Do I need to drink water?

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13

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  • jemachharo
    jemachharo Posts: 144 Member
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    I've tried weight loss not worrying about water and this time making a point of drink 64 or more oz a day. The water makes a difference.
  • Pepper2185
    Pepper2185 Posts: 994 Member
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    How could drinking more water be bad for you?

    More water = more health benefits. Plus healthy glowing skin!

    Drink it!
  • JodiCole
    JodiCole Posts: 18
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    I drink a lot of crystal light or flavored water you can get at the grocery store.
  • MountainMia
    MountainMia Posts: 242 Member
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    "Neat" water is a factor to my success. I find I used to mistake thirst for hunger. Now if I want to 'snack' outside of my norm, I drink 32 oz of water over about an hour and find I'm not hungry for another hour or so. Also, I'll retain water (weight) if I don't drink enough. It makes my ancles, hands and around my eyes puffy. It sheds really fast if I get back to my 10-12 glasses a day. But that's me... not everyone is the same.
    Most people do function in a mild state of dehydration. Our bodies can adapt to survive and even appear to be just fine with little to no "neat" water. You don't HAVE to drink "neat" water, but in most places in the world, it's the healthiest, most accessible and most natural source of hydration.

    My theory: if food is our fuel, water is our lubricant. A car can run on low or "dirty" oil, but you'd be a fool to believe that it doesn't effect the performance of the engine.
  • jenlee_74
    jenlee_74 Posts: 29
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    Uhhhhh seriously? Yes. Humans need water to stay alive. Refer back to kindergarten.
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
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    But drinking neat water BY ITSELF wont have any significant effect on weight loss.

    Sure, drinking anything to fill yourself up before you eat may help some people, and for those not getting enough hydration drinking more of anything will flush out water weight, but just drinking water wont magically make fat come off.
  • lizblizz28
    lizblizz28 Posts: 166
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    How could drinking more water be bad for you?

    More water = more health benefits. Plus healthy glowing skin!

    Drink it!

    I agree completely! It can't possibly be bad for you, so whats the harm in drinking a little extra?
    I never thought I was thirsty either, but I made it a point to still try and drink water.
    Now I find if I don't drink water my mouth feels dry and I feel really thirsty.
    You just need to get used to all of the new water intake.

    I wish people wouldn't get so rude about having different opinions about a topic... Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and you could probably find logical arguments to support both sides. No need to get personal about it.
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
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    Uhhhhh seriously? Yes. Humans need water to stay alive. Refer back to kindergarten.

    Humans need water. Water is in many things, apart from neat water. Refer back to Junior school
  • LishaCole
    LishaCole Posts: 245
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    Yes, you need to drink lots of water. Sure, we can survive without consuming extra water as the human body is incredibly resilient. But for optimal tissue function for health and weight loss you must make a point of consuming more fluid.
    I have some rough values below for a completely sedentary average human being. Keep in mind these values are very rough, and change with age, gender, level of activity, health conditions and ambient humidity.

    Do the math.
    + 200 ml/day (water gained from metabolic production)
    -350 ml/day (water lost through skin)
    -350ml/day (water lost through lungs)
    -100 ml/day (water lost through sweat)
    -100 ml/day (water lost through feces)
    -1400ml/day (water lost through urine)
    -2100 ml/day

    As you can see the recommended amount of 8 cups a day is not a completely arbitrary number. These values suggest 2100 ml of ingested water per day, however all food contains water (each gram of carbohydrate contains ~ 1 gram of water, each gram of protein contains ~0.5 gram of water), fruit and vegetables contain a lot of water. However the values above are an estimate for a sedentary person, if you perform prolonged heavy exercise this value can increase to -6400 ml/day. Also if you eat a diet high in protein, which is a common trend in fitness, your water requirement increases as the formation of copious amounts of nitrogenous wastes forces the body to increase urine production. If you are conscious of the level in which you sweat and urinate you will have a pretty good idea of how much fluid intake you require.
    Point is, you lose more water than you think, so its in your best interest to consume more fluid. Sure, this fluid doesn’t HAVE to be pure water, but it is the healthiest option. Over consumption of caffeine and sugar is a whole other can of worms....
  • Sunny_Lexie
    Sunny_Lexie Posts: 114
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    Try drinking the water when you're hungry (your stomach rumbles)... Alot of times it's your body telling you that you are "hungry" for water, rather than food.

