Do you really need 8 cups a day??????

I live in the high desert and am breastfeeding so I need about 2 gallons of liquid a day.

8c a day is RECOMMENDED to keep a person hydrated as well as aid in the digestion process. It can help with contributing to a feeling of fullness for some people. Try substitute water instead of other drinks during the day and only try soda type drinks with meals, this can be hard if you're a soda junkie like myself

I saw 1 of my many Dr.s the other day and i had a bottle of water with me,he said,"why do you have that water,are you thirsty?" and i told him i was trying to lose weight and drinking like 10 bottles a day.He started laughing and said "all that happens if you drink alot of water,is pee alot"
I never know what to believe but, i do love water so it's not a big deal for me but, shocked that 2 Dr's can have such different opinions.

A degree doesn't mean they know what they're doing. I can tell you that from having spent most of my childhood in ERs and in doctor offices because I have asthma and was prone to awful colds every time the temperature changed ten degrees. I've gone in with an asthma attack and been told I wasn't having one, I had fat in my lungs. Went in with a torn calf muscle, doctor took one look at me and told me get out. I had tonsil stones, one doctor told me I have to live with them forever and two others including an ENT tell me they have to come out. I won't even touch psychiatrists and psychologists.

That aside, why are we even having this discussion? Fact is, you drink to live. You're on here so obviously you want to drink healthy and water is healthy, provided your water system's not full of harmful stuff. If your natural thirst can't get you to 8 servings of an 8 oz glass of water a day, so be it. As long as you're listening to your body and not saying "well gee willikers I can drink nothing but coffee/beer/soda/generally unhealthy stuff that's a liquid and call it a day!" then you're fine. Me personally I have to drink a lot because I'm on medication that requires constant hydration, and two more meds that have a side effect of dry mouth. I could p*ss on someone's wedding gown and they wouldn't know it from water I drink that much. Not killing me and it's not killing those that can't get the "required 8" in either. Science be damned on that, just drink when you're thirsty and quit wondering about why. It's like asking why you have to eat when you're hungry and it just so happens you eat three times a day which might be the recommendation.

As nurses, we recommend 8 cups of fluids a day. Water comes from multiple sources. 8 cups is the norm, but if your sick, over heated, exercise a lot, then you may need more to keep your organs healthy. Here's one article from a reputable source to explain.

http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/drinking-enough-water-topic-overview

I copied and pasted article: here it is:

Why is it important to drink enough water?
Water keeps every part of your body working properly. It helps your body flush wastes and stay at the right temperature. It can help prevent kidney stones and constipation.

You lose water throughout the day-through your breath, sweat, urine, and bowel movements. If you live in a hot climate, you lose even more fluid.

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You need to replace this lost fluid to stay healthy. If you don’t get enough water, you could become dehydrated. If you get very dehydrated, your body no longer has enough fluid to get blood to your organs. This is dangerous.

Do you have to drink only water to stay hydrated?
All liquids help you stay hydrated. Water is usually the best choice, because it’s free (if you’re drinking tap water) and has no sugar or calories. But most healthy people can get enough fluid through the beverages they consume every day. These can include water, fruit juices, coffee, sodas, iced tea, and other drinks.

Experts say that it's not true that beverages that have caffeine-such as coffee, tea, and cola drinks-always dehydrate you. Healthy people who consume moderate amounts of caffeine don't lose more fluid than people who don't have any caffeine.1 A moderate amount of caffeine is about 200 to 300 milligrams a day. That's about two to four 8-ounce cups of coffee.

You also get water through food. Some fruits and vegetables contain a lot of water, such as watermelon and lettuce.

How much water do you need to drink every day?
A common recommendation is to drink six or eight 8-ounce glasses of water or other fluid every day. But some adults may need more or less, depending on how healthy they are, how much they exercise, and how hot and dry the climate is.

You may sometimes need to drink more water than usual if you:

Exercise intensely, especially in a hot climate.
Are sick, such as with the flu, or have a health problem like a urinary tract infection.
Are pregnant or breast-feeding.
How can you tell if you are drinking enough water?
The easiest way to know if you’re drinking enough fluid is to look at the color of your urine. If you’re drinking enough water, your urine will be clear or pale yellow. A darker yellow means you aren’t drinking enough water.

People who drink enough water also usually have soft bowel movements. Hard bowel movements or constipation can be signs that you aren’t getting enough water.

If you have any health problems, always talk to your doctor before increasing the amount of water you drink. You may need to limit your fluids if you have certain health concerns, such as kidney problems or heart failure.

t can be dangerous to drink too much water. But it’s rare that anyone drinks too much water. The risk is highest for people who do endurance sports, such as running marathons.

Too much water is dangerous because it would dilute the amount of sodium in your body. This imbalance could cause serious problems, such as confusion, seizures, and coma.

