How much does drinking 8 glasses of water help?

2

Replies

  • HeavenLeAngel127
    HeavenLeAngel127 Posts: 211 Member
    Water helps counteract the sodium intake in your body (scientifically it has to do with your blood pressure, sodium makes it go up)... This can also be counteracted with potassium.

    Also drinking water stops your body from retaining water... this is cause your body won't feel the need to store it...

    So you see less bloating, your skin will appear smoother and with more alive, and you will have more energy....

    So drink the water... If you put it in a 64 oz jug with a straw and just sip on it all day, you'll surprise yourself and most likely finish the whole thing
  • ahbeeohwhen
    ahbeeohwhen Posts: 4
    I've recently been starting drinking a lot of water, I barely used to drink it and it's really started to suppress my appetite! It's started to make me pee a lot though but oh well, haha!
  • shadowkitty22
    shadowkitty22 Posts: 495 Member
    I've been told that you should drink half your body weight in water. I've been drinking anywhere from 80 - 100 ounces of water a day and it has done wonderful things for me!

    I don't feel as tired, I'm not as hungry, and I feel hydrated ... so I say drink up :drinker:

    I've heard this as well but I'm currently not working out enough to handle drinking 16 cups of water a day (when I started this journey it would've been 19 cups a day oi vey)! I've just recently worked myself up to being able to do 12 regularly. But for me, just the fact that I'm pretty much drinking exclusively water now is an incredible improvement as I used to drink a lot of my husband's sodas. So now I'm healthier and saving money as we're not going through money as quickly.
  • debbielane56
    debbielane56 Posts: 4
    I stopped soft drinks about 2 years ago and my cravings for sugared foods has dropped to a level of less than a fourth of what it was. I stopped using sweeteners of any kind and cravings went down further. Upped my water intake, and my hunger levels let me know when I was hungry and when I was just thirsty. Also, as a side kick all this together has made me feel a little springier in my step. My complexion has never been better, and my legs no longer have that alligator texture in the winter. Each little difference adds to the next little difference. Water is a great place to start.
  • chelle2868
    chelle2868 Posts: 19
    Personally I have found that drinking more than 8 oz a day has helped me. I was addicted to Pepsi... gave it up cold turkey 9 months ago. Not only did that remove a lot of empty calories from my diet it simply made me feel better. I found that a lot of my tummy issues went away when the pepsi did. Drinking water has helped curb my appitite, not to mention it helps to flush your system. My only problem is that I don't really like just plain water so I drink it with MIO.
  • nigel061
    nigel061 Posts: 109
    if your body needs water you will feel thirsty. It's a natural instinct. 8 glasses of water a day may be too much or too little depending on your circumstances and environment. Don't force yourself to drink!
  • Railr0aderTony
    Railr0aderTony Posts: 6,803 Member
    I think you just burn more calories going to the bathroom all the time, but honestly, I have started drinking more water(w/crystal lite) and it has seemed to really help me with my weightloss, I had really slowed down and now i am dropping pretty good again. Can not be certain it was the water but it is the only thing i am doing different.
  • ijustmightbecrazy
    ijustmightbecrazy Posts: 37
    http://www.appforhealth.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Urine-chart.jpg

    It's this simple as to whether or not you're hydrated.
  • skybird455
    skybird455 Posts: 172 Member
    for me personally (just my opinion on what words for me) when my weight loss plateaus it was always because of lack of water. I drink 1 cup of black coffee a day, 1 gallon of water a day, yes that is right a gallon every single day, and 2 glasses of dark red wine. It works for me. But I am a clean eater.....so no sodas or sugar or processed stuff. once i started really drinking alot of water my body got used to it and I stopped having to run to the bathroom every 30 minutes, but at first, I felt like strapping myself there to sleep even. takes about a month. But a gallon a day. Love it! and my skin is amazing!
  • LDunzweiler
    LDunzweiler Posts: 21
    When I started this, I completely stopped drinking sodas/other beverages and just drank water. I wanted to flush my system & have continued to do so. In the beginning, just cutting the sodas (even diet drinks) allowed me to loose my first 10 lbs extremely fast. I have kept up my water consumption ever since and find that I am not as hungry when I have my bottle of water. I thought it was going to be hard, but really it's not. I got a Brita water bottle (20oz) and keep it refilled throughout the day. Normally, I will drink about 5 of those bottles daily. I do allow myself a mini diet coke about 2x a week and a 8.4 oz Sugar Free Red Bull if I meet all my personal goals for the week! I do not personally believe in completely depriving yourself. :)
  • sjiphone
    sjiphone Posts: 67 Member
    Thanks for the well sourced informative post.
    Haven't posted this for a while!


