Such a thing as drinking too much water?

Di

Nah, you aren't drinking too much water. I drink twelve 8 ounce glasses of water every day. So that is 96 ounces of water per day. You said you drink a gallon, which is only 64 ounces. So don't worry, you aren't drinking too much!

Outside of exercise, I believe that drinking lots of water is the BEST thing you can do for your body. Most doctors, etc. recommend drinking 8 eight ounce glasses per day, so you are right on target. Keep it up!

God Bless You.

Love, Di <IMG SRC="http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif">

Lechter

Most doctors agree that you can get most of your water intake from day to day just by eating fruits and vegetables. Water that is drank in excess like that does no good. Your body has a hydration point and it won't go beyond that. It goes into your kidneys and right out of your system if your hydrated.

LisaS

I'm a transcriptionist and just completed several tapes where a Dr. had proven that drinking much water is very healing to the system. As a matter of fact he had done research and stated that many diseases had been cured just from people taking in an extreme amount of water. (1 gal. and up per day.)

Rachele

Thanks for the input!

Just wanted to get some opinions on the subject..

Rachel

Di

Hi all, I HAVE to comment again.

Lechter, I cannot fathom where you find that "most" doctors say you don't have to drink extra water. I have seen probably 10 different doctors in my adult life (I have moved a few times) and EVERY SINGLE ONE, without fail told me to drink at least 64 ounces of water in addition to all other drinks that I may consume. So I don't know where you are getting your info.

Lisa...I know what you are talking about...I'll cut and paste some stats here regarding the amazing benefits of water:

* 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. (Likely applies to half
of the worlds population.)

* In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism
is so weak that it is often mistaken for hunger.

* Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as much as 3%.

* One glass of water shuts down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of
the dieters studied in a U-Washington study.

* Lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.

* Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.

* A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.

* Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer
by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50%
less likely to develop bladder cancer.


So...DRINK YOUR WATER EVERYONE!

God Bless You All!

Love, Di <IMG SRC="http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif">

Kennedy

You actually CAN drink too much water. When I was on ********* I had to drink so much water I honestly felt like I was drowning and my doctor said top cut my intake to about 6-8 glasses a day and no more because we dion't need more than that technically. When I did that I was still peeing alot but with cutting the water I felt sooo much better it was unbelievable.


Also water is not necessary to lose weight like people say.A coupl;e months after the birth of my daughter I lost all my water and hated the stuff so I drank a few cans of diet coke after dinner and in between meals...never straight water and lost 18 lbs in a month and went on to lose another 30 that way. So I am not a big believer in water for weight loss unless you like to lose water first. I still don't drink alot at all since ********* and haven't had a problem losing weight when I want to. So basically yes you can drink too much but your body will tell you when its had enough.<p>[This message has been edited by Kennedy (edited 02-05-2001).]

Di

Kennedy,

I do agree...if a person is drinking like 5 gallons of water a day...that's probably too much. But like your doctor told you, drink 6 - 8 glasses per day. That is a rule of thumb for most docs...at least all doctors I have talked to say 8 glasses per day.

Love, Di <IMG SRC="http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif">

skip_to_my_lou

You should drink as much water as your body needs. Just as long as you're drinking some water and are hydrated, you're fine. My mom went to a nutritionists type workshop which said that you don't have to drink 8, 8 oz glasses of water. Just drink as much as you need. It should also be room temperature intead of cold like we usually like it. That's what she told me afterwards.

I still can't stomach that much water. I'm trying, but I don't like the bland taste. After a while I feel like I'm flooded and overflowing. I'd rather drink orange juice, V8 splash, or pure sugarless (yes I'm wierd) cranberry juice. I was drinking a lot of pop (yes I call it pop, not soda <IMG SRC="http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/wink.gif">), but I've recently cut it out completely for a while to break me of the awful caffine/high sugar cycle.

It's just a personal preference I guess.

Loreli

Yes, It's better to drink your water room temperature. Also drinking tea and coffee and things like that contermand the effects of drinking water because they are diaretics so if you're going to drink those types of things you need to drink even more than 8 - 8oz. glasses of water a day to still get your quota!

arkie6

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Di:
<B>You said you drink a gallon, which is only 64 ounces.</B><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

A gallon contains 128 ounces, which is the equivalent of 16 8oz glasses.

Eureka

I never drink any water. I lost over 100 lbs four years ago and have kept all except for 10 lbs of it off since then (through diet and excercise).

I asked my doctor about the water is a "miracle cure" claim that the weight watchers people were telling us then and he laughed and said it is true that people need aproximately 1/2 gallon of water daily, but it doesn't matter what "form" the water is in, whether fruits, vegetables or diet coke (as I prefer mine). He said overingestion of water for people with no underlying health problems usually does no more harm than causing frequent urination, and it's a "cheap form of 'snake oil' and makes people feel good about doing something about their weight problem". Also he said it helps people feel full.

auntjudyg

Gosh . . . the range of opinions here is surprising. Well, even the Government recommends 8 glasses a day (8 oz. glasses, or 64 oz. total) as a MINIMUM.

Many years ago I read of a case of someone with an eating disorder who consumed large amounts of water, and it was believed that this contributed to her death. They estimated, though, that she was drinking upwards of 4 to 6 gallons a day.

TrickyDick

Two things that have not been mentioned.
1. The quality of the water consumed.
2. The enviroment in which the person is living and working in.
Both are important and should be considered.
Personally (first person experience) If I do not drink 12 or more glasses of water daily I develop kidney stones. It took me over 12 years to figure this out. Three urologists never even mentioned it to me. I determined by a little research that increasing water intake would help in preventing stones.
When I brought it up to one doctor, he said (in an offhand manner). "Well, just drink as much as you think you need".
Which proved to me that he either had no idea (clueless).
Or he was embarressed that he had not instructed me to increase my water intake.
I think I'll go with the second.
Peace

bradb2001

Drinking any fluids with a meal is bad! It disolves stomach acids which are used to break down fat! Wait 15 minutes after eating or before eating.