Water Intake

randibum3
randibum3 Posts: 13 Member
edited December 4 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm 5'4" 180lb 23 yr old female. How much water should I be drinking in order to lose weight? Thanks!

Replies

  • Gotrek1
    Gotrek1 Posts: 64 Member
    Drink when you are thirsty. That's it.

    Those 8 glasses a day people are just wrong.
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  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    edited October 2016
    Water doesn't affect weight loss, it affects hydration. You should endevour to not become dehydrated regardless of whether or not you are trying to lose weight. If you are actively exercising and sweating as a result you may need to drink more than you used to but thats about it.

    I'd say most people drink too little water so there is a push to encourage people to drink more and that usually just gets bundled with other things that are meant to help with your health such as weight loss.
  • cathipa
    cathipa Posts: 2,991 Member
    Calorie deficits cause weight loss. But you should be drinking at least 64oz a day.
  • Ben_there_done_that
    Ben_there_done_that Posts: 732 Member
    I've always heard that by the time you feel thirsty, you're already behind. Probably easier for guys to check our hydration level. We used to have hydration "Pee color" charts in the latrines, in the Army.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    captbklee wrote: »
    I've always heard that by the time you feel thirsty, you're already behind. Probably easier for guys to check our hydration level. We used to have hydration "Pee color" charts in the latrines, in the Army.

    Yeah. Since you are now focusing on your health (because of weight loss) it might also be a good time to make sure you are drinking enough water by regularly drinking glasses throughout the day. But don't think that somehow one is related to the other, they are both good things to do for your health (assuming you are overweight) but they don't really influence one another.
  • randibum3
    randibum3 Posts: 13 Member
    cathipa wrote: »
    Calorie deficits cause weight loss. But you should be drinking at least 64oz a day.


    I've been doing the calorie deficit since June and it's helped a lot (down 20lb). I was just told I should be drinking more water because it helps with weight loss and I normally don't drink a lot of fluids.
  • elphie754
    elphie754 Posts: 7,574 Member
    randibum3 wrote: »
    cathipa wrote: »
    Calorie deficits cause weight loss. But you should be drinking at least 64oz a day.


    I've been doing the calorie deficit since June and it's helped a lot (down 20lb). I was just told I should be drinking more water because it helps with weight loss and I normally don't drink a lot of fluids.

    No, increasing water intake will not help with weight loss.
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 5,184 Member
    You should be drinking enough water or getting enough liquid in foods and drinks that you don't feel thirsty and your urine is light yellow to clear. As long as you aren't dehydrated then you are drinking enough. Any liquids you eat or drink count.
  • ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken
    ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken Posts: 1,530 Member
    edited October 2016
    Drink even if you aren't thirsty. It is possible to neglect fluids and mistake thirst for hunger. I say drink a gallon a day. Not simply for weight loss but for your health. This does not mean to only drink water though. Your fluids can come from anywhere. Also, the color of your urine is not always a good indicator of hydration. If you are very active this may be true for you, if you are not very active your urine may not change color much at all. I was dehydrated with almost clear urine. I assumed I was hydrated because of this advice. In urgent care for a rapid and pounding heart rate I was surprised to find I was dehydrated.
  • randibum3
    randibum3 Posts: 13 Member
    Thanks everyone!
  • mulecanter
    mulecanter Posts: 1,792 Member
    thirst can feel like hunger and fool you into eating--I'm a victim of this all the time. It's like fire, a little water on the hunger campfire can prevent a raging, out of control binge.
  • BrunetteRunner87
    BrunetteRunner87 Posts: 591 Member
    I think drinking water can help with weight loss indirectly. When I drink water and stay hydrated I am less hungry and sometimes I mistake appetite for thirst so drinking water has helped with food cravings.
  • ShamiranShae24
    ShamiranShae24 Posts: 2 Member
    When I had my personal trainer, he told me to drink a gallon of water a day. It may seem like a lot, but setting goals to get 1 gallon done a day is easy! And, I saw a HUGE difference.
  • Jeyradan
    Jeyradan Posts: 164 Member
    This is entirely apocryphal, but I was recently told by a doctor that he suggested 1.25 L (about 5 American cups) of water per 30 kg (about 66 lbs) of body weight. So for you, I guess, about 3.5 L (about 14 American cups)?
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    The amount of water you need is personal to you.

