Can one Drink too much Water????

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7/2/12 11:31 A

I agree with Unident that the 8 cups of water recommendation is a myth or maybe more accurately stated a huge oversimplification/generalization of human water needs. Our bodies need water for sure, and work best when well hydrated. Scientific studies have shown that even as little as 2% dehydration can reduce both our physical and mental capacities and unfortunately thirst doesn't set in until about 2% dehydration. That is why you hear the recommendation to hydrate a little at a time throughout the day rather than just wait until you are thirsty and drink a ton at once. 8 cups a day is a catchy recommendation which is easy to understand by the general population and well intentioned (after all hydrating is good). If your campaign said first take a look at your activity level and exercise, judge how much you sweat, then take into consideration your diet (do you eat a lot of water-rich foods like fruit and vegetables), also consider your climate (if you live someplace like Texas you will need more water in general than say Maine where it isn't so hot) and even seasonal changes affect your water needs. That is not as catchy as "drink 8 cups a day" and people would just throw up their hands in frustration...but it is the real answer. That is why 8 cups doesn't provide a legitimate answer, some people may need less and some may need a lot more depending on our individual circumstances. Also, medical issues can affect your needs as well like the kidney problems earlier in the thread. If you have no health problems, 8 cups is probably not a bad starting goal but I wouldn't feel bad or stress if you don't hit it every day. Some very active people may definitely need more than 8 cups as well. Pay attention to the feedback from your body and if you find yourself thirsty a lot during the day, I would look at your normal water consumption and increase it a bit to try to avoid being in a thirsty state most of the time. After all, no one knows your body like you do.
I wish you all the best of luck in your quests to a healthier you.

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7/2/12 2:27 A

240NOMORE1 yes, 3 litres of water daily is well within a safe amount.

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7/2/12 12:29 A

WHY would anyone want to drink TOO MUCH water? There are simple quantity guidelines and then you make common sense adjustments for foods very high in fluid (soup, watermelon, canteloupe, pineapple, etc.) Use common sense and thrive.

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7/1/12 9:38 P

I started out unable, practically, to drink 2 liters of water per day, but now I find I'm drinking almost 3 liters per day. I don't feel dizzy or sick. Is it OK to drink 3 liters of water per day?

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3/13/12 10:12 A

I did drink too much yesterday. Spent half of my day in the toilet.

Edited by: CLEVENT at: 3/13/2012 (10:17)

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3/13/12 2:44 A

Will surely keep drinking water and still count my calories and exercise. I was just worried that not being able to drink as much water would hinder my weight loss but after reading all that I've regained my confidence!

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3/13/12 1:37 A

Bear in mind that, on an unthreaded message board such as this, if I mistakenly thought you were talking to the person with kidney issues, SHE may have as well.

If you're responding to someone in particular, especially if your advice is hazardous to anyone else who's posted in the thread, it's a good idea to include their name in your post, as you just did responding to me. :)

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3/12/12 3:31 P

Unident -

I guess you missed the entire "everyone is different and you need to find what works for you".... I was not responding to "someone with kidney problems"... i was responding to you... and the original poster ~ sorry if this upsets you :-)

I'm not arguing with you on this topic.... we can agree to disagree ~ "find what works for you"!

Edited by: MOMCHEERS at: 3/12/2012 (15:31)

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3/12/12 2:35 P

The 8 glasses thing came from an original study which concluded that this was the volume of water an average human body needed daily - but drinking 8 glasses ignores that you do get quite a lot of water out of your food choices.

It really is a myth! It can be helpful for some people to aim for 8 glasses, but I don't think it's very helpful to come on and respond to someone with kidney problems if they get close to that volume and reiterate that they should still try to make that! That's unhealthy and potentially harmful.

Check out this sparker's page on a lot of water myths:
www.sparkpeople.com/mypage.asp?id=NOTBLUSH
ING

Plus this spark article admitting it's a myth but pushing for it for other reasons (which the previous poster should ignore as she has medical reasons not to drink so much)
www.sparkpeople.com/community/ask_the_expe
rts.asp?q=81

You can "respectfully disagree" with the bulk of scientific knowledge on the subject if you like. That's your right.

