Can you drink too much water? Sometimes I drink twice as much as the recommended daily amount of water.... is that bad for you? And also, can you eat too much fruit? Like.. in one day, if I ate 1 plum, 1 peach, 1 apple, and 1 banana (not all at once of course), would that be too much fruit for one day?

Not at all..but i've seen you on the ED board so I have an idea as to why you drink so much water..and it's not healthy at all..eating fruit is good, but you shouldnt JUST be eating that all day- you need protein and carbs and veggies and fruit and dairy to be healthy and function properly..

Drinking too much water flushes essential electrolytes from your body. This can be very serious. I know someone who worked outdoor construction, who ended up hospitalized for a week because he drank too much water and didn't replace his electrolytes.

The USDA recommends 5 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables per day, so you are not eating to much fruit. Of course you also need the other foods also.

That depends, are you a very active person? I don't think eating five fruits a day is too much, I would try and have them earlier in the day though and try and mix them in with other foods or blend them into a shake/smoothie. Just like girlygirl11 said, it's vital that you get enough protein.

Thanks for posting your replies. It means a lot.

girlygirl, you say you know why I drink so much water... why is that? To be honest, I don't even know why I drink so much water.. it just kind of started happening about 3 months ago... oh, and yes, I remember you from the ED boards.

Hitmen, I'm not really a very active person. I don't play any sports, but I try to exercise for 30-60 minutes 3-4 times a week, which isn't really a lot, but I guess its better than not exercising at all. Usually my exercises consist of Denise Austin videos, running, and walking at a brisk pace on an incline on the treadmill.

Drinking water at every opportunity can cause serious problems, such as hyponatraemia or water intoxication. As the water content of the blood increases, the salt content is diluted. Consequently the amount of salt available to body tissues decreases, which can lead to problems with brain, heart and muscle function

If you are eating very very little (like around 700 Cals per day I think you were saying), then drinking lots of water is almost a strategy to feel full..I could be wrong, but that's what it seems like! :) Like the others are saying it's not healthy to drink so much because it can cause tons of problems..

Girlygirl.. you are so right.. I never thought about it before, and until now.. I never realized that's why I was drinking so much....how could I not realize that? I thought that something was wrong with me cause I was like drinking so much.. and now I know why.. wow.. Its like, over the past 3 months, drinking LOTS of water and drinks (calorie free) has become a habit.. wow..

How do I just stop drinking so much water? Maybe since school is starting I wont drink as much because I'll be at school and I can't just go to the refridgerator and get out a water bottle, or go to the nearest sink and fill up my cup.. so maybe it will get better.. I didn't realize drinking so much could have such terrible consequences... what's the most water one should drink in a day?

The most you should try to stick to is no more than 2 L, which is about 4 500 mL (little) bottles, or 1.5 big ones (1.5 litres), OR 8 glasses (cups). You need to really increase your food intake as you do this though..that's a huge problem that isn't helped with the excess water, but won't be solved by cutting down on water either.

My advice to you would be to try to drink only when eating, and maybe 1-2 glasses besides that. That means have a drink or two at every meal (and snacks if you want), and no more than 2 glasses outside of that.

I suggest you talk to someone like a nutritionist, even a doctor about your disorder so you can get help with this all..

Thanks for all your help girlygirl, it really means a lot. I'll try this, and see what happens.. hopefully things will get better. Yea, I agree with you, I think I should probably talk to someone about this, but I haven't brought myself to tell anyone yet.. I don't knwo what I"m scared of, but I am just really scared.

I whole heartedly disagree with the fact that you are drinking too much water. Studies have proven that humans can safely drink up to 10 liters of water a day. Yes, I believe that the construction worker someone mentioned was put in hospital, but that was because he was doing 8-10 hours of strenuous activity in a day, and needed eloctrolytes replaced. For normal active people, this would not happen.

Oh really? Thanks for the information IBSForever, it really means a lot. Thanks for posting. So I'll be okay drinking lots of water?

Drinking water at every opportunity can cause serious problems, such as hyponatraemia or water intoxication. As the water content of the blood increases, the salt content is diluted. Consequently the amount of salt available to body tissues decreases, which can lead to problems with brain, heart and muscle function
Very well said!

My rule of thumb is closer to 4 Liters, or a gallon of total liquid.

Okay, thanks for the help

I think that Lenin's average is a little high, given that he's an older male and youre a young female teen- you probably need much less than that (and much less than what you're drinking).

I have heard 1/2 ounce per pound of body weight, so 120lb female might drink 60 ounces (a little less than 1/2 gallon). However this is not etched in stone, but 48 to 64 ounces per day is the recommended daily allowance.
best wishes.