such thing as too much water?

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erinl84
erinl84 Posts: 90 Member
in Motivation and Support
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!

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  • cjw6
    cjw6 Posts: 94 Member
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    There is such a thing as drinking too much water, but not related to weight gain.
    Drinking too much water (and I mean a lot too much) can mess with your electrolyte balance (blood salt levels) and in extreme cases cause seizures and heart problems. To reassure you, eight cups a day won't do this- you would need to drink way more than that. In a person with normal healthy kidneys, you will just pee out any excess water. There is actually no real science behind the 'drink loads of water' advice that gets quoted a lot- your body is designed to very closely control your fluid intake and will reduce amout of urine produced and make you thirsty if you aren't getting enough, and vice versa.
    Of course water weighs 1kg/litre, so if you down a litre then go weigh you will be 1kg heavier- its not fat, and it doens't matter.
  • thomwats
    thomwats Posts: 1
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    I have always heard that you need to eat. I think not eating all your calories could be the reason for no loss. Your body thinks their is a famine so it's holding on to fat. I wouldn't think it's the water.
  • judgejava
    judgejava Posts: 88
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    yes there is, it is called hypernatremia

    read the similar thread here http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/455418-can-you-drink-to-much-water
  • Nopedotjpeg
    Nopedotjpeg Posts: 1,806 Member
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    8 glasses is just a guideline. Depending on many other factors like your activity level, sodium intake, and weight you could need a lot more. Unless you're downing gallons a day while being sedentary, it's unlikely you're drinking too much.

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