Water Addiction?? Anyone else??

So I have been on my diet and exercise routine for a month.  Age 22, 5'3", weight 150, goal 120, started June 6. Eat moderately through the day, 1600,  drink about 1-2 pots of tea as well.  I exercise 5-6 days during the week: 45min on elliptical everyday, 15 min weights every other day  (arm exercises, squats, lunges etc.), Once a week Zumba class, 60 mins.

Now, when I work out on my elliptical, by about 30 mins I end up chugging my whole water bottle!! Sometimes I go through two water bottles during the 45 mins.  It is like my body needs the water to go on, as if I had not had a drink of water all day.  Also, I do sweat alot during exercise, so I dont believe I am dehydrated.  I am confused due to the fact I am drinking so much tea during the day, that I feel my body should be hydrated enough.  But it still ends up the same way everytime...Chugging.

Is this normal? Am I over hydrated? Under? Muscles retaining the water??Perhaps its just how my body reacts to working out?

Thanks for any help!

i drink room temp water all day long, probably between 50 and 70 oz. more when its hot (it was 107 here yesterday) i drink differing amounts after i work out depending what i do.

if i dont drink my usual water intake during the day, my body is always thirsty like it expects that much. i dont drink anything else except a few cups of black coffee and milk and beer on occasion.

maybe drink more water during the day if it bothers you to chug so much.

Well tea is your culprit, and I'll tell you why.

Depending on the type of tea you drink your consuming between 20-50 grams of caffeine per cup, and caffeine is a natural dieuretic. 2 pots of it during the day, and your body will be bound to get dehydrated. Which is why you should drink extra-water just incase.

Drink about 1-2 glasses of water an hour before you exercise and you might avoid dehydration. But for the whole day I suggest you drink atleast 2 liters or 3 becaues you drink lots of tea and undergo heavy exercise.

Also, you shouldn't wait till your thirsty when drinking water, by the time you are thirsty your body is really dehydrated so make sure you drink regularly.

45 minutes of cardio is too much, consider doing HIIT more effective against your fight with fat and consumes less of your time =]

Drink water before the exercise.

Also if you had the same amount of liquids (water, tea, coffee, etc.) before you started your diet+exercise you'll need more water now that you exercise since you sweat more now than before.

wait wait...so are people saying that its bad to drink that much water during a work out?

i dance and when i dance i go through 2 bottles of water. i never saw this as a problem, i always thought it was a great thing.

no priceless i dont think so. not unless you are drinking diuretics all day and not any water until workout time.

Your kidneys, if healthy can process up to 4 gallons of water a day (not all at once though).  It is better to drink constantly throughout the day if possible.  Coffee and Tea count towards your water needs as their diuretic reaction is insignificant.  It would help to know the amounts (i.e. ounces, liters) you are drinking instead of pots and bottles.  But assuming your pots came from a normal store and not one atop a beanstalk, I think you are fine.

Watch the color of your urine, it should be closer to the clarity of water and further from yellow, unless you are taking a multivitamin and then watch for darker yellow as a sign of dehydration or check right before you take it. 

Even better try eating more of your water with things like watermelon and cucumbers.

Of the thesis booklet of addictions I have, water ain't one of them! I drink approx 2 gallons of water a day but have to remind myself to do it. 

So, you are saying you drink approx 16 oz of water in a 45 min period. That is OK.

I'd be more concerned with how much tea you drink during the day...although I am brain dead without my caffeine in the morning, I try and limit it to no more than 2 -3 cups [or one venti size] in a day. What exactly is 1-2 pots of tea equal?

Original Post by fourfolks:

Coffee and Tea count towards your water needs as their diuretic reaction is insignificant. 

Actually their diuretic reaction is significant...coffee has atleast 80 mg of caffeine per 250 ml cup, depending on the species, cultivation, and processing it could be more. The same with tea, black tea has atleast 50 mg of caffeine in it. As caffeine passes through the body it dehydrates it. If you noticed, after drinking a cup of coffee how you'd feel a bit thirsty, or how about experimenting with your body a little bit. Try to pea an hour after drinking coffee...that might tell you how significant their diuretic reactions are...

All this said without meaning to be rude if I sounded rude =]

Original Post by mr_omario:

Original Post by fourfolks:

Coffee and Tea count towards your water needs as their diuretic reaction is insignificant. 

 

Actually their diuretic reaction is significant...coffee has atleast 80 mg of caffeine per 250 ml cup, depending on the species, cultivation, and processing it could be more. The same with tea, black tea has atleast 50 mg of caffeine in it. As caffeine passes through the body it dehydrates it. If you noticed, after drinking a cup of coffee how you'd feel a bit thirsty, or how about experimenting with your body a little bit. Try to pea an hour after drinking coffee...that might tell you how significant their diuretic reactions are...

All this said without meaning to be rude if I sounded rude =]

You are not being rude, just sharing your knowledge, and that is what these forums are meant to be for. 

NYTimes

“In the 10 studies reviewed, consumption of a caffeinated beverage resulted in 0 to 84 percent retention of the initial volume ingested, whereas consumption of water resulted in 0 to 81 percent retention.”

Wikipedia Click on section 2.10 to find this reference -

Contrary to popular belief, caffeine does not act as a diuretic when consumed in moderation, and does not lead to dehydration or to a water-electrolyte imbalance; current evidence suggests that caffeinated beverages contribute to the body's daily fluid requirements no differently than pure water does.[25][26][27][28]

Ah...great sources.

Thank you for clearing that up fourfolks =D

Though on another note...I don't suppose your going to have a cup of coffee right after-running now would you =P

Original Post by mr_omario:

Ah...great sources.

Thank you for clearing that up fourfolks =D

Though on another note...I don't suppose your going to have a cup of coffee right after-running now would you =P

You know all that information will be different in months or maybe years. 

I try to stick mostly to water with a little tea or coffee each day, and water only during my workout followed up by skim milk with whey and a shot of espresso.

I don't think drinking water while working out is a BAD thing. If I drank 2 bottles of water during a work out I'd probably vomit. But if you feel fine doing it, then more power to ya.

I drink approx 1-1.5 gallons of water a day. You're fine. If you drink upwards of a gallon, just don't cut back on too much sodium.

I would love to say that I'm addicted to water. I can only drink it when I'm working out, especially in Spin class. Consider yourself lucky because water does the body good.

If I consume more water before a workout I tend to sweat more during said workout.  YOu should drink at least 8 oz of water an hour or so before working out- and there is nothin wrong with drinking water if needed while working out.

I carry a 96 oz of water with me put it in the freezer at work take it out around noon go to gym after work and start drinking it then and have it gone 2 hours later when I get home

I drink coffee in the am 1/2 reg 1/2 decaf then switch to decafed diet dr pepper the rest of the day

Also if you are drinking herbal teas these are decaffed so wouldn't impact the diuretic effect if there is one.

I make sure to drink at least 3/4 of a gallon to a gallon per day of water. I will get a gallon bottle and fill it up with water. Then I will use that as my water supply for the day. Once the water is gone, I don't drink anymore. It is good to get a lot of water, but getting too much can be a bad thing.

If you run out of water for the day and still need something to drink - try Minute Maid Light Lemonade. A 12 OZ can only has five cals, no sugar, and is very low in sodium. The best part is that it actually tastes like lemonade and unlike soda, lemonade actually helps with thirst. It feels great to be able to drink something out of a can without feeling guilty. I still won't touch diet soda though.