I'm getting in at least a gallon a day...why then

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ChaoticMiNd
ChaoticMiNd Posts: 247 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey guys I have a question...I'm drinking at least a gallon of water a day if not more...and I am still retaining water and headachy like I'm dehydrated...Does anyone have similar experience or advice? Thank you.

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  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,116 Member
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    How do you know you are retaining water? Retaining water does not just happen, there are causes such as big change in sodium consumption, change in type or intensity of exercise, for women TOM, medication, and more. If you are drinking that much, it is not dehydration as unless you are working in high heat you likely don't need as much as you are drinking.
  • ChaoticMiNd
    ChaoticMiNd Posts: 247 Member
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    rileysowner wrote: »
    How do you know you are retaining water? Retaining water does not just happen, there are causes such as big change in sodium consumption, change in type or intensity of exercise, for women TOM, medication, and more. If you are drinking that much, it is not dehydration as unless you are working in high heat you likely don't need as much as you are drinking.
    well for one weight gain...as well as my rings are tight and stomach bloating.

  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,116 Member
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    ChaoticMiNd wrote: »
    rileysowner wrote: »
    How do you know you are retaining water? Retaining water does not just happen, there are causes such as big change in sodium consumption, change in type or intensity of exercise, for women TOM, medication, and more. If you are drinking that much, it is not dehydration as unless you are working in high heat you likely don't need as much as you are drinking.
    well for one weight gain...as well as my rings are tight and stomach bloating.

    So look for the cause, assuming it is water weight. What has changed recently (last days or weeks). Unless you find the cause, you can't deal with it. All drinking more does is help your kidneys process water. If you have something causing you to retain water, then you need to address the cause. For some it is because they are not drinking enough water, that is not the case with you. So look to other possible causes. If you can't find obvious ones, and you are sure you calorie tracking is accurate, then perhaps it is time to see a doctor for the causes you cannot determine yourself.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    Did you just start drinking that volume of water?
    Why do you think you need that volume of water?
  • ChaoticMiNd
    ChaoticMiNd Posts: 247 Member
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    psulemon wrote: »
    ChaoticMiNd wrote: »
    Hey guys I have a question...I'm drinking at least a gallon of water a day if not more...and I am still retaining water and headachy like I'm dehydrated...Does anyone have similar experience or advice? Thank you.

    You are probably drinking too much water and diluting your electrolytes. Increase sodium, magnesium and potassium. When you are dehydrating, drinking water isn't what you need. It's electrolytes.

    edit: also, the body will naturally fluctuate in terms of weight. You can't mitigate that. It's just the natural cycle of the body.

    I should add...I've been losing weight and have stalled but the 1 lb up and down isn't bothering me as much as the symptoms I'm having.
  • godlikepoetyes
    godlikepoetyes Posts: 442 Member
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    64 oz (gallon) of water a day is a loose recommendation for everyone, but this includes the water in your food and water in other things that you drink. You may not be able to tolerate drinking so much water, esp. if you drink other things like tea, coffee, sodas, etc. This alone could cause swelling. My fingers/hands sometimes swell if I eat something really salty/fat in my last meal of the day.
  • GeoBaybee
    GeoBaybee Posts: 69 Member
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    I agree with everyone above that you're drinking too much. I noticed my swelling went down and so did my tummy/yoyo-ing +1/-1 lb constantly went away whenever I reduced my water intake from 1 gallon to 5-6 bottle of water a day.
  • ROBOTFOOD
    ROBOTFOOD Posts: 5,527 Member
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    It could be too much for you. Or you could be low on sodium etc.
    I do drink that amount though. For years.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    My guess would be with that much water, you're flushing all of your electrolytes out...if you're drinking that much water you also need to replenish electrolytes. A lot of people try to go all low sodium and then suck down a bunch of water...'bout the worst thing you can do...sodium is an essential electrolyte. You're also flushing out magnesium and potassium and likely not replenishing these.
  • smotheredincheese
    smotheredincheese Posts: 559 Member
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    ChaoticMiNd wrote: »
    rileysowner wrote: »
    How do you know you are retaining water? Retaining water does not just happen, there are causes such as big change in sodium consumption, change in type or intensity of exercise, for women TOM, medication, and more. If you are drinking that much, it is not dehydration as unless you are working in high heat you likely don't need as much as you are drinking.
    well for one weight gain...as well as my rings are tight and stomach bloating.

    Has the weather turned warmer where you live? Heat always makes my hands swell, which could explain why your rings are tighter.
    And if you're suddenly taking in a lot more fluid than normal then your stomach would be fuller and seem more bloated.
  • musicfan68
    musicfan68 Posts: 1,124 Member
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    godlikepoetyes wrote: »
    64 oz (gallon) of water a day is a loose recommendation for everyone, but this includes the water in your food and water in other things that you drink. You may not be able to tolerate drinking so much water, esp. if you drink other things like tea, coffee, sodas, etc. This alone could cause swelling. My fingers/hands sometimes swell if I eat something really salty/fat in my last meal of the day.

    One gallon is not 64 oz. It's 128 oz. I have a water bottle that is 32 oz - 1 quart. 4 of them equals a gallon.
  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,750 Member
    edited July 2016
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    If these symptoms have been going on a while, I'd speak to a doctor. In general, though, don't worry about water retention, it is just one of these things that you can't control. Drinking a gallon of water a day to try and stop what is a basic part of your bodily processes reminds me a bit of King Canute trying to hold back the tide. Let it go.

    I would also comment that water retention cannot permanently stall weight loss. For that to happen, you would have to be steadily increasing the amount of water you are retaining at the same rate as you're decreasing fat, and if you were doing that, you would have more and more visible oedema, like a full-term pregnant woman. I know what this is like, I had bad oedema, you could see it in my face, hands, legs, everywhere. Even my nose was visibly bigger than usual, and I could not stand for more than five minutes because my ankles would swell to twice their normal size. If your water retention is increasing beyond normal limits, you know all about it, and it is a genuine medical problem.

    Normal water retention, on the other hand, goes up to a limit of a few pounds, then stops, and if you are losing fat, the downward trend may briefly stall when you start to retain water, but will then start again. So if your weight loss is stalled for a significant period (a few weeks) then it is much more likely that you have stopped losing fat or started putting it back on, and you may need to revisit your calorie goals or tighten up your logging.
  • godlikepoetyes
    godlikepoetyes Posts: 442 Member
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    tamicoil1 wrote: »
    godlikepoetyes wrote: »
    64 oz (gallon) of water a day is a loose recommendation for everyone, but this includes the water in your food and water in other things that you drink. You may not be able to tolerate drinking so much water, esp. if you drink other things like tea, coffee, sodas, etc. This alone could cause swelling. My fingers/hands sometimes swell if I eat something really salty/fat in my last meal of the day.

    One gallon is not 64 oz. It's 128 oz. I have a water bottle that is 32 oz - 1 quart. 4 of them equals a gallon.

    My bad. Math is not my strong suit, obviously.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    Drink a lot less. Eight cups is good amount. For a day or two eat some salty foods. :)
  • alanlmarshall
    alanlmarshall Posts: 587 Member
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    Drink when your thirsty, you'll feel better.

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