    The average person needs 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/


    As for tea/coffee being a diuretic, so many people just spout that word as a reason, without actually understanding what "diuretic" means.

    di·u·ret·ic (d-rtk)
    adj.
    Tending to increase the discharge of urine.
    n.
    A substance or drug that tends to increase the discharge of urine.

    Neat water is also a diuretic. The diuretic effect of caffeine is far, far outweighed by the actual water in the tea/coffee. Also, regular consumers of caffeinated beverages will build up a tolerance to said effect, eventually reaching the point where caffeinated drinks provide practically the same amount of hydration as a cup of neat water will.


    http://www.divinecaroline.com/22178/46361-coffee-makes-dehydrated-say-what

    http://worldofcaffeine.com/2011/06/14/caffeine-does-not-dehydrate/

    http://advance.uconn.edu/2002/020722/02072207.htm

    http://nomoredirtylooks.com/2011/04/surprise-caffeinated-tea-does-not-dehydrate-you/

    http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/04/health/nutrition/04real.html

    http://www.sharecare.com/question/does-caffeine-dehydrate-not

    http://www.artofdrink.com/2009/12/caffeine-in-coffee-does-not-increase-dehydration-during-hangovers.php

    http://www.caring4cancer.com/go/cancer/nutrition/questions/do-caffeinated-beverages-cause-dehydration.htm

    http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=5552790&page=1#.TrQWc0O5_oo
  • HornsUT32
    HornsUT32 Posts: 146 Member
    I don't know the scientific answer, but I know my body. When I drink water, I feel better, my skin is clear and I don't snack. Oh, and I tend to be 3 to 4 pounds lighter on the scale. When I don't drink water, it is the opposite..period. My goal is to drink close to 100 oz. of water a day, especially on running days. When I don't, I can surely feel it...and my weight goes up for a day or two. I know it is water retention, but not what you want to see when you are trying to lose weight.
  • elenathegreat
    elenathegreat Posts: 3,988 Member
    idk all the sciency benefits, but personally upping my water intake has helped me stop snacking, kept me feeling more alert and awake has just really helped my weight loss. Ive swapped about 80% of my diet drinks to water :)

    Exactly:)
  • JoolieW68
    JoolieW68 Posts: 1,879 Member
    It's certainly helped me increase me exercise. I'm constantly having to walk to the bathroom (like 6-8 times when I'm at work, and it's 55 steps TO the bathroom from my desk).

    I have also noticed my skin tone is much healthier.
  • suthrnladey
    suthrnladey Posts: 36
    Woman’s Coca-Cola ‘habit’ cited in death

    http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/woman-coca-cola-habit-cited-death-161323721.html?vm=r&s=1
  • ScatteredThoughts
    ScatteredThoughts Posts: 3,562 Member
    Woman’s Coca-Cola ‘habit’ cited in death

    http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/woman-coca-cola-habit-cited-death-161323721.html?vm=r&s=1


    That was not a case of dehydration.

    "According to New Zealand's Fairfax Media, pathologist Dr. Dan Mornin testified on Thursday that Harris likely suffered from hypokalemia (low potassium levels), which he believes was caused by her overall poor nutrition, including the unusually high levels of Coke consumption."
  • dmmont38
    dmmont38 Posts: 10 Member
    Water plays an integral part of life, keep in mind that our bodies are 70 to 80% water and that like the gas you put in your car the water you drink needs to be replenish on a daily basis. Why? well its simple,our bodies use it for EVERYTHING and without it we cant function properly. To replenish what we use it is recommended anywhere from 8 to 12 glasses a day and there is no substitute for it, no sugary drinks or coffee or juices, none of those can give you what water can. Think of it as the oil that keeps your engine running clean and unobstructed, without it that engine doesnt run so well.
    Here's an article that you might want to read.

    http://tinamariejones.com/2011/11/your-bodys-many-cries-for-water/
  • HeftyHeather7
    HeftyHeather7 Posts: 38 Member
    I noticed water helps me a lot I cut all soda I do water only I flavor mine so it helps it taste good but I will do full 16.9oz bottles with each meal and one before bed with my bedtime snak and it makes me feel full so Im not doing any unwanted snacking.
  • glengiles
    glengiles Posts: 147
    Most Dr.'s would state that a majority of Americans walk around dehydrated.

