Hey chickies,

I was just wondering how much water every one drinks per day. I've always tried to get in 8 cups (8 oz. cups) per day, but I just read that we are supposed to drink 1/2 of our body weight in oz of water.

So, I'm supposed to consume 126.5 oz (Close to 1 GALLON) of water per day. I thinks this sounds like quite a bit - How can any one function if they do this? All their time will be spent either in the WC, walking to the WC, or at the water cooler!

I have a 64oz mug that I fill up each day, and most days struggle to get through it! Am I really supposed to do this twice per day? What if I float away? My back teeth are already floating most days...

HELP!!! I'm a strong swimmer, and I know that this is a *BEACH*, but I think if I tried to drink all that water, I might as well just sit on the loo and drink it - it'll be easier than running back and forth!

I drink 2L a day. Your body does adjust but the at first the bathroom runs do get tiresome.

I believe in water!!!! When I am going strong on the weight loss I think it is the water that helps me the most. I try and get in a half a gallon a day. It is the great detoxifier and your body loves it. I think of my kidneys just happily working away at doing what they do best, getting rid of waste.

Here is a question for ya's, I have been a die hard Diet coke girl. Drink it all the time and I mean all the time, morning, noon, night. I have given it up, it has been a week. My problem is I do not like water. So I have been drinking tea all morning and then switching to crystal lite in the afternoons and eveings, I do water it down a bit more. So is CL better for me than Diet Coke or am I just switching one bad habit for another.
ps. My sister in law drinks 4 liters a day of water, and she is not a bathroom runner so I do think that your body adjusts to the amount of fluid you put in it.

Hey, little chick, you'll probably get a half dozen different answers to your question. My mother was hospitalized about a year ago with water intoxication, which resulted in permanent kidney damage, so I'll admit I'm more than a little biased on the subject. My mother was on WW and following the WW leaders advice to not count coffee as water, and to drink extra water to "compensate" for the diuretic effects of coffee. She was drinking up to a gallon or a little more daily. She was also taking blood pressure medication for mild high blood pressure (not a large dose), but that contributed to the water poisoning (rare, but it can happen even in healthy individuals when too much fluid dilutes the blood, especially of sodium).

The one thing I took away from her experience, was the advice from her kidney specialist - ALL FLUIDS count toward your daily fluid needs, and that 2 quarts is sufficient for most people's needs, and 3 quarts is probably the upper limit for me (because I'm on the same blood pressure medication that my mother was on). Even strong coffee does not have enough of a diuretic effect to cancel out all of the fluid it contains. So a cup of coffee may be equivalent to 6 ounces of uncaffeinated beverage, but it definitely isn't equivalent to negative 8 - 12 oz. He pointed out that if this were true, people who only drank coffee would die of dehydration (they don't).

The kidney specialist said there is some evidence that moderate caffeine use, especially tea and coffee, but even possibly from diet sodas and energy drinks, can actually have health benefits. He said that if you aren't bothered by caffeine's side effects, there's no reason to avoid it. (I actually find it helps with the pain and fatigue of my fibromyalgia - that doesn't mean I drink a six-pack a day). He also said there is no reason to drink only plain water. Your body is fully capable of using the water in any foods and beverages (even alcoholic beverages, but that no one should expect to fulfil their water requirements with alcohol).

That being said, I am sure that avoiding a lot of chemical additives is a good thing, but everyone has to decide how "clean" they want to eat. If you're not bothered by a little food coloring and artificial flavoring in your foods, there's no need to worry about them in your beverages.

Thanks

Little Chick,

I get bored with plain water, so I add either Propel powder, FulFill (Walmart brand), or Totally Light 2 Go powder. It just makes the drinking of liquids easier.

This is a really interesting thread to me. I've always heard that you shouldn't count flavored beverages towards your water for the day, and I always wondered why that was. It doesn't make sense scientifically that your body wouldn't also be using the water in any beverage (or food) the same way as plain water. Does anyone know if there is a study or scientific basis for this?

In answer to your question, iammare, I have a 32 oz water bottle and I try to drink two of these a day, and then I usually have a cup of coffee, and maybe a diet beverage as well. That's a good day, but on a bad day, I might only drink one bottle, and the two beverages. I don't mind plain water, but getting 8 cups a day is a challenge for me still. This week, I was running to the ladies' room in between every paper at the conference, and it was a real pain! I hope I do adjust!

