I tend to agree with Heather. I used to obsess about getting enough water, but I've learned that my body will let me know if I'm thirsty or not. I will say there have been times when I thought I was hungry, but found I was actually only thirsty. So, when I feel myself getting hungry too soon, I sometimes check myself by having a full glass of water. If I am still feeling hungry after a few minutes, I'll have something to eat.

I think sometimes we rely too much on what the experts say, rather than listening to our own bodies. (speaking of myself here)

I try to drink half my body weight in ounces of water a day. It's not hard to do at all! I am not a coffee drinker and never have been, my biggest no, no was always coke. Sugar is my downfall so I know that is out forever. Diet sodas have never tasted good to me so I have no problem there.

Throughout a lifetime of yo-yo dieting I can say this: When I eat properly I'm thirsty, when I eat junk and carbs I'm not.

I'm with you on a life time of yo-yo dieting. It's ridiculous. I can't even begin to count how many times I have lost 30 pounds. Why is it so hard to maintain?! The thing is I usually gain more than I was the last time I started a diet (this time especially)!!! Then it comes off slower as you age. This diet, I am finally exercising and enjoying it (Leslie Sansone Walk DVDs). So I'm thinking that I can keep the walking up after I start maintaining and just plan on a lifetime of walking I can keep it off.
Oops this is the water thread! I'm drinking tons - I gave up diet dr pepper!

I don't generally like plain water, but I agree that it is important to get plenty of it! Not to gross anyone out, but my doctor told me that if my pee isn't clear then I am not drinking enough. So that's largely what I go by. I have a 1liter bottle that I fill up with water and I try to fill it up between 2-3 times a day. I mix in crystal light or mio for flavor and it gets the job done! I save my diet soda for dinner as a treat at the end of the day.

I drink when I'm thirsty. I usually only drink water or unsweetened/lightly sweetened tea. On average, I would guess that I drink about 40+ oz. a day. However, you also get a lot of water from the foods you eat. Especially veggies and fruit.

tehshort1 - I go by the same thing. Urine should have barely any color to it. If its yellow, you're either not drinking enough or there is something wrong.

I've read lots of things that talk about how much water we "should" drink and how important it is--but is anyone aware of any research studies on the subject?

(This is not to discount the personal stories--when you find what works for you--go with it!)

I drink at 1-2 liters of water a day. I have found my weight loss is better when I drink more water. I usually add lemon juice to it on the days getting down is difficult. I also drink a cup of green tea each morning.

Beth -- Yes, basically there is no research on the subject that demonstrates we all need to drink a bunch of water! Here's an article written from a research project at Dartmouth that tried to determine where that idea came from. At the bottom is a link to the actual research article (which is very accessible).

http://geiselmed.dartmouth.edu/news/...02_water.shtml

The gist is that while we need to stay hydrated, most people get plenty of hydration from all the liquids and all the foods they ingest and there is not really a need to chug water. Caffeinated liquids count too!

That said, if you like water and find it helps you stay on plan, there's nothing wrong with that either.

And you definitely should drink something when you sweat!!

And one interesting quote from the link "Valtin thinks the notion [to drink water] may have started when the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council recommended approximately "1 milliliter of water for each calorie of food," which would amount to roughly two to two-and-a-half quarts per day (64 to 80 ounces). Although in its next sentence, the Board stated "most of this quantity is contained in prepared foods," that last sentence may have been missed, so that the recommendation was erroneously interpreted as how much water one should drink each day."

These days, I drink between 8 and 12 glasses of water (and about 2-5 glasses of tea or coffee on top of that).

I started drinking this much almost 10 years ago when my dr said it would help with my fainting spells brought on by low blood pressure.

I used to let my thirst guide when I drank, but I think my sensitivity to thirst was off. I didn't feel thirsty often, probably only had 5-6 drinks a day. And I despised water (love it now), so rarely drank it. Now that I drink often, I also become thirsty far more often. Maybe being well hydrated became my body's norm, so now it urges me to keep myself that way?

I don't know about water specifically for weight loss (doesn't seem to matter much for me on that front), but it does make me feel healthier and more energetic.