    I see that "majority of Americans walk around dehydrated" phrase mentioned a lot, but never with any evidence to back it up.

    I know I've heard this one say it plenty of times

    http://www.georgiabariatrics.com/aboutus


    I don't any actual evidence given on that site, such as peer reviewed studies.

    I've just heard her say it on the radio; I only referenced the site to reference her. Even "modern-day Taoist Wizards" agree -

    http://www.enlightennext.org/magazine/j33/dehydrated.asp

    lol

    It would seem w/a little web searching effort a study or two should pop up. Here's one article that states "On the Internet the consensus is that 75 percent of Americans are dehydrated but medical science does not weigh in on this statistic." , so I guess that would suggest there's no study on it.

    http://blog.imva.info/medicine/dehydration
  • Silver_Star
    Silver_Star Posts: 1,351 Member
    its done wonders for my skin...

    at first i didnt realise i wasnt drinking more than 4 cups a day total....now i cant live without 8 glasses...a lot of days it goes to 12 glasses

    i have also noticed my err... system is flushed very regularly!
  • glengiles
    glengiles Posts: 147
    so, you just download the app then pee on your phone?

    ;)
  • JoolieW68
    JoolieW68 Posts: 1,879 Member
    I feel the need to post again and include some links to random articles .......

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DBuk91phkI

    Wonder if this counts as recycling.....
  • Elizabeth_C34
    Elizabeth_C34 Posts: 6,376 Member
    I drink a lot of water, but usually flavored. I do feel better, recover better from hard workouts, and my skin is much better when I stay hydrated.
  • ChristineS_51
    ChristineS_51 Posts: 872 Member
    Your body needs water, as shown by many above, this can be from lots of different sources.

    Drinking juice can add a lot of extra calories without you noticing - eat the orange and you will get the vitamin C etc but also the fibre. Maybe dilute your orange juice with water, so you get the orange flavour but more water? Sodas have sodium, but are a nice treat now and then.

    Look at diaries of people who have lost lots of weight - they seem to drink lots of water.

    Water improves your skin, gives your kidneys a good workout, helps your bowel movements, can fill you up if you are feeling hungry.

    I would suggest you really give it a go - try lots of smaller glasses if a bucket of water doesn't appeal :laugh: ; or a chilled jug in the fridge, or keep a botle of water with you at all times - especially if you are exercising. Have a drink of water first thing in the morning, before exercise, after exercise, with lunch, mid afternoon snack, before dinner - that's six without trying!
  • taytaylynn3
    taytaylynn3 Posts: 601
    I only drink water, it has done great things for me. In the past it has helped me drop weight faster.
  • thefreebiemom
    thefreebiemom Posts: 191 Member
    Woman’s Coca-Cola ‘habit’ cited in death

    http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/woman-coca-cola-habit-cited-death-161323721.html?vm=r&s=1

    Jeepers!!! Did anyone notice in the article it said she drank between 2-3 GALLONS of coke a day. I love soda and can't even fathom cutting it out of my diet completely but I don't drink more then 1 or 2 GLASSES a day. Yikes!!!

    That brings to light everything in moderation nothing in excess.
  • ElizaRoche
    ElizaRoche Posts: 2,005 Member
    The doc told me you can drink juice,milk,coffee, tea and count it as water.. So im going with that.
  • angelovearth
    angelovearth Posts: 25
    Considering that your body is 70% water and your BRAIN is over 80% water, you need to stay hydrated to function properly physically AND mentally. 8 glasses a day is outdated. Half your body weight is more accurate.
  • DuanaTCWC
    DuanaTCWC Posts: 2
    I just received a handout from my Nutritionist which says 8 ounces of water for every 20 pounds of body weight. For me that's 10 glasses per day. It's do-able!
  • ribena1958
    ribena1958 Posts: 152
    I was told by my doc that drinking more water means we expel more water from our bodies causing us to hold excess water.
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