Experts advise athletes who do intense activity to drink a sports drink that contains sodium, other electrolytes, and some sugar. Most people don’t need sports drinks if they are exercising for less than an hour in moderate temperatures. Plain water is fine.

But experts do recommend sports drinks if you’re playing sports or doing other intense physical activity for more than an hour.

What are some easy ways to get more water during the day?
Drink a glass of water when you get up in the morning, before you have coffee or tea.
Keep a cup or water bottle by your desk at work. Take several sips of water each hour. If you don’t have a desk job, carry a container of water with you, and take sips throughout the day.
Take a sip whenever you pass a drinking fountain.
If you get tired of drinking plain water, add a packet of sugarless flavoring to your water. Or put a slice of lemon or lime in plain or sparkling water.
Is bottled water better than tap water?
No. A lot of plain bottled water is just tap water that has been purified. It’s your choice how you want to drink water. If you like bubbly mineral water, drink that. If you like the idea of vitamins and electrolytes in your water, you can find several varieties of enhanced water at the store.

If you don’t like the taste of your tap water, or if you just want to be extra careful, you can purify tap water at home. Water filters are available in many stores.

I drink 2 gal/day. I feel great, my workouts have improved, and I repress my hunger. However, I do pee quite a lot.

The question: Water for Dieting?

"I have always assumed that drinking extra water while dieting was beneficial to weight loss, but only because water is a healthier option than most calorie filled or even artificially sugared alternatives. My opinion now is much the same. I do not think that drinking amounts of water in excess of your body’s daily requirements boosts metabolism, though perhaps people who did not consume enough water before dieting would see an improvement in metabolic rates. My reasoning is that since water is a necessary reactant in the metabolism of glucose molecules and simple chemistry shows us that a limiting reagent will limit total yield of the products, inadequate water supply could lower metabolism <text>.
However, the real issue is whether drinking excessive amounts of water for dieting purposes could be considered just another fad diet. The bottom line is that the only successful dieting strategy proven by biology and research is that caloric input must be less than caloric output, and this can be achieved through limiting food intake or increasing exercise <1>. A fad diet is often a heavily restricted diet that claims to be a quick or magical solution to weight loss; though most of the initial weight that people lose while dieting is water loss that will be regained when a normal diet is resumed <1>. So essentially, if lowering caloric intake while dieting is slowing metabolic rates enough that the body is flushing out excess water, it does not make sense that drinking extra would serve any beneficial purpose on a cellular level.
Some people believe, such as the man who lost 70lbs on his ‘Before, During, and After Diet,’ that drinking large amounts of water lead to feelings of fullness which in turn makes you eat less <2>. Perhaps some people do convince themselves to feel that way, but our bodies are effective calorie monitors and are well-aware that water contains none. According to diet expert Dr. Ken Fujioka, water is good for health but does nothing for contributing to that feeling of fullness or making you eat less later in the day <2>. A similar fad diet, the Lemon Detox Diet, promotes the concept that flavoring water with special ingredients that aid in a variety of ‘poison cleansing’ ways is an effective method to weight loss and enhanced health <4>. But at the base of this is the reason why fad diets are ineffectual for real weight loss--weight loss by means of starvation are not long term or safe and can even have dangerous side effects like heart disease, bone loss, or kidney disease >. The real key to successful weight loss is making good changes to eating and exercising habits that can be carried on indefinitely >. Drinking water in exchange of high calorie drinks is certainly a component of these healthy lifestyle changes, but should never be the staple."

I read, and will try to find the documentation, that the 8 glasses/day helped kick the liver function into gear which was to process and eliminate fat in your system.

I don't buy into it. Only real study I could find says 8 cups from all sources, including vegetables, fruits, coffee, etc and it wasn't that conclusive. I have hardly ever hit 8 cups and I have lost 75 lbs fairly quickly. I drink enough to stay hydrated and that is all. Just have to keep the pee a light yellow.

I personally drink 6-12 glasses of water a day normally. I live in a hot climate and my body craves it.

My boyfriend who of course lives in the same hot climate drinks almost no water ever. Less than a cup a day. He functions completely fine. He doesn't get sick or dehydrated. He is a healthy weight. He doesn't get sick often ect.

Though I do believe that physically it is easy on your organs to process water to fuel your body and it is a no calorie way to get your fluid intake up there is no magic number. 8 a day for me is about 6 too few during the summer months or if I'm working out. But on a cool day I can drink a few diet sodas and completely forget water intake without my body fretting about it.

We are all different. No one can say water is not good for the body but 8 classes may not be whats right for everyone.

As far as peeing a lot goes. Once you get through the initial getting your body used to a higher water intake you won't pee as often. And on the other side of the spectrum when you start eating healthy and adding FIBER into your diet you poop a lot. :P

If your bladder stretches, yes you'll pee less often. But other than that if your kidneys are working and you haven't had too much salt your body will still get rid of any excess water as excess water in your body causes things like high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, edema etc