Too Much Water???
 

So this might be a silly question or one that is asked too frequently, but I’m asking anyway!!;)

I am currently drinking 8-10 liters of water a day…is that too much? I honestly find that the more I drink, the more I want. And that if I’m not drinking water, I feel completely off track. I don’t feel sick or anything and other than running to the bathroom quite a bit, it doesn’t seem to be causing any problems…how much do you guys drink and do I need to scale back a little??

Thanks

WOW! 8-10 LITERS, that's 2 to 2.5 gallons!!?? I drink 4 liters a day and thought that was a lot. The recommendation is - "In general, you should try to drink between half an ounce and an ounce of water for each pound you weigh, every day." from web.md

Wow that is a lot. How do you manage to get in that much?

I drink between 60 - 100 ounces a day. It seems to work for me.

Are you drinking that much water because you want to or because you think it might help with weight loss? If you're genuinely thirsty for that much water, think about having your blood glucose level tested. Not to scare you, but excessive thirst is a big warning sign for diabetes and was my son's only symptom before he was diagnosed as a teenager.

Wow that seems like a lot. I actually love water and drink a lot of it so don't actually track it since I've never had an issue getting lots in.

But I have heard to be careful not to drink too much as you might throw your electrolytes out of whack. TBH I don't really know any details or facts behind that statement so don't take it too seriously, but the concept has somewhat stopped me from drinking insane amounts of water just because I felt like it.


What Meg said is a bit scary for me. I avoid the doctor like the plague (yes I know this is bad) and one big trigger for the start of my process was that I was pretty sure I was heading towards or at diabetes.

Now that I think back on myself 2 months ago at my peak weight I actually was thirsty a LOT. I could down a 30 oz of water in a couple of minutes and then refill. I have not really done that recently or felt a desire to. I still drink a lot of water, but I remember that feeling before that I was thirsty and almost couldn't satisfy it. Sometimes especially at night I would drink water to the point of feeling really bloated, but still felt like I needed to drink...


Well dang....now this post and what Meg said has really go me thinking :(

Hmm, good questions. I’ve had it hammered into my head my whole life that drinking water promotes weight loss. My mom swears by it. Also, through most of my childhood and adolescences, I’ve had kidney problems…stones, infections, etc and a lot of that time, water was all I could drink.

Strangely, I’m never just thirsty beyond belief. I just find that when I finish one bottle, I fill it up again and drink it till it’s gone. And I do this all through the day without really thinking about (until today) how MUCH I’ve had. And I have a desk job, so it’s easy to do.

It is recommended that we get 8 - 8oz servings of water a day. If you drink coffee/tea/cokes (aka dark beverages)...you are supposed to double what you drank to keep your body properly hydrated (ex = 12 oz coke = 24 additional oz of water).

I do my best to drink 80 - 100 oz a day. I drink one 12 oz cup of coffee a day. I would like to drink more water, but I just can't get up from my desk to go to the potty that many times in a day.

I drink 70 oz of water a day. I force myself to do it ...unless I have a road trip. :P

I do notice, though, that when I cut my water intake, I'm so very thirsty. My body has most definitely gotten used to my daily h2o intake.

I don't drink any other beverages.

This was the first thing that came to mind:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8333197.stm

8-10 litres of water a day is seriously over the recommended amount. Are you sure it's actually that much?

YES, IT CAN BE DANGEROUS. Drinking too much water can lead to a very dangerous electrolyte imbalance. I would talk to your DR about this so you can make sure you don't imbalance yourself. :) Very important!

Between 2 and 3 quarts (or liters) a day is plenty. Please don't drink more than that or you may end up washing out too many salts, which leads to a dangerous condition!

I also have had kidney stones, so I do make sure I drink water--8 ounces roughly every hour, obviously only for 8 to 10 hours--but there really isn't any good reason to drink more than that.

Jay

ETA: Random, you can get a blood glucose meter at the drugstore just about for free (after you send in for a rebate). But it's kind of elaborate to do if you're not used to it. Just go to your doc and have a test done--it's usually a fasting test done first thing in the morning. Really, it's better to know!