Water consumption question
 

I've been trying to get as much water as I can into my day. Especially the days I do an intense workout. What I've been going by is every time I use the bathroom, I drink another glass at least. After 8-9 I have hot green tea (decaf) to curb the appetite, get my water in and add some antioxidants.

Does this sound like a good system ?

How many ounces are you getting a day? I get 64 ounces every day. I drink 16 ounces of ice cold water immediatly upon waking. I get another 16 ounces with lunch, and 16 with dinner. I also drink water before/after exercising. Add a glass or two through out the day, and I'm easily at my 64 ounce goal!

Are the glasses you drink out of 8 ounce or 16 ounce?

Getting my water in daily is a goal I've achieved for over 2 weeks now! (I used to HATE water!) Congrats on working on getting yours in as well!

Depending on the "plan" you're on... things such as tea and coffee count toward your water consumption. Sometimes even soups, since they are liquid. While water is very important, just make sure you're not OVER-watering. I've given myself water intoxication before and it is NO fun!!

Good luck! :)

If you like to pee a lot - this sounds like a great system.

Personally I never found that drinking a lot of water did anything for me but I supposed having to walk to the bathroom repeatedly burned more calories.

The only thing I can think of is there's some rule I've heard of that you're supposed go get about 1.5 your body weight in ounces. I don't know how true that is but I try to get 12+ glasses per day. Also if you drink caffeine or other drinks thasn water, it is supposed to be flushed w/ a matching glass of water. Because other drinks can cause dehydration. These are merely things I've read.:)

I have to say drinking water the way I do keeps me from having room to over eat during meal times, and keeps me full enough to avoid over snacking through out the day. When I wasn't drinking water like I am now, I would give into snacking and over eating like crazy!

Thankfully I see some benefit aside from just hydration! :)

Oh, John, you are so funny! I have a pretty long hallway from my computer to the bathroom, so I am getting a lot of exercise!

I don't like drinking all that water, so I don't. However, I live in the desert and need to drink water, so I got a neat insulated water bottle which helps me to remember to drink.

Except for the caution about water intoxication RNJen30 mentions, your plan sounds good if it helps for you. I am all for whatever works best.

Don't pound water just for the sake of it - but if you're thirsty absolutely drink! I drink 100-130oz per day on average, not including things like diet soda and coffee. When not pregnant or nursing I'm a little below that. But I'm not forcing it and get plenty of minerals to go with it. When I begin getting intense cravings things like broth, almonds, or seaweed are what I reach for, if my water is adequate (oftentimes electrolyte imbalances can manifest with malaise and cravings, and I don't want to make the issue worse by pounding fluids without the micronutrients/minerals to go with them).

Drinking post workout, especially if you're replenshinging your electrolytes too, is an excellent idea.

It sounds like a good plan to me. From what you posted, it does not sound as if you are overdoing the water consumption. I too drink a lot of water and even take a bottle of water to bed with me to drink during the night.

It does nothing for me but wake me up every hour at night.

From everything I've read there's nothing scientific about any of the recommendations made about water consumption. We obviously need to stay hydrated, especially when hot, or after a workout. But other than that, we get hydration from many food sources and all liquids. The notion that caffeinated beverages are a diuretic that pull water from the body have also been debunked.

So I would say don't worry about how much you "have" to drink, and drink what you feel comfortable with. Many people drink pure water because they like what it does for their skin, or it makes them feel full. Many others don't like it and feel inadequate if they can't get "enough" in. If that's the case, then don't worry about it!

Just my 2 cents worth....When I drink alot of water it keeps me up all night going to the bathroom. As it is, I already go 2 or 3 times a night. I don't know why, but I've noticed that lack of sleep makes me really hungry the next day. For me that is reason enough to only drink when I'm thirsty.

I eat 5 meals a day and drink 500mL at each meal, so 2.5L per day, it does help me keep satisfied, I find I often mistake thirst with hunger.

(I am also nursing a very young baby though and require more hydration than the average woman)

I never force myself to drink something if I don't want it, but I've been drinking a lot of water for so long that I think my body is just used to a pretty large amount of fluids, so I get thirsty pretty easily. Also, I live in a dry area, so I'm sure that contributes. I don't really track it that much but I guess about 120 oz a day or so, including other beverages.

If this were true I would be dead by now because I never drink plain water. I usually have 4 cups of coffee, 2-4 cups of tea, 1 glass of wine, and 1 cup sparkling water/orange juice mixture. My pee is light-coloured and I'm not dehydrated at all.

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