Water

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maxwellt13
maxwellt13 Posts: 20
in Health and Weight Loss
My friend knows a girl at work who is a fitness trainer.
She says to loose weight, you need to drink 1 to 2 gallons of water a day, because otherwise
the weight you are loosing is water weight, so once you get to your goal, and you start eating normal,
you gain it all back. This did happen to me, so I was wondering if maybe if was from not drinking
enough water and that she's right??

Replies

  • stephieb186
    stephieb186 Posts: 127
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    Bump. I'm curious as to the answers here.
  • now_or_never12
    now_or_never12 Posts: 849 Member
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    Regardless of how much actual water you drink if you are at a calorie deficit you will lose weight and it won't all be water weight.

    I'm not sure where this trainer got their information from. Of course water is beneficial to hydrate the body, keep you feeling full, remove excess sodium and other things and keep everything running but I don' t believe not drinking enough will cause you to not lose fat even at a calorie deficit.
  • Captain_Tightpants
    Captain_Tightpants Posts: 2,215 Member
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    Trainer is talking crap.

    You need to drink enough water to stay hydrated (best indicator is pale urine).

    At the beginning of a weight loss program much of the weight you lose will be water weight. But only for the first week or so. After that, if you are on a calorie deficit, you will lose fat (and lean mass if you're not careful).

    If you regained your weight as soon as you started eating "normally" then it means your eating went back to a caloric surplus instead of a maintenance level.
  • amanda_ataraxia
    amanda_ataraxia Posts: 400 Member
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    Gain it ALL back? Really? That is a load of crap!

    Drinking lots of water is good for so many reasons and can help you lose any water weight you could be carrying around from excess sodium.
    Water with lemon is a natural diuretic and will help you shed water weight.
  • Melonhead
    Melonhead Posts: 168
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    Drinking 1-2 gallons of water a day is insane. Unless, you work outside all day long, or do a ton of strenuous exercise I see no need for that much water. There is a condition called hyponatremia that is caused by the intake of too much water. It throws off your body's electrolyte balance, and it can kill you. Drink just enough so that urine has almost no color.

    I put little stock in calculators, because everyone's body is different. Location and climate have an impact as well. Just my two cents
  • pedraz
    pedraz Posts: 173
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    Drinking 1-2 gallons of water a day is insane. Unless, you work outside all day long, or do a ton of strenuous exercise I see no need for that much water. There is a condition called hyponatremia that is caused by the intake of too much water. It throws off your body's electrolyte balance, and it can kill you. Drink just enough so that urine has almost no color.

    I put little stock in calculators, because everyone's body is different. Location and climate have an impact as well. Just my two cents

    THIS!!!!
  • maleva720
    maleva720 Posts: 165 Member
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    what Melonhead said.....WOW hope you dont have to pay your trainer for bad advice....
  • jsj024519
    jsj024519 Posts: 400 Member
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    Lies.

    #Insane
  • pinthin87
    pinthin87 Posts: 296 Member
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    I wouldn't force myself to drink water. I drink my recommended 8 plus more if I am thirsty. Unless you are doing some mega strenuous exercise there is no need to drink more than what your thirst calls for. Drinking lots of water does of course help with water weight giving it optimal appeal, but don't force your body to intake more than it needs...there is a such think as too much of a good thing.
  • mrh0rnet
    mrh0rnet Posts: 26
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    I'm always amazed at the amount of terrible information some trainers tend to give. When I joined my gym they gave me one with a week of complimentary workouts and he was the absolute worst. I did one session with him and opted to just start working out on my own. Just remember, not every trainer is a good trainer.
  • Civeng1
    Civeng1 Posts: 11
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    The secret isn't about water. It's to get into a lifestyle where you are in balance with what you eat and how you exercise. When you reach your goal weight, you shouldn't have a significant change in what you eat. Make "eating normally" part of your weight loss program, but with a small caloric reduction to achieve the weight loss. Make it gradual, and this works. Go on a crash diet and you will have problems with the adjustment once you get to your goal weight.

    I've lost 27 pounds in 6 months without changing my exercise routine, but following this sites caloric recommendation for losing 1 pound a week. Now that I'm where I need to be, I upped my calories by 300 to maintain, but it wasn't a big adjustment for me. Hope this helps
  • susi819
    susi819 Posts: 50 Member
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    I drink around 100 oz a day, give or take, depending on my activity level. 1 gallon is 128 ounces, btw. I think 1 to 2 gallons would be overdoing it and like others have mentioned, your body could have an electrolyte imbalance, which could be dangerous. I think if you eat to maintain your body weight and your exercise routines, you should not gain the weight back. :-)
  • supplemama
    supplemama Posts: 1,956 Member
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    Um I need to lose 76.2 more pounds to reach my goal weight. I am not carrying around 76.2 extra pounds of water!! that doesn't even make sense. It is FAT, plain and simple.

    I drink 8-9 glasses of water a day and that's plenty.

    What causes people to gain back weight after losing it is going back to overeating and being inactive. This is why you must make this a lifestyle change, not a temporary attempt to lose weight.
  • kgprice11
    kgprice11 Posts: 750 Member
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    water is a great substitute for consuming liquids to quench your thirst because it has no calories unless its that flavored crap. I do not think consuming 1-2 gallons a day will result in weight loss and consuming less will not result in weight loss because of water weight. You will lose regardless of how much water you consume a day (at least 8 cups a day) as long as you eat right and exercise
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
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    Not true! The way to lose weight is staying in a calorie deficit. The way to maintain said weight loss is to eat at a maintenance calorie level. Although water is very important for our bodies to function properly drinking it will not make you lose weight.

    Jeez....I have been seeing so much stupid advice given out by 'trainers' on the forums recently!!! It's alarming!
  • MsKeelah919
    MsKeelah919 Posts: 332 Member
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    1-2 GALLONS?? Um... NO! That sounds excessive. Like it would water down a lot of functions that you need.
  • jahzbuttafly
    jahzbuttafly Posts: 175 Member
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    ^^^^I agree with Melonhead^^^^

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