Water, water everywhere - question?

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Water, water everywhere - question?
22
Thu, 03-18-2004 - 4:15pm
I'm going crazy with the water thing, because I'm running to the bathroom SO much. According to my calculations, I should actually be drinking 12-15 cups of water a day because of my current weight. I decided to try upping it gradually, so I'm probably about about 6-8 cups right now, and I seem to spend most of the day running to the bathroom. It is especially bad at night - even though I try to drink most of it early in the day, I'm still up FOUR - yes FOUR- times every night, and I think it is really starting to cut into the quality of my sleep. Does anyone else have this problem, or do I just have a freaky bladder? Is my body likely to adjust, or am I going to have to live with this? honestly, this is the only reason that I don't drink water normally - I don't mind the stuff,and I don't have to "force" myself to drink it, it's just getting old having my back teeth floating all the time.
iVillage Member
Registered: 01-07-2004
Sat, 03-20-2004 - 6:32pm
That is not the case 100% of the time. Thirst will also say hello in the guise of hunger pains. I don't believe there is an urban legand either with drinking at least 8 glasses of 8 oz of water. If there is then my doctor spent way too much on her medical degree.

Personally, my body doesn't react well to drinking cokes diet or not and juice minus the water. I can tell when my body needs water without the thirst mind you by a headache or the hunger pains (especially if I am full). You can also tell how hydrated your body is by how dry your skin is and smooth. Thirst doesn't play the big role all the time in hydrateing yourself.

Avatar for jess9802
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-02-2003
Sat, 03-20-2004 - 9:34pm
All I meant by urban legend is that there's this maxim ("Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day"), the origins of which no one knows for sure and the accuracy of which is questionable. As for your doctor giving you the advice on water--ask her what her basis is for offering that advice. I doubt she conducted independent research on the body's need for water. More likely she read about it, and she hasn't independently confirmed the accuracy of that advice. Nothing wrong with that--no one had, which is why the researchers conducted the study you read about on snopes.com.

I've never mistaken hunger pains for thirst, my body seems to do just fine drinking Coke, tea, coffee, and juice in addition to water, and as a life-long eczema sufferer, I can tell you that I could drink 5 gallons of water a day and still have dry skin. All I'm saying is that drinking lots of water might not be as necessary as everyone makes it out to be.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Sun, 03-21-2004 - 10:51am
Interesting information, for sure! I think perhaps the truth might lie somewhere in the middle - sometimes the recommendations do seem pretty ridiculous - I'm not sure that I'm CAPABLE of drinking 15 cups of water in a day, and I've heard of people actually dying because they thought it would be a good idea to drink gallons and gallons! However, I generally enjoy water, and I do get very thirsty after I work out - I can usually drink 4 or 5 cups then....so I'll keep drinking my 8 cups a day at least, but maybe I won't feel so guilty for not managing to double that :-) ONE little quibble, though - you say that you use coffee, tea and coke for thirst - but isn't that counterproductive since caffeine is a diuretic (unless you drink de-caf, of course). I agree that milk, juice, etc can go towards the daily requirement, but since coffee actually sucks more water out of the body than it puts in (like alcohol), I wouldn't think it would "count".


Edited 3/21/2004 11:59 am ET ET by mom2morgan
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-27-2003
Sun, 03-21-2004 - 11:06am

I never tracked my water consumption. I know that I DO drink two 24 oz bottles a day and then some. I'm just not sure how much the "and then some" is!

Deb 270/228/145ish  (updated 4/19/04. Next weigh-in: 6/1/04)

 

Avatar for jess9802
iVillage Member
Registered: 04-02-2003
Sun, 03-21-2004 - 11:24am
"ONE little quibble, though - you say that you use coffee, tea and coke for thirst - but isn't that counterproductive since caffeine is a diuretic"

No, there's little if any diuretic effect of caffeine for those who regularly consume it, which means such drinks do count as part of your daily fluid intake.

Avatar for angelinoh
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-19-2003
Sun, 03-21-2004 - 11:40am
well i don't think anyone will change anyone else's mind on the topic.

If you look at the diff eating styles & exercise styles people have to make them lose weight it stands to reason that water is included in that. What works for one person doesn't the other.

As for not being thirsty=not being dehydrated i have to disagree from personal experiences.And the sites on water made me smile..there's sites out there badmouthing everything.

iVillage Member
Registered: 06-13-2003
Sun, 03-21-2004 - 3:24pm
I am another person who doesn't believe in drinking a lot of water. When I DO have a beverage, it is water, but I won't go out of my way to drink a certain amount every day.

If, for example, you're drinking 8 Cokes a day, I'd replace that with an equivalent amount of water, but wouldn't drink more than that. Or if drinking water keeps you from snacking, go for it! But I don't think a lot of water is necessary for optimal health or weight loss. I have a friend who drank 4 L in one day and ended up in the hospital with depleted blood sodium levels.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Sun, 03-21-2004 - 3:45pm
Really? I have no idea about the science behind it, so I'll take your word for it - it DOES seem to keep me in the bathroom, though! ;-)
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Sun, 03-21-2004 - 3:47pm
Wow! I know that can happen with excessive water consumption, but I wouldn't have thought 4L would do it - that's about 16 cups, which is what I was told I should be drinking every day!
iVillage Member
Registered: 11-04-2003
Sun, 03-21-2004 - 6:12pm

I go back and forth with this.