I drink 80 oz, or 10 glasses. I don't drink soda or anything, and I count my Sleepytime Tea as water.

Here is some info that Barb stickied for us in the FAQ board that addresses these questions about water -

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=82843

Benefits of Drinking Lots of Water,

#1 Water Helps Keep Fat Away

Water is a key part of any weight loss program. It is very necessary for helping the body remove fat and for general overall health.


The following are some of the things that water will help the body with:

Supresses appetite.
Assists the body in metabolizing stored fat, because your liver is overloaded when your kidneys don't get enough water. Your liver metabolizes fat and it can't do that at 100% if it is doing the kidney's job.
Reduces fat deposits in the body.
Relieves fluid retention problems. If you don't give your body water, it will hold it so as not to lose it.
Reduces sodium buildup in the body.
Helps to maintain proper muscle tone.
Rids the body of waste and toxins.
Relieves constipation.





Tips on water intake:

Take your weight, divide it by 2, and that's how many ounces of water you should be drinking daily. But at least drink a minimum of 64 ounces per day (2 quarts). Here are examples--if your...
Weight is 200, drink 100 ounces (8, 12-ounce glasses)
Weight is 250, drink 125 ounces (10.5, 12-ounce glasses)
Weight is 300, drink 150 ounces (12.5, 12-ounce glasses)
Weight is 400, drink 200 ounces (17, 12-ounce glasses)
Drink an additional 8 ounces per day for every 25 pounds overweight.
It is better to drink the water cold, as it is absorbed quicker and may burn more calories.
Drink clean water, bottled or filtered.
WARNING: Drinking DIET soda can, over time make you gain weight. Avoid it and replace with unsweetened tea or better yet, WATER. Just quitting drinking all types of soda and replacing it with WATER alone will make you lose weight.

DID YOU KNOW THAT WATER IS A SIMPLE AND FREE CURE
for some common ailments such as:

Lower back pain
Chronic fatigue syndrome
Diabetes
Headaches
Asthma
Allergies
Colitis
Rheumatoid arthritis
Depression
High blood pressure
High blood cholesterol
Alcohol dependency
Neck pain
And more?
THAT'S RIGHT FOLKS, PLAIN AND SIMPLE. WATER IS ONE OF THE BEST CURES AND PREVENTION FOR MANY OF OUR BODY'S AILMENTS!! There is nothing like good, clean water.

That's interesting littlechick. I have always gotten bad headaches. I thought they were sinus. But I haven't had one since SBD. My intuition tells me that it's either the increased water intake, or the reduced wheat or preservative intake.

The 1/2 oz per pound is a myth. That you must compensate for cafeinated beverages like colas, teas, and coffees by drinking 8 - 12 oz of water is also a myth. That you must drink plain water also isn't true.

These and other myths are part of the reason water intoxication among healthy people is much more common than ever before (this is what we were told by Mom's kidney specialist when she was in the hospital for the water poisoning).

I drink 4 L of water a day, and no... I don't spend all day in the bathroom... Your body definitely adjusts... I don't count drinks other than water as part of my 4 L, but I don't drink much other than water...

I actually have chronic bladder problems and when I discussed with my doctor how much water I drink (sometimes upwards of 5 liters on a hot day), he said it was fine and actually good for my bladder, provided I spread it out throughout the day. My dad regularly drinks 2 to 3 gallons of water a day- sometimes near a gallon in less than an hour- but this was OKed by his bariatrics doctor. Water intake really depends on so many factors, medication being a big one, so you need to discuss with your doctor about how much is too much for you. I FEEL severely dehydrated if I drink less than 2 1/2 ish liters a day but obviously most people aren't like that :P

Also, if you drink soda- especially Coke- read a little bit about the company. It will put you off Coke for life, which is just a natural thing morally but has a healthy byproduct. I boycott all Coke and Pepsi products (though Pepsi is significantly better, it's not something I am willing to contribute money to).

The more you drink, the more you get used to it. Crystal light makes me really sick so I generally don't put anything in my water, except for an occasional lemon or squeeze of lime juice.