such thing as too much water?

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erinl84
erinl84 Posts: 90 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I was wondering if there is such thing as drinking too much water in a day? i always go over 8 glasses a day. just completed my first week on here and when i weighed in this morning, i gained a pound! what the heck? i usually am under my calories for the day, i do my 30ds every day.....so what the heck is going on??? could you gain weight from drinking too much water??? help me!

Replies

  • katkins3
    katkins3 Posts: 1,360 Member
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    My husband wound up in the hospital with heart palpitations because he drank so much water that it upset his electrolyte balance.
    The doctors told him to drink a sports drink during exercise and water in between, but not so darn much!
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    Sure you can drink too much water. Generally it's too much water, too quickly, without taking in any sodium to balance it, which would lead to a catastrophic drop in sodium concentration which would lead to death. However, it's very difficult to get to that point under normal circumstances.

    As for gaining weight, absolutely. 16 ounces of water = 1 pound. So for every 2 cups of water you drink, expect to gain a pound of weight until you eliminate it. Remember, everything you eat and drink has weight, it doesn't magically become weightless because you eat it.

    Finally, it's only been 1 week. You need at least 6 before expecting any real results. I'd be more concerned about you saying you're under your calories, you aren't supposed to be under, you're supposed to be eating them all.
  • Captain_Tightpants
    Captain_Tightpants Posts: 2,215 Member
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    Yep, if you're drinking very large amounts of water (and particularly if you're also exercising and sweating out your electrolytes without replacing them) you can cause a condition called "Water Intoxication" which can potentially be dangerous.

    How far over 8 glasses a day do you go?

    You can't gain fat weight by drinking water, but of course you can have water weight. You will weigh differently depending on how much water is in your digestive system, body tissues, and bloodstream.
  • Sandra82874
    Sandra82874 Posts: 47
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    I have the same problem but I think my problem is too much sodium. So I am trying to watch my sodium and drink 64 oz or less.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    Sure you can drink too much water. Generally it's too much water, too quickly, without taking in any sodium to balance it, which would lead to a catastrophic drop in sodium concentration which would lead to death. However, it's very difficult to get to that point under normal circumstances.

    As for gaining weight, absolutely. 16 ounces of water = 1 pound. So for every 2 cups of water you drink, expect to gain a pound of weight until you eliminate it. Remember, everything you eat and drink has weight, it doesn't magically become weightless because you eat it.

    Finally, it's only been 1 week. You need at least 6 before expecting any real results. I'd be more concerned about you saying you're under your calories, you aren't supposed to be under, you're supposed to be eating them all.

    This - and one more thing - when we start working out or increase intensity it is not uncommon for our muscles to retain extra water while healing. After a few weeks, this will go away.

    You may also want to read this thread
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/350212--why-scales-lie?hl="why+scales+lie"&page=1#posts-4730712
  • lovinmysoldier
    lovinmysoldier Posts: 156 Member
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    Good rule of thumb, drink until you aren't thirsty. If you feel hungry grab a glass of water, most of us are dehydrated and mistake thirst for hunger. Start there and see where you are, if you aren't getting in your 8 than add until you are up to your recommended amount. We all are a little different and some of us require a bit more or a bit less water. Now barring any health conditions you can only really drink too much if you are guzzling cup after cup. Grab a water bottle and just sip it througout the day. Or if you are CRAZY over 8 than cut back.
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
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    8 cups of neat water ISN'T what they recommend!


    You need the equivalent of 8 cups of water a day on average, from any source. These sources can be pure water/tea/coffee/juice/soda/milk/fruit/veg etc. It does NOT have to be pure neat water!

    http://www.snopes.com/medical/myths/8glasses.asp

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/jul/13/myth-eight-glasses-water-day

    http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/2008/07/wellness-water-8x8-myth.html

    http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2010/12/08/the-myth-behind-drinking-8-glasses-of-water-a-day/
  • LabRat529
    LabRat529 Posts: 1,323 Member
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    Yes, you can drink too much water. It's unlikely that you'll ever experience water toxicity unless you drink it all at once, but if it's inconveniencing you, making you take hourly trips to the bathroom and waking you up to pee a couple times a night, than you are drinking too much.

    Drink so that your pee is light yellow in color. That's all you need.

    Proper hydration is important and good. Over-hydration generally won't hurt you, but it's just not necessary and over-hydration will not help with the weight loss no matter what people say. (It might help with things like controlling hunger... it doesn't do anything much to your metabolism).
  • clairabell2024
    clairabell2024 Posts: 194 Member
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    8 cups of neat water ISN'T what they recommend!


    You need the equivalent of 8 cups of water a day on average, from any source. These sources can be pure water/tea/coffee/juice/soda/milk/fruit/veg etc. It does NOT have to be pure neat water!

    http://www.snopes.com/medical/myths/8glasses.asp

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/jul/13/myth-eight-glasses-water-day

    http://junkfoodscience.blogspot.com/2008/07/wellness-water-8x8-myth.html

    http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2010/12/08/the-myth-behind-drinking-8-glasses-of-water-a-day/

    Ive always wondered whether tea/coffee/juice etc count towards my daily water intake! I never record the water used for tea in my diary only neat water!

    So thanks for that, i thought i wasnt drinking enough, but i think i may now i count tea and juice!

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