I read somewhere that when you get thirsty, your body is already in the early stages of dehydration. Not sure if that's true or false though.

I've done this with drinking tea as an afternoon substitute for drinking coffee. I used to drink so much of it that it just makes me use the restroom. Fun stuff, lol. I needed to find a balance.

But, I'm in the same boat as a few others - drinking water helps me satiate myself and not drink my calories.

However, it's also about stress level and coordinating all the things that work for your individual eating plan. And it's a lot to coordinate! If trying to drink water when you're not thirsty puts everything off balance, then definitely do what works best for you!

Good discussion topic!

I don't think that's true. I think it's just one of those things that have gotten passed around for years. I would find it hard to believe a person would be dehydrated at a sedentary job after a couple hours of not drinking anything, yet I still feel thirst after a couple hours at my sedentary job with nothing to drink. Doubt I'm dehydrated at that point.

For me, it's as if food soaks up water and makes me feel fuller. If my stomach is empty, it won't do anything to make me full. But if i eat and then drink water, i will feel 2x as full as if i only ate the food.

Might be true in excess of your 8 glasses a day. I cut downfrom my gallon a day to 8 cups and I lose the same amount of weight still. I wasn't forcing or fighting to get a gallon in per day, just the opposite actually I was trying to keep myself from going over that gallon. It was a pain needing to buy 7 gallons a week just for me. I do think the water hydrates me much more than any other drink, it fills me faster with lunch, it calms my stomach while I am making my meals and my skin is much better than before. I really noticed my pores r less clogged and my facial dry patches seem to dry more when I don't keep up with 8+ cups. I don't find it to be any kind of chore drinking water, especially because I lay out 4 16 ounce bottles and sip all day long, I absolutely love water and I used to hate it.

I think a lot of water just because I find myself being thirsty a lot, and unlike a lot of people I don't mind drinking water. The body does need water for a lot of its day to day processes to work, but some people don't realize that pretty much no matter what you do to water it stays water. Tea, coffee, carbonated water, Gatorade, etc., its still has plenty of water, just with stuff mixed with it. So if you don't like water, but drink eight or more glasses of tea a day (or just about any other beverage), you'll still get all the water you need.

That works for me too, I definitely feel more full on the same amount of food if I drink water with it.

I also drink a lot between meals too - not trying to force it down, but I just feel better when I drink more, and it's what my body is used to. If I don't drink my normal amount for some reason, I definitely can feel a difference.

And of course, there is the benefit of having to get up to use the restroom more often. I like to do the Walk Away The Pounds videos - this is the Pee Away The Pounds supplement to it. I even use the ladies room on the next floor up at work, figuring every extra step helps!

I drink as much water as I feel comfortable with. When I'm at my desk all day, I have a refillable bottle that holds around 24oz and probably fill it 4-5 times between 8 and 5. I do get up to the bathroom often but that's a good thing because I shouldn't sit for such long periods anyway.

To echo what others have said, I do tend to eat less when my water consumption is higher. When I slack on water, my eating tends to be the next thing to go.

So, water may not be entirely necessary but depending on your body and mindset it could help. If it's not harmful and helps get you to your goals it's OK in my books.

For me I do not like tea or coffee - I like hot chocolates, probably not so good for the diet as they seem to be quite sugary here

also I find that drinking water helps keep me feeling good as we live in an reasonably dry environment , drier then the part of the country I grew up where it was humid guess some of the water there came out of the air


Having worked in offices with and without air conditioning I found that when sitting in an office I get more thirsty if it is air conditioned as I find the air conditioning while keeping the office nice and cool- and dry also made me feel dry down the back of my throat so sipping water helped when working

Also with loosing weight when I don't drink my water I snack more - so no water for me is more calories - better to try drink more then not
plus the up and down to the toilet adds to steps we take

If I am eating watermelon or high water based foods I don't feel as thirsty during the day so must be something in the amount of water you consume, not only drink but eat too..


Worst of all I think I am a sub conscious snack eater, so I would rather drink the water then eat the calories.


Quick question now... um How much water would you have to drink to get water poisoning?

It can't hurt to drink a little extra water, I certainly don't drink enough like I should and it really helps to rid yourself from sodium bloat.

I agree with you. I've drunk virtually no flat water for the past 2+ years. It hasn't stopped me from losing 55 pounds and maintaining the loss, and I'm not dehydrated in the slightest. I get most of my fluids in the form of coffee and tea, plus about 4 cups of sparkling water/juice mix per week. I never ever keep track of how much fluid I take in every day. I let thirst be my guide.

Freelance

I drink water not necessarily in an effort to lose weight, but in an effort to keep my soda consumption down. I used to drink a diet coke (and a diet coke in my house is a 16oz bottle) every time I got something to drink, and I tell you what, simply switching to water has made me feel tremendously better. I used to be bloated, gassy and just felt overall gross all the time even though I wasn't consuming any calories. Now, I still have my soda, but I limit it to maybe one on the weekends or when I'm eating at a fast food joint. I consider it a treat, and water is my staple. It used to be the other way around, lol, and I won't ever go back.

As for the amount I consume... I drink a 16-20oz glass of water with every meal, a 16oz bottle or 2 when I workout, and maybe one with a snack depending on what I have. But other than working out, that's what I would drink in soda. So pretty much, I drink whenever I eat. I also drink a cup or 2 of coffee about mid-afternoon and a cup of hot tea in the evenings before I go to bed, and I drink almond milk every now and then, too. I get my fluids and it makes me feel nice, lol.

Drinking water has been beneficial for me in that it has helped me avoid sugar-filled beverages, and has also made me feel less hungry.

I think what we see in this thread is that we don't need to drink a lot of water only to stay hydrated. I have never found any research to support the claim that people need to drink even 8, 8 oz glasses of water. In fact the research indicates that number was essentially made up, regarding hydration.

However, people do like to drink water for a variety of other reasons, such as feeling full, and it may help with weight loss for some.

On the whole, I believe that if you like to drink water, go for it. And if you don't, don't worry about it! (Really! It's okay if you don't like or don't want to drink a lot of water!)

You can be successful in weight loss -- and life -- either way.

I have definitely noticed that when I make an effort to drink water, it goes along with weight loss. Is it a "this causes that" thing? I doubt it. But, there's definitely a correlation.

I think it's that water replaces diet coke for me. Yes, they both have zero calories and we all know the calories in/calories out thing. Diet coke does so many bad things for me and cutting it out definitely helps me. Does it help me just feel better or help me weigh less? I don't know? Maybe during times that I am more focused on taking care of myself, I am also focused on staying on plan, so it goes together that way? If so, there's a reason to drink water - feeling better by avoiding diet coke helps me want to take care of myself and eat better and exercise. Good enough of a reason to drink water instead for me.

Also, on days that I run, I drink a lot of water with my workout. I think that helps my muscles from retaining a lot of excess water. It has to help with muscle recovery. I would think?

Even if it's psychological and has no actual improvement for me at all, I think I do better and feel better when I drink water, so I'll take the placebo effect.

But yeah, I wouldn't tell everyone that they have to drink a bunch of water to lose weight. If it helps you, great. If not, stop killing yourself to do it and focus on your calories for the day. That has to come first if your goal is weight loss. Whatever helps and however you get to that, do it.