8 Glasses of Water Myth

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Replies

  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    What the hell's the difference between a cup and a glass? And what size is this cup? And how much are we filling this cup or glass? These are questions that need to be answered! NOW!

    A cup is a cup, as in 8 oz

    or 250ml for 99% of the world:laugh: :laugh:

    As a runner I make a point of drinking throughout the day (but I include coffee, water, tea etc when considering my intake) as I'm going to sweat a good proportion of it out (I should weigh my sweaty shirt one of these days just for fun......) but I just gauge my hydration based on the colour of my urine.
    I'm going out on a limb here and I know the 4 cups a day people will say the Mayo Clinic is full of it but here goes, please note at the bottom, they DO NOT say that it is 8 cups of plain water, but 2.2 - 3 liters of fluid.

    http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/water/NU00283/

    Good point and people often forget that the food we eat (just like our own tissues) is comprised largely of water which can go a long way towards satisfying your daily fluid requirements
  • spartangirl79
    spartangirl79 Posts: 277 Member
    I'm going out on a limb here and I know the 4 cups a day people will say the Mayo Clinic is full of it but here goes, please note at the bottom, they DO NOT say that it is 8 cups of plain water, but 2.2 - 3 liters of fluid.

    http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/water/NU00283/

    Dr. Oz is way more credible than the Mayo Clinic.

    :noway:
  • raerae514
    raerae514 Posts: 171 Member
    What the hell's the difference between a cup and a glass? And what size is this cup? And how much are we filling this cup or glass? These are questions that need to be answered! NOW!

    When the boss says 8 cups, then I go for 8 CUPS. Like measure a cup. It's really not a lot!
  • spartangirl79
    spartangirl79 Posts: 277 Member
    Thanks for this post. I am not really sure what I should be doing on this. I exercise every day and I play in an A level inline hockey league, so I regularly sweat my *kitten* off. But I don't think I drink nearly as much as (all the studies) say I should, I probably realistically drink 3 -5, 8oz. glasses of water per day and most of that is when I am working out.

    I never really feel thirsty and I am the type to listen to my body, so if my body is thirsty then I drink water - but it never comes near 8 glasses a day.

    Should I be forcing myself to drink this much?

    I would suggest, for regular daily activities, just keep doing what you're doing. However, when you're doing inline skating, try to drink a large bottle of water for every hour you're busting you butt, regardless of how thirsty you feel. If you go for more than an hour, make it a sports drink (like gatorade). Drink at least another half a bottle when you're finished playing, as your body is still sweating until you've cooled down.

    Just curious what *your* credentials are?
  • m00nflwr
    m00nflwr Posts: 103 Member
    well as my mother was just hospitalized for dehydration I don't know why anyone wouldn't want to drink plenty of water. and yes I am aware that you can have too much water but I doubt anyone could exceed a safe amount of water without trying deliberately to drink a huge amount.
    It's a ridiculous debate.
  • Coppsj02
    Coppsj02 Posts: 5 Member
    MFP recommends 8 CUPs of water a day, not 8 glasses. 8 cups is easy to do. I always exceed that.

    A glass is about 1 cup, give or take. I have some at home that are about 2 cups, others that are less than a cup. Most are pretty much 1 cup.

    So just because I was a bit curious I took one of my grandma's glasses that I usually drink out of (not sure how much it is oz-wise) Now my grandma's glasses are big, but I just did it to see what I drink a day, and the glasses my grandma has are about 1.5 cups (give or take), and the small ones she has are about .5 cups. we don't have any that are 1 cup. Just pointing that out, for anyone who WAS a bit curious.
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
    I've heard of people "drowning" from drinking too much water. Some girl in Aus. drank a couple of gallons in a few minutes for some high school contest. Her body became over saturated and stopped functioning. I couldn't even drink that much in a day if I tried.
    It's called hyponatraemia, or water intoxication. It has to do with upsetting the electrolyte balance in your body so it is liable to occur when you drink too much after sweating profusely without taking in sodium and potassium. The son of a friend of mine collapsed into a coma and nearly died with this after participating in an ultramarathon.
  • DataBased
    DataBased Posts: 513 Member
    1 cup = 8 fluid ounces (US) and my drinking glasses at home are 24 oz. That's 3 cups. I have no problem drinking 3 glasses of water a day. As a matter of fact, when I drink half as many ounces of clear water a day as I weigh in pounds, I feel better. My digestive processes seem to work better, my skin seems less dry, and my dry eye condition improves.