    Not only is that another way to get your water in, but it could make you eat less.

    Exactly what I was going to write. Sometimes your brain gives you a confusing signal -- you think you are hungry, when you are in fact starting to dehydrate.
    And yes, drinking plain NATURAL water (or whichever food/fruit/veggie containing water) is much better than drinking pop crap or coffee with artificial sugars and creamers!!

    Your body is made of about 60% of water. Water is essential to the most important biological fuctions. Crappy additives in soda and so on are NOT.
  • itontae
    itontae Posts: 138 Member
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    Biggest dieting myth of our time is that you have to cram down 8 cups of water a day whether you feel thirsty or not.

    It is utter baloney.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
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    Biggest dieting myth of our time is that you have to cram down 8 cups of water a day whether you feel thirsty or not.

    It is utter baloney.

    Yup! Water is good but there is no need to cram it down as you say. If you are peeing every 30 minutes, you are drinking more than your body needs. It's just unessesary.
  • MechanicalKid1
    MechanicalKid1 Posts: 26
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    I lost 5 pounds in one day when I drank a ton of water.
    I hadn't drank pretty much ANY straight water for years. (Water at school here and there but only a few gulps)
    Then one day, I decided I would see if it helped me with not being so hungry and drank the recommended 8 cups.
    I seriously weighed myself over and over that day and I lost 5 pounds and it stayed gone.
    Water does A LOT with weight loss.
  • SammyPacks
    SammyPacks Posts: 697 Member
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    Water has a lot of benefits because the body needs it. Just stay hydrated and drink at least 8 cups a day... it can help you with water retention (which is water weight), by drinking more you lose more water weight in your body. It won't dramatically change your results though.
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
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    I lost 5 pounds in one day when I drank a ton of water.
    I hadn't drank pretty much ANY straight water for years. (Water at school here and there but only a few gulps)
    Then one day, I decided I would see if it helped me with not being so hungry and drank the recommended 8 cups.
    I seriously weighed myself over and over that day and I lost 5 pounds and it stayed gone.
    Water does A LOT with weight loss.

    So you think that 5lbs was fat? All it did was flush out water weight, that no one is denying. However, the fact is was pure water made no difference. If you really think it was, then carry on drinking it, and lost all your weight in a week or two.
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
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    Try drinking the water when you're hungry (your stomach rumbles)... Alot of times it's your body telling you that you are "hungry" for water, rather than food.

    Not only is that another way to get your water in, but it could make you eat less.

    Exactly what I was going to write. Sometimes your brain gives you a confusing signal -- you think you are hungry, when you are in fact starting to dehydrate.
    And yes, drinking plain NATURAL water (or whichever food/fruit/veggie containing water) is much better than drinking pop crap or coffee with artificial sugars and creamers!!

    Your body is made of about 60% of water. Water is essential to the most important biological fuctions. Crappy additives in soda and so on are NOT.

    No one is denying drinking water is better in terms of nutrition. But you cant say that soda doesnt help hydrate, as it does. And drinking water will not make fat magically burn off faster at any notable rate, and there isnt isnt essential to weight loss, which was the point of the thread originally.
  • lizblizz28
    lizblizz28 Posts: 166
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    cold water actually boosts your metabolism and it helps your liver metabolize fat.
  • kryptonitekelly
    kryptonitekelly Posts: 335 Member
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    You need water...but you DONT need 2 litres a day...

    Have a small glass (250mls with breakfast, lunch and dinner? and then before bed....
  • Articeluvsmemphis
    Articeluvsmemphis Posts: 1,987 Member
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    forget weight loss, you may need your kidneys to function at some point in your life, just saying
  • LishaCole
    LishaCole Posts: 245
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    forget weight loss, you may need your kidneys to function at some point in your life, just saying


    Well said, baha.

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