    All you have to do is check the colour of your urine. If it is straw coloured-clear, then you are hydrated. Anything darker, then you need to drink more water. If your urine is always clear, back off with the water as it means you are over hydrated.
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  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    randibum3 wrote: »
    cathipa wrote: »
    Calorie deficits cause weight loss. But you should be drinking at least 64oz a day.


    I've been doing the calorie deficit since June and it's helped a lot (down 20lb). I was just told I should be drinking more water because it helps with weight loss and I normally don't drink a lot of fluids.

    it doesn't. Help with weight loss that is. I mean if you feel you need to drink more fluids you can make that a goal too of course.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    edited October 2016
    ShamiranShae24 wrote: »
    When I had my personal trainer, he told me to drink a gallon of water a day. It may seem like a lot, but setting goals to get 1 gallon done a day is easy! And, I saw a HUGE difference.

    Sodium flush, you will lose a lot of weight in the first week of doing that because you will lower your general electrolyte level and will not be retaining as much water. That might look good on the scale but it has nothing to do with fat loss which is the actual goal. The only reason to drink that much water is if you are a body builder with a very large protein and caloric intake and have a lot of sweat to replace and a lot of calories to process.

    If you are a normal person trying to lose weight and stay hydrated no reason at all to drink a gallon of water a day. I mean if you want to sure, but no reason to try to do that if it takes effort.
  • ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken
    ThatUserNameIsAllReadyTaken Posts: 1,530 Member
    edited October 2016
    Here is of many calculators to determine your need if you feel unsure. http://medindia.net/patients/calculators/daily-water-requirement.asp

    Again, it is one of MANY. Feel free to search for others. We need more water than we realize. The human body can lose up to 10 cups of water a day. Every time you exhale, when you digest food, when you make saliva, tears and sweat. Notice I said "up to". That is because it isn't the same for every person. Larger people will lose more smaller people less, active people more, sedentary people less. You get water from some of the food you eat but It's not really all that much unless you're eating something very juicy all day. There is always a lot of conflicting advice on water and how to check for hydration. Some here use the urine color test others prefer the skin pinch test. Pinch a fold of skin on the back of your hand, if it springs back you're supposed to good, if it slowly creeps back it is supposed to signal dehydration. I find the skin pinch to be a better gauge for me. I hope you can arrive at what is best for you in this matter. I went for a very long time thinking I did not need as much water as I actually needed. I am happy that I made hydration a priority now that I feel so much better.

    Also water is not the only fluid that counts here. I drink tomato juice, coconut water, tea and milk. All of these count. And is it gonna matter all that much if you're short on fluids by a just a cup or two? I doubt it. I think the main thing is to make sure you are actually drinking. A physical thirst does not always show up to tell us we're thirsty. I have gone all day with no drink other than my morning coffee and never feeling thirsty. I was plenty hungry though. The body will get what it needs one way or another.
  • cathipa
    cathipa Posts: 2,991 Member
    randibum3 wrote: »
    cathipa wrote: »
    Calorie deficits cause weight loss. But you should be drinking at least 64oz a day.


    I've been doing the calorie deficit since June and it's helped a lot (down 20lb). I was just told I should be drinking more water because it helps with weight loss and I normally don't drink a lot of fluids.

    The theory is most people don't drink enough and become dehydrated which makes them feel hungry. By drinking more water you are fixing the problem rather than succumbing to eating to alleviate the hunger. Also drinking water makes you feel fuller while you are eating so you don't eat as much.

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