How much water have you drunk today???

[Robbity]

I made my post because there is so much talk on websites and in the media about everyone making sure they drink 2l a day, when there isn't any hard evidence for why it should be this amount and not another. Maybe 1.5l would be just as good, who knows?

My husband recently said much the same - he's never seen any actual hard evidence for the various recommendation. I've always believed that heeding my body to is the best way to go.

Robbity

 

[tim2000s]

There are two main reasons for drinking more water.

1 fat requires water to metabolise.

2. It keeps your blood ketone concentration lower.

 

[Gravity-Carb]

Oh yes Robbity, you can drink too much water, dilutes your electrolytes and your heart won't have enough to fire a pump. Literally your heart will stop. It happened a couple of years ago after a fitness instructor ran the London marathon and drank bottles of water throughout. When he stopped running he collapsed. So sad.
Also a woman who was dieting with lighter **** was told to drink 4ltrs of water but not that she should space it through the day, poor woman.
So yes too much of a good thing and all that....
But being chronically mildly dehydrated, like I suspect I am, is also not great....just a long term issue I suspect. But 1.5ltrs - 2ltrs of water a day with other drinks and water holding foods (salad anyone?) Should be enough for me. I just can't believe I don't notice the thirst....

 

[Gravity-Carb]

There are two main reasons for drinking more water.

1 fat requires water to metabolise.

2. It keeps your blood ketone concentration lower.

Interesting. Thanks for that.

I assume more water than say none, which was pretty much I was doing before.....

Makes sense about blood concentration of ketones, must be the same for blood glucose... will google it.

 

[ButtterflyLady]

There are two main reasons for drinking more water.

1 fat requires water to metabolise.

2. It keeps your blood ketone concentration lower.

If the kidneys are working ok, wouldn't they make sure that enough of the available water is processed into the bloodstream and when there is enough, the rest is excreted in the urine? So, it doesn't make sense to drink more water than what the kidneys need. I think the easiest way to know how much the kidneys need is to check the colour of the urine.

 

[Robbity]

2. It keeps your blood ketone concentration lower.

Does that imply that drinking plenty of water may interfere with ketosis? Or am I misunderstanding something?

Robbity

 

[ButtterflyLady]

Does that imply that drinking plenty of water may interfere with ketosis? Or am I misunderstanding something?

Robbity

I don't think so, because the blood carries away the ketones so they can be excreted from the body in the urine. Drinking more water allows the kidneys to water down the blood. So the level of ketones going into the blood would be the same, the blood would just be a bit thinner/watered down.

 

[TheFish]

I drink about 4 litres a day due to heavy job and feel a lot better for it

 

[Gravity-Carb]

A new day:

My usual (ha! only my second day)of 500ml of lemon water before breakfast....

Last nights nocturnal WC visits made up for the lack of visists yesterday. 3 times!! Hows a girl to sleep well with that? So I will have my last 500ml by 6pm. That way if I want any other drink it will only be small cups...

 

[Indy51]

It's never occurred to me to do anything else but drink when I'm thirsty or not as the case may be. I really think there is some stuff you can overthink

 

[catherinecherub]

How much water should you drink per day?

http://authoritynutrition.com/how-much-water-should-you-drink-per-day/

 

[Gravity-Carb]

It's never occurred to me to do anything else but drink when I'm thirsty or not as the case may be. I really think there is some stuff you can overthink

Tis true for some and I'm pleased for you. It makes me smile all the responses that are confused at the notion of not drinking when your thirsty....

Some people don't feel hungry and forget to eat, I've known a couple of people in my time and it was so alien to me :-} hahaha, so I understand yours and other posters dismissal.

Maybe I'm on my own in that I rarely feel thirsty, therefore I don't drink, therefore I thought I would see if others have the same issue and wanted an on- forum support in the quest to drink water. Simple no????

 

[ButtterflyLady]

Tis true for some and I'm pleased for you. It makes me smile all the responses that are confused at the notion of not drinking when your thirsty....

Some people don't feel hungry and forget to eat, I've known a couple of people in my time and it was so alien to me :-} hahaha, so I understand yours and other posters dismissal.

Maybe I'm on my own in that I rarely feel thirsty, therefore I don't drink, therefore I thought I would see if others have the same issue and wanted an on- forum support in the quest to drink water. Simple no????

I haven't dismissed your experience, I have just pointed to the research about most people not needing to drink extra water to benefit their health. The article catherinecherub posted is really fair, and it says some people's thirst mechanism doesn't work well. So, you're right, and so are we

 

[Gravity-Carb]

How much water should you drink per day?

http://authoritynutrition.com/how-much-water-should-you-drink-per-day/

We also lose a significant amount of water in our just our breath....

I wonder if my brain function will improve....

The first caveat was drink when thirsty, the 2nd stop when not thirsty. So for most that would work.
I would not drink at all going by that. Surely not ideal.

 

[ButtterflyLady]

We also lose a significant amount of water in our just our breath....

I wonder if my brain function will improve....

The first caveat was drink when thirsty, the 2nd stop when not thirsty. So for most that would work.
I would not drink at all going by that. Surely not ideal.