Edited by: UNIDENT at: 3/12/2012 (15:02)

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3/12/12 2:20 P

I respectfully disagree with your "The whole 8 glasses thing is a total myth anyway..."

There are many studies that prove that drinking water flushes things from your system. It is very unheathly to be dehydrated on a normal basis. Water helps all of the systems function properly.

Everyone is different so you have to find what works for you, but people on average should shoot for the 8 glasses ( aka 64 oz ~ 1/2 gallon ~ 8 cups) per day. Regardless of if you believe it helps to lose weight or not, your body needs water!

Edited by: MOMCHEERS at: 3/12/2012 (14:20)

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3/12/12 2:10 P

That'll have no effect on you losing weight. Drinking water does NOT make you lose weight, so not being able to drink much water isn't going to prevent you from losing weight!

The whole 8 glasses thing is a total myth anyway, so relax.

Just drink water as your drink of choice when you actually are thirsty, and keep your diet in check and get regular moderate exercise.

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3/12/12 9:44 A

I got really scared yesterday so I've only drank about 20oz of water today.

I forgot when I was younger I had near kidney failure on top of a whole bunch of other stuff that stuck me in the hospital for 2 weeks and kept me bed ridden the whole summer... I haven't had my kidneys checked since (I don't have the $$ to do tests). I started drinking 64oz a day about 4 or 5 days ago when I found this awesome site.. My feet and calves started swelling and my heart palpitations were worse then normal.

I called my doc and he said I could still have kidney issues and to not drink so much water and they want me to come in for testing but again I can't afford it. bleh.. I also lead a rather sedentary lifestyle. All my work is at a computer desk. So I don't sweat much..

After not drinking any water today but a minimal amount the swelling went back down after about 12 hours.

Just worried now that it will be harder for me to loose weight since my body obviously cannot handle so much water..

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2/18/12 11:23 P

thank you everyone for clearing that up for me. I do appreciate it.

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2/18/12 2:19 P

Drinking too much water can flush the electrolytes out of your system. If you're not doing an activity that is causing you to overly sweat, a gallon of water a day should be enough.

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2/18/12 1:54 P

You can drink more water than is necessary, but it's very difficult to actually harm yourself by drinking too much water.

Overdrinking your water isn't hamrful, when it's not significantly excessive.

Unless you're drinking gallons in minutes, or else drinking more than I would say around 20 glasses a day, you don't need to worry.

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2/18/12 11:40 A

If your kidneys are normal, you don't need to worry. People can get sick if they drink huge amounts of water all at once and don't use the bathroom, or if they're losing salts for other reasons (like inexperienced runners who do a marathon in hot weather,) but drinking water throughout the day isn't going to hurt you.

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2/18/12 11:39 A

Yes you can drink too much water, but I don't think the amount you are drinking is too much. You have to drink a LOT of water for it to have negative effects on your system.

A few years ago a family member was hospitalized with what everyone thought was a stroke. It turns out she was drinking so much water her sodium levels were extremely low. She had to stay in the hospital until they were able to safely increase her sodium.

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2/18/12 11:33 A

Hi, im a big fan of drinking lots of water. However if you drink to mucch it dilutes your blood and the salt levels which is bad, but i dont think your drinking enough to do that :)

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2/18/12 8:58 A

I know that drinking water is healthy and if fills the space where your hunger is however, can one drink too much water??? The reason why I ask is that I work in a health care field and I drink lots of water, at least 12 + per day and when I asked one of the nurses I work with she said that I could be drinking too much water. Is this true.

Can one drink too much as apposed to not enough?

That said I was also wondering if your bodies water percent should be at a certain rate?

You see I have this scale that measures body fat, fat percent, BMI, Water Bone Mass, well you know what I mean and besides my fat it says that my water is sitting at 49.9% I am confused. Can anyone enlighten me please?

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