Does everyone get enough water?

I've read that 20% of water comes from food and to have 8 eight ounce glasses. This seems like it wouldn't be a problem getting in, especially with a workout.

I have been really concerned with my water intake. I have a bottle near me ALL the time, but I just gotta know.... are most people confident that they get their recommended daily water?

the 8 oz of water is a myth.  Drink when you are thirsty and you will get all of the water your body needs.

I don't go by the ounces rule; I go by the color of my urine.  Sorry if this is TMI, but if my urine is a very, very pale yellow by late afternoon, I know that I've taken in enough water.  I keep an eye on the color after I use the restroom to help me determine if I need to drink more.  Kind of a wierd thing to do, but there's a lot to this concept!

One of the best healthy eating tips I received was to be sure to take plenty of sips of water as you eat.  A sip between every other bite has been a great rule of thumb for me.  Before, I hardly ever touched my water while eating.  What a difference it makes!

Original Post by butterflymed:

the 8 oz of water is a myth.  Drink when you are thirsty and you will get all of the water your body needs.

While I agree no one knows where the myth came from, can it be all that bad? At least if you are drinking water, you are not drinking soda, coffee, alcoholic beverages, or other unhealthy substitutes. I have always been a heavy water drinker, around 2 gallons a day, a couple bladder / kidney infections when I was much younger showed me the light about some of the good things about being hydrated.

I drink A LOT of water and a lot of herbal tea...from 8-12 glasses a day. But I'm also active with running, very tall, I live in a drier country, and sweat in an infared sauna about every other day.

It helps to drink 2 glasses before each meal and then 2 after dinner. I love water!!!!

Kauffmkk

That isn't TMI at all! In fact that is why I posted this, mostly because I know mine hasn't been clear all the while. My hands are always cracking dry, but I live in MN so that's just the weather for ya.

 I'm mostly concerned for the fact that I am replenishing, especially with an added work out to the day. I think it's most likely I am replenished but from the mayo website I saw that your not only supposed to drink when you are thristy, but more.

Original Post by kaufmkk:

I don't go by the ounces rule; I go by the color of my urine.  Sorry if this is TMI, but if my urine is a very, very pale yellow by late afternoon, I know that I've taken in enough water.  I keep an eye on the color after I use the restroom to help me determine if I need to drink more.  Kind of a wierd thing to do, but there's a lot to this concept!

 

This is exactly what my doctor told me to do.

I have read so many things about water intake.  Some say 8-8oz glasses, others say take your body weight/2 and drink that many ounces....I drink as much as I can and most days I force it.  I keep 75 oz jug on my desk and try to drain during the work day. 

The more I drink water, the better I feel.  Mentally I visualize all the little fat cells draining out of my body.  No too much info on color of urine...good indicator.

I always either have a bottle of water or my 16 oz starbucks cup filled. by the end of a work day I would have taken in about 32-48 oz's. I also go by the color of my urine. If its pale I know im hydrated. I never go by if Im thirsty, by the time you feel thirsty your already dehydrated and you would need to get water in your soon.

The past year or so I've been terrible with my water intake. These days my liquids come in the form of coffee and Coke Zero. Bad, I know.

Original Post by gem86:

I always either have a bottle of water or my 16 oz starbucks cup filled. by the end of a work day I would have taken in about 32-48 oz's. I also go by the color of my urine. If its pale I know im hydrated. I never go by if Im thirsty, by the time you feel thirsty your already dehydrated and you would need to get water in your soon.

 Exactly!

If you are thirsty you are already dehydrated! Colour of urine is the way to know for sure.

For me - It depends on the day. If I'm busy at work or out and about on the weekend I'm less likely to get my liquids in. However slow days in the office or lounging around the house I can most certainly guarantee my water intake is perfect!

I read somewhere that you need 8 8oz glasses of water a day plus an additional 8oz for every 25 lbs you want to lose.