    Do you absolutely have to drink 8 cups of water a day to remain healthy? I doubt it. Every body is different, so how can anybody say this one thing works for every body? But if you study your OWN body, you will find what works best for you.
  • ctooch99
    ctooch99 Posts: 459 Member
    Thanks for this post. I am not really sure what I should be doing on this. I exercise every day and I play in an A level inline hockey league, so I regularly sweat my *kitten* off. But I don't think I drink nearly as much as (all the studies) say I should, I probably realistically drink 3 -5, 8oz. glasses of water per day and most of that is when I am working out.

    I never really feel thirsty and I am the type to listen to my body, so if my body is thirsty then I drink water - but it never comes near 8 glasses a day.

    Should I be forcing myself to drink this much?



    I would suggest, for regular daily activities, just keep doing what you're doing. However, when you're doing inline skating, try to drink a large bottle of water for every hour you're busting you butt, regardless of how thirsty you feel. If you go for more than an hour, make it a sports drink (like gatorade). Drink at least another half a bottle when you're finished playing, as your body is still sweating until you've cooled down.


    Thanks! It's funny but I sort of naturally do that anyway - during a hockey game I will kill a 20oz. bottle of water. I guess just listening to my body is the way to go...
  • spartangirl79
    spartangirl79 Posts: 277 Member
    I've heard of people "drowning" from drinking too much water. Some girl in Aus. drank a couple of gallons in a few minutes for some high school contest. Her body became over saturated and stopped functioning. I couldn't even drink that much in a day if I tried.
    It's called hyponatraemia, or water intoxication. It has to do with upsetting the electrolyte balance in your body so it is liable to occur when you drink too much after sweating profusely without taking in sodium and potassium. The son of a friend of mine collapsed into a coma and nearly died with this after participating in an ultramarathon.

    I'm pretty sure the ultramarathon would have contributed SIGNIFICANTLY to this imbalance -- not just the excess water. The amount of strain an ultra puts on the body is insane.

    Most folks on here are not ultramarathoners and drinking 64oz of water a day is not going to sendthem into hypoatraemia.

    And yes I know it can happen... a radio station here did a stupid water drinking challenge and a gal died from consuming too much water in a short time period. I'm sorry about your friend's son, I hope he recovered.
  • chivalryder
    chivalryder Posts: 4,391 Member
    Thanks for this post. I am not really sure what I should be doing on this. I exercise every day and I play in an A level inline hockey league, so I regularly sweat my *kitten* off. But I don't think I drink nearly as much as (all the studies) say I should, I probably realistically drink 3 -5, 8oz. glasses of water per day and most of that is when I am working out.

    I never really feel thirsty and I am the type to listen to my body, so if my body is thirsty then I drink water - but it never comes near 8 glasses a day.

    Should I be forcing myself to drink this much?

    I would suggest, for regular daily activities, just keep doing what you're doing. However, when you're doing inline skating, try to drink a large bottle of water for every hour you're busting you butt, regardless of how thirsty you feel. If you go for more than an hour, make it a sports drink (like gatorade). Drink at least another half a bottle when you're finished playing, as your body is still sweating until you've cooled down.

    Just curious what *your* credentials are?

    I don't personally have any pieces of paper that I could show you, stating that I have an education in fitness and health, but if you'd like, I could list off all the resources that I've collected in the time I was mountain biking competitively. You'd have to wait until I got home.
  • Captain_Tightpants
    Captain_Tightpants Posts: 2,215 Member
    I think trying to suggest a specified correct amount of water is ridiculous based on the complexity and metabolic differences of each individual body. A much better rule is to just watch your pee. Pale to clear and you're hydrated just fine. Dark, drink more. That simple.
  • pattyblair51
    pattyblair51 Posts: 12
    Every Dr I have ever went to said 8 glasses of water a day at a minimum and that is 8, 8oz glasses. One said drinik enough to keep your urine clear and that takes me a minimum of 8 glasses. We need to flush those toxins out of our body.
  • KittieLea
    KittieLea Posts: 1,156 Member
    I drink about a gallon of water each day. I lift weights and do cardio 5 days a week as well. I notice that if I slack on my water drinking, I feel sluggish and tired. I also go by my pee color. If it's a pale yellow-clear, I'm good. Any darker than that, I need to drink more. This method may not work for everyone but it works for me.
  • butterfli7o
    butterfli7o Posts: 1,319 Member
    I don't see a downside to drinking 8 cups of water a day, and it is certainly the healthiest thing to drink. So I will continue to do so.

