Water

Lietchi wrote: »

You drink enough for your pee to be a pale straw color. How much that water that requires precisely will depend on how much you sweat, the weather, air humidity, etc.

It's important for hydration, but not really important otherwise. Some people seem to think it will magically lead to weight loss. It doesn't.

^^ This.

Also, any fluids (other than alcohol) are hydrating, so fizzy drinks count (with or without sugar - I assume you're thinking of sugar free as a better choice for weight loss, which is reasonable).

The medical folks used to think that things like coffee and tea didn't count, but recent research is indicating that for most people, those stay in the body long enough to do the job, despite being mildly diuretic. The water in juicy types of fruits/veggies, soups, etc., is also hydrating.

Drink whenever you are thirsty. If your pee is really yellow, you should drink more. But yes, zero sugar sodas are fine. The only issue is the fact that they are slightly acidic, so it could be rough on your enamel

richardallen04 wrote: »

Hi am new to this so got a few questions! How much water do I need to drink a day ? And why is it so important ? Are sugar free fizzy drinks ok ?

The important thing is to keep hydrated. Water and other beverages contribute to hydration. A general rule of thumb is 8 x 8 oz of fluids daily, but hydration needs are variable. Someone like myself who is active and living in a hot desert climate at over a mile high in elevation will have greater hydration needs than someone who is sedentary living in a temperate climate at sea level for example.

You need both water and electrolytes to be "hydrated."

If you are getting enough electrolytes from your food, then drink water whenever you feel thirsty and watch your pee to make sure it stays pale.

For some people, just water won't hydrate them, like active people who sweat out too much electrolytes, or people with medical conditions who need more than average.

Also, many people are terrible at detecting their thirst signals and mistake them for hunger. So some people need to kind of rehab their ability to detect thirst.

Sugar free sodas are mostly water, so they will give your body the water it needs. That's not a question. But they are quite acidic, and do tend to contain caffeine and artificial sweeteners, and the research is ambiguous as to whether or not you want to be consuming a lot of those. I personally wouldn't, because the research seems to suggest that sweeteners are addictive, and we know caffeine is, and I don't like being addicted to anything I don't need to be addicted to.

Also, whenever someone tells me they don't like drinking water, that to me as a medical professional sets off alarm bells. It's a fundamental human drive to crave water, so if someone has modified their diet in a way that makes them lose this natural inclination towards water, I find that troubling.

I would personally work on my diet until my normal taste for water returned. For me, the first step I would take would be to cut out non-water beverages for a few months to see if my taste for plain water returns.

That's just my opinion and not medical advice.