I just read something yesterday....and for the life of me I can't remember where, but it really made me feel much better about my water dilemma! This article said that if we drink 4 glasses a water a day and have lots of other liquids, i.e. soup, diet soda, and even coffee (decaf on both soda and coffee), we will be doing just fine. I love the idea of only having to down 4 glasses of water a day. I think I can do that!! Seriously though....I'm really getting crazy with the water thing. I just can't force myself to drink water when I'm not thirsty. So, I was happy to read this.
I'm trying to remember the source of this article....I think it was some nutrition council. Maybe psychologically it will help.
I'm doing so well with the "points" and exercise part of my diet, it's really a shame that this water thing has to get me!
Water, Water, Everywhere, Even In Your Food from healthcentral.com The Dr. Dean Digest Daily Issue on January 19, 2001
I have never liked specific rules like "You must drink eight glasses of water per day to be healthy." Here is a study from Tufts University that backs me up.
A study of a small group of women, measured each drop they took in and each drop they eliminated, and found that the water, juice and decaffeinated beverages consumed averaged the recommended eight cups per day.
"But the real surprise was that women met almost 40 percent of their water needs with food alone. In fact, when their water intake from food, water and other beverages and metabolic reactions was added up, they exceeded their minimum recommendation by 50 percent."
Eating and drinking as they naturally would, they took in more fluid than they needed.
Foods contain a lot of water; some are more than half water. Vegetables are about 95 percent water, sirloin steak is 60 percent water, a slice of white bread is 37 percent water.
Dr. Wayne Campbell of Purdue University thinks people mistakenly think they have to drink eight cups of water each day. Because foods contribute to water balance too, most people are getting their eight cups of water without actually drinking eight cups of water.
You can get your fluids from food and from other beverages, but not alcohol. Alcohol doesn't count.
People who exercise heavily and sweat a lot, and anyone who is ill, especially with fever, vomiting or diarrhea should drink a lot. People older than 70 can be dehydrated without feeling thirsty, so they should drink a lot whether or not they feel a need.
Of course, if you want to chug down eight glasses a day, no harm done.
Source: January 2001. Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter."
a fellow poster (JaneStarr posted 01-23-2001 10:45 AM) posted this years ago.
However drink 6-8 ounces a day will not hurt you and if you eat balanced then you can drink even more. Personally I love water and drink it more than most anything else. Here is another article that explains why:
Water! Why drink at least two quarts a day?
Because that's roughly how much water we lose normally through perspiration, waste removal and other functions. Add sultry weather or enough exercise to break a sweat and the amount of water needed to stay healthily hydrated - not to mention avoid fatigue, light-headedness, nausea, and even heat stroke - quickly climbs.
Additionally, water keeps your energy up, weight down, muscles strong, joints supple, digestive system smooth -- your whole system in physical balance.
Water:
1) regulates body temperature
2) makes up 83% of blood
3) removes waste
4) composes 75% of brain
5) helps carry nutrients and oxygen to cells
6) moistens oxygen for breathing
7) helps convert food to energy
8) protects and cushions vital organs
9) helps body absorb nutrients
10) accounts for 22% of bones
11) cushions joints
12) makes up 75% of muscles
It really depends on the person and their activity level as well as the weather. I find the more I drink the less I actually retain with my activity level and climate. Additionally because of diureteic effects of caffeine drinks you should have 1 8-ounce glass of water for each 8-ounce glass/cup of these you drink to minimize the effects.
On the other hand however, there is a thing as too much water. If you drink in excess of 8 liters without getting the proper other nutrients your body will actually start depleting itself of those nutrients.
Glad the program is working well for you. It would be silly to obsess over the water because you're doing great. Kelly's article excerpts help a lot. good luck!
Judy
Great Info! No, that wasn't the article, but I really enjoyed reading it! This little article just said that one could count ALL liquids (except caffeinated) towards your total for the day...that it didn't have to be plain water. I have never been able for anyone to give me a straight answer to this question......so I'll try again...
My question is.... Let's say a person stayed on program and ate the exact number of target points per day and added exercise, would she still lose even if she didn't drink the 8 glasses of water a day?
All I get whenever I ask that question is a list of all the reasons water is good for you! That's not what I'm asking. I know water is basically good for you. What I want to know is....can you lose weight without drinking the 8 glasses a day?
In other words, is there ANYONE out there who has successfully lost 40-50 pounds without drinking the 8 glasses of water a day
No water has no calories so it has no effect on weight loss other than why you need it however the more you drink the less you'll retain. If you don't stay hydrated then your body will retain water which is why W/W and Nutritionists alike recommend 6-8 8-ounce glasses a day. Additionally, this article may explain why water is a good weight loss tool:
Are you Hungry? Many of us mix up food pangs with water cravings!
