do you actually have to drink SO MUCH water to lose weight?
trulyhealy
Posts: 242 Member
obviously a calorie deficit makes you lose weight but people on youtube day drink a gallon of water a day and it’s so much and peeing a lot just is so anointing and wondering if it has any effect? maybe it helps with water weight??
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Replies
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I don't track my water and it's never hindered my weight goals. Also, you get water from your food, beverages (coffee, soda etc). Unless you drink very little overall, I wouldn't be worried about it.9
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It does not affect your weight loss but you do get a lot of steps
ETA: grammar21 -
trulyhealy wrote: »obviously a calorie deficit makes you lose weight but people on youtube day drink a gallon of water a day and it’s so much and peeing a lot just is so anointing and wondering if it has any effect? maybe it helps with water weight??
Drink enough so your pee is pale. If it's clear then you're drinking too much12 -
it's best not to get advice from youtube on many subjects. diet is one of those.
there is no magic potion for weight loss. not water, not apple cider vinegar.13 -
Hydration comes from virtually all liquids, even caffeinated ones, and plenty of foods. If your urine is pale yellow, you’re hydrated.3
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trulyhealy wrote: »obviously a calorie deficit makes you lose weight but people on youtube day drink a gallon of water a day and it’s so much and peeing a lot just is so anointing and wondering if it has any effect? maybe it helps with water weight??
Drink when you're thirsty or when you are performing hard labor in high heat, otherwise you don't need to walk around all day sipping from a gallon jug of water. I have no idea how so many otherwise sane people have fallen for the false notion that we don't get enough water every day, but they have. Personal trainers on reality TV shows regurgitating the "eight 16 ounce glasses of water per day (minimum)" mantra haven't helped stamp out this silliness either. You get quite a bit of water from your food. The rest of the water that your body needs... well... it'll let you know by this signal we call, thirst. Drink when you're thirsty. Stop once your thirst is quenched. That's all you need to do.
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Drink x glasses of water based on x body weight is pretty much a myth. If it were at all true, I would need to drink a swimming pool daily. I drink water when I'm thirsty.11
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There is nothing magic about water, drink for hydration/enjoyment but it does not help with weight loss.
Drinking it can help stave off hunger pangs though so therefore could help you eat less and thus lose.7 -
Careful though, drinking too much water can actually be harmful
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_intoxication8 -
trulyhealy wrote: »obviously a calorie deficit makes you lose weight but people on youtube day drink a gallon of water a day and it’s so much and peeing a lot just is so anointing and wondering if it has any effect? maybe it helps with water weight??
If you're peeing a lot then your body doesn't need as much water as you're drinking. You drink fluids (doesn't necessarily have to be water, other drinks and food contain water) to stay hydrated, there is no one size fits all for water intake, just check your urine is the right colour (see below from UK NHS)
As for weight loss, it might help with hunger, as thirst can be mistaken for hunger, but no it doesn't directly have any effect on weight loss. You can see an article about this also at the NHS Website. https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-weight/ten-weight-loss-myths/
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Most of the public - educated or not has no clue that a caloric deficit is all that is required to lose weight, so take any and all information with a healthy dose of skepticism. Especially if this is from anyone attempting to appeal from authority.
Water intake if fairly irrelevant to the process. As many others have already mentioned just check the color of your urine - light straw and pale.
Early on in this process I developed a habit of drinking 16 oz water ~30 mins prior to mealtimes and this helped me discern between appetite and hunger.7 -
tinkerbellang83 wrote: »
If you're peeing a lot then your body doesn't need as much water as you're drinking. You drink fluids (doesn't necessarily have to be water, other drinks and food contain water) to stay hydrated, there is no one size fits all for water intake, just check your urine is the right colour (see below from UK NHS)
As for weight loss, it might help with hunger, as thirst can be mistaken for hunger, but no it doesn't directly have any effect on weight loss. You can see an article about this also at the NHS Website. https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-weight/ten-weight-loss-myths/
Obiviously water doesnt make you lose weight directly. But for your body to perform properly it has to be properly hydrated so it does help indirectly. And if youre trying to lose weight n your main source of water is soda good luck10 -
Most of the public - educated or not has no clue that a caloric deficit is all that is required to lose weight, so take any and all information with a healthy dose of skepticism. Especially if this is from anyone attempting to appeal from authority.
Water intake if fairly irrelevant to the process. As many others have already mentioned just check the color of your urine - light straw and pale.
Early on in this process I developed a habit of drinking 16 oz water ~30 mins prior to mealtimes and this helped me discern between appetite and hunger.
If calorific defecit is all that is need how can water intake be irellevent? If two people eat the same meals in a day but one drinks water n the other soda, the water drinker has fewer callories5 -
tinkerbellang83 wrote: »
If you're peeing a lot then your body doesn't need as much water as you're drinking. You drink fluids (doesn't necessarily have to be water, other drinks and food contain water) to stay hydrated, there is no one size fits all for water intake, just check your urine is the right colour (see below from UK NHS)
As for weight loss, it might help with hunger, as thirst can be mistaken for hunger, but no it doesn't directly have any effect on weight loss. You can see an article about this also at the NHS Website. https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-weight/ten-weight-loss-myths/
Thank you for sharing this. It’s really helpful! I’ve been “trying to lose weight” so many times, going back to the 90s. For awhile there it seemed like the advice was that more water = better, and I think a lot of people like me still sort of think of it that way. I’m going to use this chart as a reference from now on and now stress so much about how much I’m drinking (or not drinking).