Maybe drink a few extra glasses of water a day, without going overboard? The article said if you drink tea or coffee and eat foods that contain water, that's probably enough. I don't think it would hurt to drink a few more glasses on top of that. But I think drinking more than 2 litres a day is a bit unnecessary.

 

[Gravity-Carb]

Maybe drink a few extra glasses of water a day, without going overboard? The article said if you drink tea or coffee and eat foods that contain water, that's probably enough. I don't think it would hurt to drink a few more glasses on top of that. But I think drinking more than 2 litres a day is a bit unnecessary.

Ok. Thats good for you. Ummm. I'm just trying to drink. Yesterday I only drank 2ltrs of anything. The day b4 was prob 500ml at best.
Don't worry I'm not going to drink too much.
Sheesh.

 

[Brunneria]

@gravity carb

Thirst is (i have read, but cant remember where) one of the easiest bodily triggers to get disrupted. There are a number of reasons, not restricted to:

Snoring/sleeping with mouth open - the brain actually turns off the 'i have a dry mouth so i must need a drink' reaction, and then it stays switched off during the rest of the day.
Hunger - we often confuse hunger and thirst. How often do you find that a glass of water is just as good as that snack would have been? And how often do people automatically fancy a nibble when they put the kettle on?
Habit - we usually drink to a routine throughout the day, but days vary hugely depending on climate, weather, exercise, etc. suggesting that water requirements should change accordingly.
Medication - can profoundly affect thirst, urination, dehydration and water retention.

I have found that drinking enough for my body has switched my thirst back on, and a whole host of little bodily sensations now act as ways my body communicates to me. I can judge my level of dehydration using how my back/kidneys, temples, mouth, stomach and bladder feel. I was unaware of most of those signal till i habitually gave my body enough water. Looking back, i think most of those signals used to be permanently switched 'on', but i didnt notice, because they were always there.

And i'm afraid i think the idea if 2 litres a day is absurd. Does anyone really kid themselves that an 8 stone sedentary woman and a 14 stone active man need the same amount of food? Of course not! So they need differing amounts of water, too.

Having visited a number of websites on the subject, they seemed to suggest that 1 litre of water per 5 stone of bodyweight was a rough guide. That seemed a huge amount to me (remembering that i am obese), but i decided to try it. Took several days to work my way up to the suggested quantity, but i was astonished how much better i feel. I had no idea what a difference it makes.

I'm currently drinking more because of the summer heat, but even now, i sometimes spot the signs of dehydration, glug a half litre and then feel myself start to perspire - and reduced or no sweating is a sure sign of dehydration.

 

[Gravity-Carb]

@gravity carb

Thirst is (i have read, but cant remember where) one of the easiest bodily triggers to get disrupted. There are a number of reasons, not restricted to:

Snoring/sleeping with mouth open - the brain actually turns off the 'i have a dry mouth so i must need a drink' reaction, and then it stays switched off during the rest of the day.
Hunger - we often confuse hunger and thirst. How often do you find that a glass of water is just as good as that snack would have been? And how often do people automatically fancy a nibble when they put the kettle on?
Habit - we usually drink to a routine throughout the day, but days vary hugely depending on climate, weather, exercise, etc. suggesting that water requirements should change accordingly.
Medication - can profoundly affect thirst, urination, dehydration and water retention.

I have found that drinking enough for my body has switched my thirst back on, and a whole host of little bodily sensations now act as ways my body communicates to me. I can judge my level of dehydration using how my back/kidneys, temples, mouth, stomach and bladder feel. I was unaware of most of those signal till i habitually gave my body enough water. Looking back, i think most of those signals used to be permanently switched 'on', but i didnt notice, because they were always there.

And i'm afraid i think the idea if 2 litres a day is absurd. Does anyone really kid themselves that an 8 stone sedentary woman and a 14 stone active man need the same amount of food? Of course not! So they need differing amounts of water, too.

Having visited a number of websites on the subject, they seemed to suggest that 1 litre of water per 5 stone of bodyweight was a rough guide. That seemed a huge amount to me (remembering that i am obese), but i decided to try it. Took several days to work my way up to the suggested quantity, but i was astonished how much better i feel. I had no idea what a difference it makes.

I'm currently drinking more because of the summer heat, but even now, i sometimes spot the signs of dehydration, glug a half litre and then feel myself start to perspire - and reduced or no sweating is a sure sign of dehydration.

Thank you, Brunneria.

You get it.

Many others don't....

So going by that 1ltr per 5 stones, 2.5 ltrs per day is my need. So my 2 ltrs of water with watery foods n tea n coffee should help with switching the thirst 'back on'.

And I don't snore. There must be something wrong with other people's hearing.....;-) hahahahaha.

 

[Robbity]

Then I think I'm drinking approximately enough for my well over weight body now, but i've always drunk about the same volume, even when I was pretty under weight at half my current weight. i usually manage little and often when I'm drinking properly - I can't actually mange large quantities.

Re salad: Cucumber is nice watery salad stuff, and water melon when I used to eat it was really refreshing. I do miss my lovely juicy oranges now too.

Robbity

 

[Bluetit1802]

I'm not convinced by the "smaller people need less, larger people need more" theory. We don't need water for energy, like food. We need water to flush out the kidneys. The secret is not to gulp it down but to sip regularly throughout the day. Gulping it down puts extra strain on the kidneys.

.