    Edited to add: Also, I used to NEVER drink water. Mostly coffee and Diet Coke. I was getting horrible cramping in my feet. That doesn't hapen anymore. So personally, water is definitely beneficial to me.
  • spartangirl79
    spartangirl79 Posts: 277 Member
    Thanks for this post. I am not really sure what I should be doing on this. I exercise every day and I play in an A level inline hockey league, so I regularly sweat my *kitten* off. But I don't think I drink nearly as much as (all the studies) say I should, I probably realistically drink 3 -5, 8oz. glasses of water per day and most of that is when I am working out.

    I never really feel thirsty and I am the type to listen to my body, so if my body is thirsty then I drink water - but it never comes near 8 glasses a day.

    Should I be forcing myself to drink this much?

    I would suggest, for regular daily activities, just keep doing what you're doing. However, when you're doing inline skating, try to drink a large bottle of water for every hour you're busting you butt, regardless of how thirsty you feel. If you go for more than an hour, make it a sports drink (like gatorade). Drink at least another half a bottle when you're finished playing, as your body is still sweating until you've cooled down.

    Just curious what *your* credentials are?

    I don't personally have any pieces of paper that I could show you, stating that I have an education in fitness and health, but if you'd like, I could list off all the resources that I've collected in the time I was mountain biking competitively. You'd have to wait until I got home.

    I wouldn't think this would make you an expert in telling others that you've never met how to hydrate their bodies... and why you would bother suggesting that regular folks don't need to drink 64oz of water in a day. That minimal level of hydration is not going to harm average people and if those average people are attempting to exercise (especially in this heat), being dehydrated has more potential to be harmful.

    What's the point?
  • treblemaker90
    treblemaker90 Posts: 65 Member
    My chiropractor recommended that the number of ounces of water you need a day should be about half of your body weight (in pounds). So for example a 160lb person should get 80oz of water a day (approx. 10 cups).

    HOWEVER:

    1. that is just a starting point- some people need more, some need less depending on how active you are, are you in the heat, are you taking meds, drinking alcohol etc.

    and

    2. those ounces do not come from just drinking plain ol' water. There is water in the food you eat (especially fruits and veges) and in other drinks.
  • allsetnow
    allsetnow Posts: 13
    This is purely anecdotal, but I believe upping my water intake helped me break through a plateau and lose weight. I always thought the water thing was a myth and I hated it, so I didn't drink any (except for a couple of cups of tea a day). I had lost some weight (this was before I joined MFP) and then plateaued for a long time. I finally started drinking 64+ oz. of water a day and immediately started losing weight again, without changing my food intake or exercise routine. Maybe it was just coincidence, but it did turn me into a believer. I have gone on to lose a total of 35 pounds, and still drink lots and lots of water every day. I now find I crave it.
  • jesusHchris
    jesusHchris Posts: 1,405 Member
    I'm getting really tired of all the inaccuracies around this.

    I have a masters degree in hydrology with a minor in veterinary sciences and, as we all know, the human digestive tract is identical to that of 87% of domesticated animals.

    Our bodies' composition in regards to water ratio stays fairly consistent and mimics that of the Earth (this can change due to season and now has been a bit erratic with global warming). In the summer, it is important to drink more water the closer you live to the equator. In winter, obviously, you would do the opposite.

    Those looking to burn fat and gain lean muscle need to pay closer attention to their water intake. Anything less than 8 cups requires a 15% increase in carbohydrate consumption to store the fluid and make more efficient use of it. Between 8-12 cups will put you at the sweet spot for muscular hypertrophy, and anything over 12 cups is nearing the danger of death by downing.

    I really hope this ends all the petty arguments - ignorance isn't attractive, folks.

    (edited for spelling mistakes, witch also are not attractive)
  • Desika87
    Desika87 Posts: 111
    Gosh... Isn't it a question of "a bit intelligence"?? It depends on many factors like activity, metabolism, intake-outtake etc. And people should go away from the thought "I have to drink because I'll loose weigh better/faster"... Better is that you are aware of your kidneys and other organs/muscles... Most people don't drink enough but are in a still legitime frame - usually your organism alerts you as soon as he's dehydrated...
    This topic was over-discussed at medical school and there is a bold spectrum about "how much to drink per day"... People with a cardiac or renal insufficiency can have a maximum of 1L/24h - just as an ex. ...

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