I should be drinking half my body weight in water each day, but that's so hard for me. I can drink 1/4 with no problem, but beyond that is a struggle...unless I flavor my water. Does that still count as my water intake? I go to the weight loss clinics that have the shots and meds, and according to them, it's ok to use calorie free flavors. But on other programs, they say the water has to be just that....water. What are your thoughts?

I try to stay away from the chemicals. There are chemical free options too - I think www.truelemon.com? A nutritionist introduced me to crystalized lemon - it doesn't spoil or rot and you can carry it in your purse.

Am I reading this right that you want to drink HALF YOUR BODY WEIGHT in water each day? The max I've heard is still 8 8-oz. glasses a day, which shakes out to 64 ounces, or 4 lbs. Unless you weight 8 lbs., that isn't half your body weight.

I don't know how much you weigh, but I weigh 125 lbs. Half my body weight in ounces is approximately 992, which is ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FOUR GLASSES. Nobody should drink that much water per day!

you should be drinking SEVENTY POUNDS of water each day?? Seriously???

I'm way in the wrong forum, I saw the question about Crystal Light and wondered too, because I use it pretty often, so i thought i would eyesdrop, and nearly fell off my chair when I saw that you're trying to drink SEVENTY POUNDS of water a day...omg. GOOD LUCK!!

Half your body weight would be 62.5 so that means you should be drinking 7.8 glasses of water....

Ahhhh... so the formula is body weight/2 into ounces! That makes more sense...

The OP neglected to specify that one is to transfer the pound number directly to ounces, so forgive me for freaking out!

What's really funny is that I used to have trouble with this -- I logged my water intake for the whole first week I was calorie-counting and I NEVER managed 8 servings -- not ONCE -- even while meeting all my nutrient/calorie goals.

After 'dieting' for about 18 days, I've noticed that I drink 8 glasses of water a day at least. I'm including a lot of tea (incl decaf of course), coffee, clear water, and crystal light, of course, but -- that's a lot of liquid. It definitely kills cravings, I love it.

Oo so coffee counts as water?? That's really good to know. I never thought about that.

I personally don't count coffee/tea as water. I also prefer lemons and limes in water to Crystal Light's chemical packets. Have you tried that? Mind you, drinking enough water is never a problem for me. I like drinking water.

Regular coffee does not count as water. Caffeine is a diuretic.

(although a dietitian friend pointed out that water is technically a diuretic, as in, drinking lots of water keeps you from retaining water)

AMMMMMMYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!! You're back!! Where have you been?!

That is very true about water. If you notice, after a night of drinking and you are dehyrdated the next day, you wont pee as much; if at all. Your body holds onto the water and you bloat!!

I personally gave up counting water intake. There is no real health basis for drinking 8 X 8 oz glasses a day, it was just a standard someone thought up in the 1950's. Drinking too much water can cause problems with vitamin absorption and throw your electrolytes out of whack.

That said, people definately should drink when thirsty and aim to drink through out the day to help stay hydrated and curb appetite.

From what I've read, any liquids count towards fluid intake...even vegetables with a high water content. But you need to drink more pure water if you are drinking something that is a diuretic like coffee in order to really hydrate yourself.

I personally do count tea towards my water intake and I would think Crystal Lite would count too. As it is pretty much chemicals though, it would be healthier to eventually switch to adding lemon or lime....I don't think you'd want to drink that all day for the rest of your life, but it's probably fine in the short term for getting used to drinking extra liquids.

Here is a great article on why you don't really need drink if not thirsty.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/ar...-water-per-day

I do a pee test, if my urine is light then I'm alright. If it's yellow, I drink more water. I know you expected a rhyme but I haven't got the time.

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