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trulyhealy wrote: »obviously a calorie deficit makes you lose weight but people on youtube day drink a gallon of water a day and it’s so much and peeing a lot just is so anointing and wondering if it has any effect? maybe it helps with water weight??
Drinking water doesn't have anything to do with losing weight. You should consume enough fluids to stay hydrated.4 -
If calorific defecit is all that is need how can water intake be irellevent? If two people eat the same meals in a day but one drinks water n the other soda, the water drinker has fewer callories
If people have room in their day for full sugar soda then it's still just water with some flavouring and sugar added, so it will still hydrate them, not to mention there are sugar free sodas, herbal teas, coffee, etc that have next to no calories.
Obiviously water doesnt make you lose weight directly. But for your body to perform properly it has to be properly hydrated so it does help indirectly. And if youre trying to lose weight n your main source of water is soda good luck
The OP asked specifically if she had to drink so much water, the answer is, if she is peeing every 5 mins, no, and doing so is not helping her weight loss.
Noone throughout this thread has stated that water is not essential to health, what they have said is that it isn't necessary to pay heed to all the ridiculous instagram/pinterest/youtube posts suggesting you have to drink gallons of water to lose weight.
Also I lost weight and maintained my loss whilst drinking a combination of water and diet soda, it doesn't have to be all or nothing.
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trulyhealy wrote: »obviously a calorie deficit makes you lose weight but people on youtube day drink a gallon of water a day and it’s so much and peeing a lot just is so anointing and wondering if it has any effect? maybe it helps with water weight??
drinking lots of water is no good there is a medical condition you will get! Also you flush your body of nutrients that otherwise would be adsorbed by organs and into the bloodstream. There had been a trend to drink lots of water for health benefits but the bad outweighed the good as modern medical studies showed and the health benefits of drinking lots of water just became an old wives tale dating!6 -
InsertFunnyUsernameHere wrote: »
Drink when you're thirsty or when you are performing hard labor in high heat, otherwise you don't need to walk around all day sipping from a gallon jug of water. I have no idea how so many otherwise sane people have fallen for the false notion that we don't get enough water every day, but they have. Personal trainers on reality TV shows regurgitating the "eight 16 ounce glasses of water per day (minimum)" mantra haven't helped stamp out this silliness either. You get quite a bit of water from your food. The rest of the water that your body needs... well... it'll let you know by this signal we call, thirst. Drink when you're thirsty. Stop once your thirst is quenched. That's all you need to do.
I heard once that that if you wait until your body is thirsty then you're already dehydrated. I don't believe in the myth of drinking tons of water. It was made up by water commercials to sell more water and sports drink companies too.5 -
L1zardQueen wrote: »It does not affect your weight loss but you do get a lot of steps
ETA: grammar
That was classic..0 -
i have been told to drink half your body weight to help with weight loss....I tend to feel better when I good and hydrated which makes me more motivated to keep moving (that and you do get in more steps going back and forth to the bathroom and kitchen hahaha!)0
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I don't track my water and it's never hindered my weight goals. Also, you get water from your food, beverages (coffee, soda etc). Unless you drink very little overall, I wouldn't be worried about it.
"Coffee and soda" do NOT count as water consumption. Those 2 (and more) actually dehydrate you leaving your body needing more water.28 -
LakeCountyDiver wrote: »
"Coffee and soda" do NOT count as water consumption. Those 2 (and more) actually dehydrate you leaving your body needing more water.
Mayo Clinic disagrees with you, my friend: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-answers/caffeinated-drinks/faq-20057965
See also:
https://www.webmd.com/parenting/features/healthy-beverages8 -
LakeCountyDiver wrote: »
"Coffee and soda" do NOT count as water consumption. Those 2 (and more) actually dehydrate you leaving your body needing more water.
It is flavored water. Time for a beer. Beer is also also flavored water. BRB9 -
i have been told to drink half your body weight to help with weight loss....I tend to feel better when I good and hydrated which makes me more motivated to keep moving (that and you do get in more steps going back and forth to the bathroom and kitchen hahaha!)
How much do you weigh?0 -
One of the major sponsors of MFP is a bottled water company. Think about it.2
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rheddmobile wrote: »One of the major sponsors of MFP is a bottled water company. Think about it.
I thought it was shoes. Lol1 -
L1zardQueen wrote: »
How much do you weigh?
Personally I find it difficult to drink 80 lbs of water per day. 1 -
L1zardQueen wrote: »
It is flavored water. Time for a beer. Beer is also also flavored water. BRB
With the things I've been reading here I'm sure many believe that. Unbelievable the mantra being spewed on this website.15 -
LakeCountyDiver wrote: »
With the things I've been reading here I'm sure many believe that. Unbelievable the mantra being spewed on this website.
Beer isn't flavored water. Beer is augmented water.6 -
Beer isn't flavored water. Beer is augmented water.
Stand corrected.5
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