[canadacatman]

I was wondering if you should force drink water even if your not thirsty. I was told to drink 3-4 litres a day and sometimes I can but most days 2 or so is all I can drink. Is this ok even though I eat a lot of fibre.

Thanks

[krampus]

3-4 is a lot, if you're sweating all day you might need that much, but otherwise unnecessary.

[EricAnn]

I just drink when my body tells me I need to. I don't think you should ever be "forcing" yourself to consume anything... Have you been "prescribed" to drink more water by a doctor/nutritionist?

If you're eating a lot of fiber the water will just help move things along, but if you aren't having any problems in that area than you don't need to consume more water than you're comfortable with.

[canadacatman]

I was not prescribed to. Just from talking to people online.

Thanks

[EagleRiverDee]

I shoot for 2-3 liters a day if I'm sedentary, 4 (or more) if I'm quite active and sweating a lot. I tend not to feel thirsty until I'm completely dehydrated so I use other cues to determine my hydration: volume and color of urine, skin elasticity, whether my lips or nasal membranes are dry, etc. But mostly I just make a point to drink regularly, whether I'm thirsty or not. If I'm drinking a lot due to activity and sweating I might drop a pinch of salt in the water to ensure I maintain enough sodium.

[canadacatman]

Sodium in your water. I do not think I can do that due to my high blood pressure. Thanks

[EagleRiverDee]

Originally Posted by canadacatman

Sodium in your water. I do not think I can do that due to my high blood pressure. Thanks

Yes, that's definitely an individual decision. I choose to use a pinch of salt rather than buy a rehydration drink such as Gatorade and thus I get less sodium and less sugar than if I had a gatorade or a powerade but I only do it when I've been sweating a lot and drinking a lot of fluids. But I don't suffer from high blood pressure.