too much water? is there such a thing?

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ashnix3076
ashnix3076 Posts: 7 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
just curious if theres such a thing as too much water consumption and if it could be bad for dieting. i drink alot usually most everyday. i'd estimate atleast a gallon or so. give or take.

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  • wildon883r
    wildon883r Posts: 429 Member
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    General rule is half your body weight in ounces daily. 200lbs= 100 ounce water etc, etc
  • JoniBologna
    JoniBologna Posts: 653 Member
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    Yes. You can die from too much water. However, as long as you don't drink a gallon of water in one sitting you are good. Typically this happens to people on ecstasy, who are over-heated, and desperately drink ridiculous amounts of water at once to cool down.
  • JoniBologna
    JoniBologna Posts: 653 Member
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    On that note, you can die from too much of anything...
  • Larius
    Larius Posts: 507 Member
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    It's actually called Hyponatremia which means low sodium. It is very hard to do by just drinking water. Your body will remove the excess water. It happens to marathon runners frequently though.
  • Losing2Live69
    Losing2Live69 Posts: 743 Member
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    Yes! You can cause your electrolytes to get out of whack. It causes them to dilute...like your sodium and potassium. Also, if you are on any medications it can dilute them to the point they aren't as effective.
  • shellybsn
    shellybsn Posts: 57 Member
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    If what you're doing is agreeing with your body, great! But there is such a thing as water intoxication that can kill....it takes a lot of water, but it can happen. Everything in moderation!
  • candistyx
    candistyx Posts: 547 Member
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    Yes. You can die from too much water. However, as long as you don't drink a gallon of water in one sitting you are good. Typically this happens to people on ecstasy, who are over-heated, and desperately drink ridiculous amounts of water at once to cool down.
    Sometimes schizophrenia also manifests as a sort of water addiction where the person will desperately drink anything they get their hands on (even toilet water) and people with that syndrome have died from overhydration.
  • anewattitude
    anewattitude Posts: 483 Member
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    Water is good for you and alot better than anything else you could drink however if you are concerned you are constantly thirsty and regardless of how much you drink you still don't feel hydrated it would be wise to consult a doctor to rule any health issues out such as diabetes for example. Otherwise keep on drinking that water ( in moderation). :)
  • ashnix3076
    ashnix3076 Posts: 7 Member
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    haha well i definately dont slam an entire gallon of water in one sitting. just throughout the day i drink alot of ice water. half due to natural thirst and the other because it feels good on my wisdom teeth that are coming in. i fill up my (estimated) 24 oz water bottle quite a few times a day. was just wondering if it was bad for dieting or anything.
  • t00tie
    t00tie Posts: 1
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    http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=strange-but-true-drinking-too-much-water-can-kill

    Just google "water overdose". I've mostly heard of water overdose fatalities in conjunction with illegal drugs esp. extacy at rave parties.
  • Nysie5
    Nysie5 Posts: 215 Member
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    not to mention that every body is different.. your body could retain it for a long time... and your whole body will swell.. ive seen this happen... you dont want it...
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    Your kidneys can efficiently process about a liter of water an hour. Don't drink more than that on a consistent basis and you'll be just fine.

    If you drink more than several liters a day, you should be making sure you're getting enough sodium and potassium from other sources, like food. The people who really need to watch out for hyponatrimia are long distance runners. They are drinking lots of water over several hours and not taking in anything else. They should be drinking Gatorade or something similar, in addition to water.
  • katharos3
    katharos3 Posts: 154 Member
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    I was just thinking about this today, when I realized earlier that I had already got my "8 cups" in and it wasn't even noon yet. I googled "how much water is too much" and of course there are a ton a of results, but I was mostly curious to see what levels you needed to consume to reach water intoxication. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_intoxication
  • tfemerson
    tfemerson Posts: 6
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    I've run two marathons and have never had hyponatremia, but I've been with people who have. It will make you really loopy at first because your sodium content is so diluted. Nothing wrong with a little sodium, so if you're working out a lot and sweating a lot, drink water, maybe mixed with a little sugar free sports drink. I don't like Gatorade without diluting it - just my taste.
  • bluiz13
    bluiz13 Posts: 3,550 Member
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    i shared this in a thread the other day but noone "noticed" it lol...so i'll post it to yours....



    i get many comments daily about how much water i drink....i dont think it is an extreme amount for me but several people have commented with concern so i went on the hunt and this is what i found...
    thought i would share in the hopes that others can figure out how much they "need" to help them reach their daily water goal....

    http://nutrition.about.com/library/blwatercalculator.htm

    here are my results....
    Daily Hydration Calculator Results

    A person who is 180 pounds
    and is exercising for 60 minutes ,
    is not pregnant,
    is not breastfeeding,
    does not live at a high altitude,
    does not live in a dry climate,
    drinks 0 alcoholic drink(s),
    when the weather is very hot or very cold,
    and is not sick with fever or diarrhea should have:

    112 ounces of water today, or 3.4 liters.

    If you eat a healthy diet, about 20 percent of your water may come from the foods you eat. If you eat a healthy diet you can drink 89.6 ounces of water today, or 2.7 liters.

    Water is an obvious source for your daily fluid needs. Other good beverages include milk, herbal teas, low-sodium broth, 100% fruit and vegetable juices. Soft drinks will also count toward your daily total of fluid, just remember that sugar sweetened soft drinks and fruit juices add extra calories to you daily diet that you don't need, while drinking water may help you lose weight.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
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    Not going to quote all of yours for the sake of space, but I love that site! I live in a hot, dry climate, so here's mine:

    A person who is 131 pounds
    and is exercising for 45 minutes ,
    is not pregnant,
    is not breastfeeding,
    does not live at a high altitude,
    lives in a dry climate,
    drinks 0 alcoholic drink(s),
    when the weather is very hot or very cold,
    and is not sick with fever or diarrhea should have:

    94 ounces of water today, or 2.8 liters.

    If you eat a healthy diet, about 20 percent of your water may come from the foods you eat. If you eat a healthy diet you can drink 75.2 ounces of water today, or 2.3 liters.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    You can drink too much water, but it's an extreme amount.
  • Nuts4play
    Nuts4play Posts: 92 Member
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    Thanks for the link blu :) I didn't realize I was so short on my water intake. I'd noticed how much water you drink and thought it was too much and wondered how much was too much, so I did a search and found this topic :drinker:
  • gregthegroove
    gregthegroove Posts: 98
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    not to mention that every body is different.. your body could retain it for a long time... and your whole body will swell.. ive seen this happen... you dont want it...

    This will most likely NEVER happen. Im not sure where your getting your info from. Your body will not retain water because it gets too much water. Its the opposite. Your body will retain all the water it gets if you dont drink enough of it. Thats why it tends to "help" the weight on the scale. The more you drink, the less it holds on to.

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