By Malcolm Stewart, PhD
As a clinical and health psychologist, I work with many people who want to lose weight for personal or medical reasons. It's not uncommon to hear complaints of intense hunger between regular eating times, no matter how satisfying their meals. For some people, it's puzzling, irritating hunger that makes them want to pick at food constantly. Others describe sharp cravings that demand immediate satisfaction.
Regardless, the effect is the same: Despite increasing their physical activity (perhaps the key weight loss technique), they can't lose unwanted pounds.
But a little-known fact both helps explain these food pangs - and provides a means to deal with them: Sometimes thirst masquerades as hunger. So you may think your body is asking for food when what it's actually asking for is water.
Your body needs water - a lot of water, every day - more than anything else except oxygen. We can live without food for a week or more if necessary, but not without water. If your body has just 2 percent less than it requires, you'll feel fatigued. A 10 percent shortfall produce significant health risks. A week without water can be fatal. Adults need sixto eight 8-ounce glasses (about 1 ½ to 2 quarts) every day, more if you're large or physically active and even more if you drink much coffee, tea or cola, because the caffeine in these is a mild diuretic.
Why do we sometimes feel hungry when in fact we're thirsty? For one thing, many of us seem to have learned to interpret some signs of thirst as signs of hunger. For another, the body may seek food as a source of water because about 37 percent of our daily water intake comes from food. Fruits and vegetables are typically 70 to 95 percent water. Cooked meat is 50 to 60 percent. Even bread is made up of about 35 percent water.
So your body may signal that it's hungry in order to get more water through food. And because water is so important, the body gives off strong messages when it needs more, which is why thirst masquerading as hunger can be so compelling. Which would be fine if food didn't contain calories as well as water.
Being able to understand that sometimes "I'm hungry" really means "I'm thirsty"can help you react more healthfully, starting with drinking eight glasses daily. This takes a conscious effort for most of us, but it's easier if you make a habit of drinking water every time you do a particular activity - for instance, each time you go into the kitchen or whenever you're about to make a phone call. You can also up your intake by using a larger glass or drinking a refill. Some people find "sipper bottles" convenient.
Now apply this to dealing with hunger between meals (which can be translated as "reach for water, not the ice cream"). If you feel hungry when it's not meal time, first have a large glass of water, then get busy doing something - keep at it for at least 20 minutes before you consider eating anything.
After drinking one glass, you may immediately want another. This is your body saying, "Yes! That was want I really wanted - give me more!" If you still feel hungry after 20 minutes, try having another glass of water, then get busy again.
People often feel like they're "bad" or "weak" if they feel hungry at times they think they shouldn't be. However, once you are aware that thirst can masquerade as hunger, you realize that hunger pangs often are a legitimate request by the body - but for water rather than food.
This isn't a cure - all for curbing hunger, but I've learned from my practice that it can go along way toward beating between meal eating. And that can mean weight-loss success.
Great article........but.........I still didn't get an answer to my question.....has anyone ever lost an appreciable amount of weight without drinking alot of water
Mulberry, Have you tried "flavoring" your water, with lemon juice or a bit of light cranberry juice...or drinking other non-caffenated beverages?
To answer your qu- my close friend and on-again-off-again WW buddy DID lose weight drinking very little water. She started off near 250, and over the past 3 yrs (and 2 shots at the formal WW plan) has gotten down to 180. She hates water, drinks mostly milk and diet pepsi...and her share of beer too ...but it still worked for her- and she looks GREAT! I am sure you can do it too!
Yes, its possible. I have lost 30lbs on a mixture of plans. I also hate plain water. I "flavor" my water with Koolaide powder, sugar free of course. Or ice tea mixes. Your body doesnt care where the fluids come from. It gets the water from any fluids. I am a nurse and we "push fluids" if a patient is at risk for dehydration. Any fluids (except caffeine) count. Jello, ice cream, milk, etc. Hope this helps.
Barb
Great article........but.........I still didn't get an answer to my question.....has anyone ever lost an appreciable amount of weight without drinking alot of water
Mulberry, yes, I did lose 52 pounds not drinking the required water. I usually drank about 4 cups a day, not 6+. Plain water is very dull to me, so this time around, I am flavoring it and finding it much easier to get through. I also count caffeinated beverages, though I know WW does not. I've read that caffeine is a mild diuretic and will flush water out of the body that is already present, but does not create a "negative" water balance, as it were. Alcohol, however, I do not count towards the water requirement, as it is more of a diuretic than caffeine.
It is certainly possible to lose weight without drinking 6-8 glasses a day.... but I do believe if you DO drink 6 a day, you will have an easier time losing weight. You will not retain water as much, and it helps flush out the products of fat breakdown out of your body.
However, if you truly can't stand the water, do as your body suggests, and just stay on your program to lose the weight!
Water. Water. Water
Seriously though....I'm really getting crazy with the water thing. I just can't force myself to drink water when I'm not thirsty. So, I was happy to read this.
...but it still worked for her- and she looks GREAT! I am sure you can do it too!
