ... 13.4 cups of "water" a day. :)

    More if I go cycling.


    Any less than that and my feet cramp.

    You forgot to add all the water in your food. Unless everything you eat is extremely dry.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    I don't
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 5,162 Member
    I don't worry about trying to drink 8 cups per day. I drink 2 cups of coffee in the morning. I usually drink a cup of herbal tea at lunch and then I just drink water throughout the day as needed. As long as I'm not thirsty and my pee is light then I know I'm good.
  • valerieuk1708
    valerieuk1708 Posts: 90 Member
    I try to drink at least 2-2,5 litres of water a day (including tea/coffee/soup/etc).

    I'm not big fan of plain water so I squeez lemon or orange into mine to give it some flavour.
    You can even dilute juice, 100ml of juice + 400ml of water but make sure u count calories in juices as most of them are sugary.

    I fill water bottle and then sip throughout the day, if I stop for an hour or so (work etc) then I chug down what's left later on.
  • enterdanger
    enterdanger Posts: 2,447 Member
    I drink a ton of water. I hated it for the first 6 months of trying to drink more water and then one day I just wanted only water. Now I stick with water, a daily coffee, and a very occasional unsweet tea.
  • km8907
    km8907 Posts: 3,861 Member
    I have a 16 ounce water bottle I try to fill 4 times a day. I love water, so I don't usually have an issue with drinking enough. but work gets busy sometimes and I forget.
  • MalcolmX1983
    MalcolmX1983 Posts: 214 Member
    I used to have this problem.
    I downloaded a water app to remind me.
    Just like logging food here, I log my water intake.
    I first set my daily goal as 2litres.
    Now I'm drinking 4 litres a day.
    I fill up bottles and leave them everywhere.
    1.5 litre bottles are really good, three of them a day is good enough.
    My skin is looking much better these days as well.
  • Meesamoop
    Meesamoop Posts: 31 Member
    I bought a 750ml water bottle and it is with me all day long. If I go run errands it is in the car with me, it sits on my desk at work, etc.

    If I realize that I've been slacking on drinking my water from it I just grab it and chug chug chug!

    Also, the water you use for tea or coffee counts towards your daily intake.
  • sunfastrose
    sunfastrose Posts: 543 Member
    I drink when I am thirsty. No need to work to a #. My pee tells me I am hydrated.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    I usually chug water. I get thirsty and I'll chug down anywhere from 8 - 20 oz at a time. If I'm sipping something it's going to be tea or wine. I never track how much water I drink but I'm sure it's more then 64 oz most days.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    ElvenToad wrote: »
    nwcj3de95dza.jpg

    This isn't always accurate though. Vitamins or medications may change the color of urine without affecting hydration.
  • Gamliela
    Gamliela Posts: 2,468 Member
    Water from the taps here isn't safe to drink, so we buy our drinking and cooking water.
    Strangely I drink more water having a large bottle of spring water and a glass nearby at all times than when we had potable tap water flowing.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,611 Member
    Machka9 wrote: »
    -- 2-3 cups of plain coffee (approx. 400 ml each)
    -- 1-2 cups of plain tea (approx. 400 ml each)
    -- 750 ml bottle of plain water
    -- 1 litre of Coke Zero

    Total: 3350 ml ... 13.4 cups of "water" a day. :)

    More if I go cycling.


    Any less than that and my feet cramp.

    You forgot to add all the water in your food. Unless everything you eat is extremely dry.

    Well, I don't eat soups and stuff like that very often, however I suppose there would be liquid in fruits and veggies.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    ElvenToad wrote: »
    nwcj3de95dza.jpg
    This isn't always accurate though. Vitamins or medications may change the color of urine without affecting hydration.

    You beat me to it. B vitamins do change the color of urine.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Any iphone users use an app to track water consumption? My OH passed a kidney stone last month and is struggling to increase his water consumption. I thought reminders on his phone would be good.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    I drink when I am thirsty. No need to work to a #. My pee tells me I am hydrated.

    For many of us, thirst cues lag behind need for water.
  • kandeye
    kandeye Posts: 216 Member
    Not everyone's water needs are the same. Some need more, some need less depending on so many factors. For example I live in the desert so I drink quit a bit, especially now that it's warmer. You'll dehydrate pretty fast here. When I lived in the Alaskan rainforest I can say I honestly don't remember drinking much water at all. The environment was so wet, even going on long hikes or exerting myself at work I hardly ever felt thirsty. Living in the extremes has taught me that the whole 8 cups a day is bollocks. Just find your need.
  • getfit_fritch26
    getfit_fritch26 Posts: 35 Member
    I have a 28 oz tervis that I bring to work with me. I fill it up 3 times during work (minimum), I usually drink about 2 decaf/unsweetened green teas, and then one big unsweet tea from McDonald's on my way home...then 28 oz in the evening.

    I try to drink about 100 oz though...as 64 is the absolute minimum you should have.

    Also try putting stuff in it! I LOVE unsweet cranberry and lemon juice in my water, delicious!
  • lauraesh0384
    lauraesh0384 Posts: 463 Member
    I have a tumbler that holds 24 oz of water and I aim to drink 3 of those every day. I use the sugar free powder packets, otherwise there's no way I'd get enough water in. A buy a flavor with caffeine and also non-caffeine flavors to drink later in the day. Usually by the time I leave work at 6 I'm close to being finished with my 2nd thing of water.
  • donjtomasco
    donjtomasco Posts: 790 Member
    How Do Eat An Elephant?
  • emdeesea
    emdeesea Posts: 1,823 Member
    I do have to make myself drink 8-10 cups of water each day because I eat a lot of fiber every day so... yeah... I won't go any further than that one lol.

    So to make sure I drink that amount, I do resort to using sugar-free flavoring. It's not the best option really but if I don't use it, I risk not drinking enough because after a while the taste of plain water just really turns me off. So I just account for the additional 30 or so calories a day that the flavoring adds and I get in my water.
  • tinamarie6624
    tinamarie6624 Posts: 182 Member
    I take 4 16.9 oz bottles to work. One that is frozen and cold for sipping throughout the day and the other 3 are room temperature which I chug down in about 30 seconds each. Isn't all that nice but it does the trick. By the time I leave work I have over 64 oz drank. If I am thirst at night I can sometimes add 2 bottles at home.
  • khhregister
    khhregister Posts: 229 Member
    I bought a couple large glass water bottles from ello so I always have one clean each day (the other one is in the dishwasher). Having a lovely drinking vessel makes it so much nicer! I take it with me to the gym, and drink at least one during my workout. I drink one with lunch, and one with dinner. That's ~66 oz, or almost 2 L. Additionally, I'll have a cup of coffee in the morning, and one or two cups of tea during the day.

    I've also learned over the years that it's much easier for me to drink a lot of room-temperature water. If I try to drink very cold water, my throat feels constricted and I want to stop after a couple of small swallows. YMMV.
  • jessicalott35
    jessicalott35 Posts: 3 Member
    I bring a liter of water with me to work every day. I need more than 64 oz's of water a day, so I feel it up about 3 times a day. I used to be the worst with drinking water, but having it in hands reach at my desk has been what has helped me. Plus I quit smoking and used to be a big Diet Coke drinker. Drinking Diet Coke is a smoking trigger for me, so I just stick to my water.