Water

brotherjohn · Post by **brotherjohn** » Tue Jul 10, 2007 3:41 pm

I am interested to know what everyone's personal plan is when it comes to drinking water each day.

The old rule of thumb was 8 glasses a day. When I was doing Weight Watchers, the conventional wisdom was 1 ounce for every 2 pounds of body weight. At the time that came up to 105 ounces of water a day. (I think somebody died from that trying to win a video game console not to long ago....

) {Please note that this was the CW from people on a WW bulletin board, not the official Weight Watchers reccommendation.}

I have really settled on a policy yet. I have decided to work on one habit at a time. Right now, that is nos. But I plan to add more habits, as these new things become habits!

I am looking forward to hearing from everyone!

blessings,

Brother John

shorthouse3000 · Post by **shorthouse3000** » Tue Jul 10, 2007 5:52 pm

I do one of two things:

1. If you are eating 3 meals a day drink a 20oz bottle of water with each meal. If you don't finish it take it with you. That will get you reasonably close to 8 cups a day.

2. Carry a 64oz watter bottle with you and make sure you finish it before you go to bed. Not practical in every situation, I do this when I'm going to be home most of the day.

Jammin' Jan · Post by **Jammin' Jan** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 1:40 am

I eat a lot of fruits and veggies, so I really don't get too thirsty. I don't usually do caffeine, which is dehydrating. When I am outside walking in the heat, I take a water bottle with me and drink as much as I want. That's about it for my water-drinking plan.

ThomsonsPier · Post by **ThomsonsPier** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 8:36 am

There is no hard and fast rule for the quantity of water you should drink. Thirst is still the best guide, so listening to your body and giving it what it needs is a better option than arbitrarily deciding on a number and sticking to it.

Hydration is subject to a great many factors, both internal and external; diet (the digestion of protein uses a lot of water in the process), ambient temperature and humidity, for example. Assigning yourself a fixed amount per day is like going on a diet (in the modern sense of the word) rather than eating mindfully, and we all know how that turns out.

The '8 glasses of water a day' thing is, as always, the result of a media misinterpreted soundbite. The same is true for the '5 a day' for vegetables currently so beloved of the UK media.

This seems to have turned into a rant. Oops. Sorry.

I did try to drink a certain quantity of water every day a while ago and found that on one day I'd be permanently thirsty and the next forever needing to use the toilet. Trying to analyse every aspect of my life and surroundings to optimise water intake would have necessitated keeping track of a hundred things at once. In the end, it's easier (and probably healthier) to drink when you're thirsty.

navin · Post by **navin** » Wed Jul 11, 2007 11:14 pm

In the end, it's easier (and probably healthier) to drink when you're thirsty.

The exception to that is if you're exercising:
http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/hydr ... 41103a.htm

Post by **reinhard** » Thu Jul 12, 2007 2:19 pm

I have to admit, I don't think a lot about this. Unlike hunger for food, I think thirst actually is a good mechanism to regulate water intake (unless you're hiking in the desert or running a marathon).

The one reason I might advise being more systematic about it is if it helps distract you from the munchies (thirst is often mistaken for hunger).

Reinhard

silverfish · Post by **silverfish** » Thu Jul 12, 2007 10:51 pm

I've heard (here?) that a good way to painlessly make sure you have some degree of hydration is to sit down to a meal, have a glass of water before you start eating, one during and one after you finish.

I always have water at my desk at work, and it can help with random hunger pains, but I notice that on weekends when I drink less I get headaches. Hydration headaches or withdrawal symptoms?

Of course, the weekend headaches probably have a number of factors: abrupt removal of stress, actual sunlight (it burns, it burns), more sugar than usual, less caffeine and less water. All self-inflicted.

szymon · Post by **szymon** » Fri Jul 13, 2007 8:15 am

reinhard wrote:I have to admit, I don't think a lot about this. Unlike hunger for food, I think thirst actually is a good mechanism to regulate water intake (unless you're hiking in the desert or running a marathon).

The one reason I might advise being more systematic about it is if it helps distract you from the munchies (thirst is often mistaken for hunger).

Reinhard

This is very true. I've been drinking all the time this week - at least seven or eight one litre bottles each day - because I drink whenever I start to feel peckish.

-simon