Um that hydroxycut calculator says I should have 27 cups of water per day - that would be a great deal more than enough to kill me according to my mom's kidney specialist. Since I'm on the same meds as she was on, and have the same tendency towards low blood levels of sodium, he told me that 3 quarts (12 cups) would be safe, but that 4 quarts or more (16 cups) could push me into the danger zone.
I'm not sure that 27 cups of water would be safe for a woman of my weight, even without the blood pressure medications, or low sodium levels.
hmm... well maybe thats not such a good one
I think what they are programmed to do is half your body weight in ounces. At some weights it wouldn't be healthy to go by that rule.
Ah, Mom's kidney specialist was telling us he didn't like the half ounce per lb of body weight "formula" because he said it has very little basis in fact. An overweight person's kidneys don't have a larger capacity than they would if the person were thin (as you gain weight, you don't gain extra kidney function), so the idea that a bigger person has bigger kidneys only works if the people in question aren't overweight. A bigger person can have more blood volume, so that could slow down the dilution of the blood somewhat, so an overweight person might be able to drink a little more water safely, than a thin person of the same height, but not much more.
I agree with you. That rule is probably just for people at normal/smaller weights. I didn't realize that calc. was going by that rule until I entered in some higher weights.
Um that hydroxycut calculator says I should have 27 cups of water per day - that would be a great deal more than enough to kill me according to my mom's kidney specialist. Since I'm on the same meds as she was on, and have the same tendency towards low blood levels of sodium, he told me that 3 quarts (12 cups) would be safe, but that 4 quarts or more (16 cups) could push me into the danger zone.
I'm not sure that 27 cups of water would be safe for a woman of my weight, even without the blood pressure medications, or low sodium levels.
Your mom, however, is older than you, and probably has less kidney function. It decreases with age. So even with the same meds, you should be able to drink more than her. In general.
I'm not sure that 27 cups of water would be safe for a woman of my weight, even without the blood pressure medications, or low sodium levels.
27 cups of water - if you go by what a "cup" is, or 8 oz - is 216 oz or a hair more than 1.5 gallons. I drink that fairly often actually, with no ill effects. I average about a gallon a day, but some days drink more. (That includes water, coffee, diet soda, etc.) But then I work out pretty intensely almost every day, and I sweat A LOT when I work out.
I do think this is another one of those very personal things that each person has to determine for herself, based on her health situation.
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But then
Last edited by PhotoChick; 09-18-2008 at 11:05 PM.
Your mom, however, is older than you, and probably has less kidney function. It decreases with age. So even with the same meds, you should be able to drink more than her. In general.
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Those were the limits the kidney specialist gave me for me (seperate from my mom). Because I was on the same medications I was concerned for myself, and those were the limits he gave based on my situation, not my mom's. At the time mom had a 2 liter limit, and he gave me a 3 liter limit. Mom's limit was raised to 3 liters when she'd regained some of the kidney function after the damage caused by the water poisoining. He said that I might be able to drink a gallon safely (and I often do), but said he wasn't going to recommend that I do it regularly. Also, I've made sure that my husband knows the symptoms of water intoxication as well as I do, so the likelihood is that I would be able to immediately eat some salt and/or head to the ER if needed. I'm not paranoid, just prepared.
So while we have the same limit now, I imagine if we were the same weight, took the same dose of high blood pressure medication, and had the same blood sodium levels, that I might have a higher tolerance than my mom, but we have the same recommendations probably because
while I'm 20 years younger, I weigh 100 lbs more than she does
Our blood pressure medications/dosages are somewhat different
(apparently it's not the severity of the blood pressure, but the potassium sparing nature of the blood pressure medication which puts you at greater risk for losing too much sodium - the main cause of water intoxication. While we share one blood pressure medication, we both take two different medications. My doses are lower than hers, as is my blood pressure with and without the meds, but perhaps our second bp medicines affect the issue differently). And my blood sodium levels tend to be much lower than my mothers (I eat less salt/sodium than my mother, especially as she tends to rely more on a few more processed foods as she gets older). Mom's are well within her doctor's guideline in the normal range, but mine often run at the lowest range of normal, and sometimes even dip too low. In fact, I need to have my sodium levels checked before any surgery, because mine runs so low. The last time I had surgery, I had to take sodium supplements before surgery (as low blood sodium during surgery can cause a fatal heart attack).
My mom's situation isn't "normal," and mine is even less so, there aren't many people whose sodium levels run so extremely low. Because the average american diet has such an excess of sodium, the issue doesn't come up very often, but apparently it's occurring much more commonly than ever before. All of the reasons may be unclear, but mom's doctors said it was because of the increase in people on bp meds, and the increased water consumption.
The potassium-sparing (and thus sodium-leeching) blood pressure medications are among the most commonly prescribed, and because reducing dietary sodium is common for people trying to eat healthier or lose weight that contributes to the risk. Mom's doctor said he used to see only one or two cases a year, and then mostly during summer "marathon" season among marathon runners, now he sees many more cases, mostly associated with "dieting." He said while our medications and diet put us at particular risks, and we're both in the highest risk group, he's alarmed at how often he's seeing it in normal weight (mostly women) who aren't on meds (he said in med school they were taught that it was virtually impossible for a person to overdose on water unless they were basically an extreme athlete, addicts trying to pass a drug test by diluting their urine, or schizophrenics with OCD with a compulsion to drink water excessively - it's what I learned in college, and what I taught in community college health and psychology classes).
It just turns out, it's alot more complicated than that.
My biggest concern on the issue, is that water intoxication symptoms are so vague, that often by the time a person knows something is VERY wrong, their life is often already in danger. My mom thought she had the flu, and it was only because my dad (a former ENT) noticed that she wasn't making sense (had become confused) and her words were slurring that he called the ambulance. If he had waited even a few minutes (20 minutes to an hour, the hospital staff told us), she probably would have died. The symptoms came on suddenly, and she was treated quickly, and she was still in the hospital for an entire week.
I alternate plain ice water along with water mixed with lemon, cayenne pepper, and two tablespoons of maple syrup on days when I don't feel like eating (clears out the system, as in #2) and on days after i've been out partying a little too hard, or if i've smoked cigarettes, or just ate too much/something funny/too heavy the day before and gave myself indigestion.
I also continue my normal exercise routine and try to do things so i'll sweat a little more like wearing a full sweat suit or something. Then in the evening i'll eat light if I feel up to it and go right back to my normal routine the next day.
I don't know if it actually does anything, but for me it gets rid of hangovers, constipation, and clears up any crud when I feel like i'm coming down with a cold or flu. In those cases, I drink the nasty lemon and syrup mixture hot with a quarter shot of bourbon. Seems to ward it off and clears up my nose.
Last edited by NishKitten; 09-19-2008 at 11:07 AM.
the weight loss experienced during a "water fast" is not permanent.
some people believe that fasting helps cleanse the body and make a fresh start.
personally, i know it is not healthy for me to fast, nor is it healthy to overeat (as i would want to, after a fast)--due to past issues with eating...
i'm not here to say fasting is bad, but i know it's not a viable option for me.
if you want to continue losing weight...be patient. drink water. eat healthfully. exercise.