Original Post by kaufmkk:

One of the best healthy eating tips I received was to be sure to take plenty of sips of water as you eat.  A sip between every other bite has been a great rule of thumb for me.  Before, I hardly ever touched my water while eating.  What a difference it makes!

I have been drinking about four 20 ounce bottles a day at work, one after work during my workout, then usually a 20 ounce glass with dinner. My urine is not just pale yellow but sometimes white. I may be drinking too much water??? I really do not know, I do know that I have increased my bathroom visits substantially....and that part of it drives me crazy!

So is it bad if you're not drinking pure water??

I used to drink my liquids in the form of Coffee, tea, and those drink packets you pour in the water.  I noticed since weaning myself off each one my urine has become paler... I am also feeling better because I am using less caffeine but that is a different story...

flstf -- don't worry, it's actually really hard to drink too much water unless you're in the midst of extended strenuous activity and taking in tons of water at the same time.  At that point, it can upset your electrolyte balance and cause what's called 'water intoxication,' which can even lead to death.  However, it's extremely rare (see wikipedia here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_intoxicati on), and most of us will never even meet somebody's who has experienced water intoxication, let alone experience it ourselves.

Many doctors advocate drinking enough water that your urine runs clear, so it sounds like you're on top of the water angle :D  Basically, you're giving your kidneys more solvent to do their job with, and that helps keep them happy.

Rlopez -- there's some disagreement over whether only pure water 'counts,' but a goodly number of actual medical types have observed that the water in juices, teas, and, yes, even sodas still counts (caffienated sodas are a different artice -- caffiene is a diuretic, so you may wind up losing more water than you gain).  In other words, it's better to drink something than to drink nothing, unless the something in question is inherently bad for you or will result in a net loss in hydration (like alcohol or caffiene).

The water in my office is filtered, and every now and something goes awry and it tastes really weird.  I can't drink it when that happens without doing something to it (usually, I make iced tea).  I'm losing weight just fine and I'm pretty darned healthy, so I don't think drinking tea or water with lemon or drink packets is really going to hurt anything (unless you're sensitive to the aspartame in the drink packets, which I am, which is another story entirely).

Kokorozashi----Thanks for the info. I was starting to worry that I may be taking in too much water. The only thing that I am not loving about drinking so much water is the constant bathroom trips....but on the bright side the restrooms are about 200 yards away from my office so I am getting more exercise. I am also loosing weight so I am going to try to continue with the water drinking. Once again thanks for the info it was very insightful.

I don't like water, so most of the water I get is through drinking herbal tea or diluted fruit juice. 

I am not a water drinker either, but since I found Special K2O I cannot drink enough of it!  You can buy it prepackaged in bottles or buy packets with powder you add to a bottle of water.  It adds flavor to the water (there's Kiwi-Strawberry, Mixed Berry, Pink Lemonade and Iced Tea), protein and fiber, and there's no sugar in it.  It's only like 30 calories, and if you drink it between meals, it helps to curb your hunger too!  I cannot drink enough water now - and it even makes drinking plain water taste good after.

Original Post by butterflymed:

the 8 oz of water is a myth.  Drink when you are thirsty and you will get all of the water your body needs.

Actually, when I was in the Air Force they told us that by the time you feel thirsty, you are already in a state of dehydration. Keep water with you at ALL times. Espacially if you work out a lot or are trying to loose weight.

Also, you CAN over hydrate. This will flush out many of your minerals which can hinder your progress. I know I am not answering your question, but i did want to let every one know about the thirsty thing.

Im still trying to figure out if I drink too much!  I asked the question yesterday in the forums and I am now in a state of confusion.

I drink a gallon (or sometimes more) in a day.  Thats 128 oz.  I've always been told water was good for the skin and weightloss.  I was always told that your urine should never be yellow (I don't know where I heard this but I remember it from when I was younger).  My urine has absolutely no color a little after lunch and for the rest of the day.