Water

rjel78 wrote: »

I know water is key but I have a question. Do you really have to drink half your weight in water or can you just drink water all the time and have the same results?

The result you get from drinking water is proper hydration. There's no magical amount of water...your urine should be pale yellow to almost clear...if it is, you are properly hydrated.

Hydration needs are highly variable...I ride a lot and live in the desert at over a mile high in elevation...my hydration needs are much different than someone living at sea level in a temperate climate who is more sedentary.

My advice is to get to know your body and drink when you're thirsty. Remember, food and other drinks all have water in them so you are getting water every time you open your mouth. People have been sold the idea to drink way too much water. Why? Because somebody is making a profit on it. If I drank as much as many people advise, I'd be completely unproductive because I'd be in the ladies' room all day.

So it works out to 1/32 of your weight in water, if you hold to that rule. Which I don't.

I weigh 150lbs and drink over 200 ounces of water on workout days. But I need to because I sweat way more than average when working out, do at least 3 hours ofg working out per day, use a dry sauna twice per day (deep sweating) and take Spironolactone & Metformin which unfortunately cause sweating AND dehydration. So 200 ounces is barely enough for me.

But if you're otherwise "normal", not taking meds or weird fat burners with caffeine and other dehydrating ingredients, using saunas, etc....a gallon should suffice if you're working out pretty hard.

But pee running nearly clear is your easier indicator. And peeing regularly, of course.