Water.

[moo]

I have been wondering how healthy it is to go days with drinking little water/liquids. Today for example today I had gatorade, Iced tea, and a cup of normal tea, on top of having had a track race.
Other days I go with maybe just a carton of school millk



Also a bit off topic, anyone ever have days where they just do not feel hungry, and only eat maybe two times, and very light meals. Recently my body has just not been craving food as much, so today all I had was an egg this morning, a brownie, chips, and some pelmeni in the afternoon.

[NERD]

As long as it is some form of water, you should be able to survive- gatorade, tea (chilled or served hot) are all mainly water, and as long as you don't have any dehydration or water intoxication issues, you should be fine. Remember, there's enough fluids in the foods you consume as well.

Nowadays going on with just two meals a day is not uncommon for me as I often skip breakfast, and it's hard to sit down and eat due to my schedule. College should come with a lunch break, I say. But, when I can, I can eat more than four meals a day, depending on the food and the portions. People do fast, you know.

[moo]

See the water thing was just today, Some days I drink alot more, and others I barely touch anything.

And the food thing. It is on top of somedays not having the chance to eat. I seem to be experiencing a loss of apetite alltogether, like even if I had food to eat, I would not go get it.

[Kusoyaro]

I usually eat whenever I can though. i eat a LOT, too. You seriously don't want to tally up my food expenses. I drink literally over 4 litres of water a day. At least. It works as teh best fuckign appetite suppresant on the faxce of this planet, and if you know what your doing, it can help you lose tons. My parents were pretty fuckign fat, over 200, I forced them to go ona water-diet with tons of salad, and now they're pretty normal sized.
Also, it aids in the formation of cartlidige, gelatin and shit, or if you trick or do any MA, it helps a lot. You get more energy and everything. No way I would put any of that other crap in me (except coffee...yes i know). If I need sugar, I take some dextrose (glucose) or just mix in some sugar. Milk is fucking terrible, too, shit. Soy milk for me!! I refuse to drink bovine lactose, ever.
The only thing I eat regularly is water, salad, cofee, peanut-butter toast, and shie kulfi/curry, or whateverthefuck it's called.

It's not a bad thign if you lose your appetite or anthing, that's just bullshit other people say. Fuck, if you feel bad, stop it, otherwise do whatever your body wants. i'm very holistic. It's part of my Aquarian nature.

[FireWolf238]

moo: you should srink alot. i intake anywhere from 2-3 liters of water a day. er i also eat alot, too much even it seems. my daliy load is 7.5-10 miles per day, 6 days of active load

[moo]

err active load?

And I do not take any supplements of any sort, I just have nothing pulling me towards taking them, and if Anything I would love to gain another 30-40 pounds ( of muscle preferably)

[NERD]

In my opinion, there's no 'right' amount of water you can drink everyday. As long as you are alive, well, it means that there's no need for less or more fluids in your body. Obviously athletes do tend to go through more water.

[moo]

Well theres one thing to being alive, but slowely killing your body is another. For example too much water screws with your bodys salt content.

[Kusoyaro]

no, your body just resets the levels on its own (i drink "too much" water, my salt levels are fine), it's rather adaptable if your not doing anything too damaging to it. After all, water is the ONLY thing that every human will inbibe and has ever taken throughout evolution. It's fuckign written in our ciode. No way that shit can screw us up unless you drink like 5 litres at once.
People should really get a fuill checkup every other month, it helps with your training (if your training at all). I've been doing it since I was 16, and it has shown me and my doc a very intersting thing: my body automatically craves things it needs. He gave me this reason but basically it just translates into new age bullshit which isn't really "new age" at all but rather embeded into our bodies and shit.

fucking newage.

[Cybren]

you don't usually need to drink a seperate source of water, most people get enough water just from food they eat.

[Kusoyaro]

lol where the hell did you hear that crap? i know for a fact that in order to stay healthy yiou need to drink at least 4 cups a day. i drink 4 litres, but thats because i do a lot of physical shit. man, thats wierd, no water?!

[setrict]

If you don't have enough water, your body can adapt - at long term damage to your Kidneys and other organs. I used to drink a ton of coffee/soda/tea, and maybe just a little water at night. Eventually it caught up with me, causing Kidney pain and stones. Probably long term damage too.

Increasing water intake helped a ton with the Kidney's, and it made me feel a lot better too. I try to drink a gallon a day in addition to other fluids, and it's made a tremendous difference. I've always been told that if your urine is dark yellow (like Mtn Dew) and smells, you are not drinking enough water.

You have to drink a LOT of water (my weight chart said 4 gallons) in a day for it to be dangerous to your salt levels.

[NERD]

Again, it's a no brainer that if you do a lot of physical activities then you have to drink more fluids to replenish the lost amount of fluids in your body. Duh.

As with everything, too much or too little amount of water intake can be harmful for your body, but, most of the time people seem to know when they need water and how much they need. It's something called thirst.

There's good amount of fluids in foods consumed everyday, unless you are eating something that is dry-freezed for three meals a day. Also, given the fact that majority of the water consumed is used for digestion, if you are not eating a lot, then you don't need a lot of fluids. The reason that athletic people need more water is because they also eat more often, trying to replenish the lost calories during their activities.

[mawande]

Fatty foods are generally low in usable water. Half a grapefruit with every meal is helpful, too. Protein helps burn fat, especially belly fat. Thigh fat is more difficult to burn.

Drink water. Eat food. Do not give up either. As a general rule, you should have something to eat every four hours, preferably starting your work-day with a decent-sized breakfast. If all else fails, carry a sandwich in your briefcase, backpack, whatever you have. A chocolate bar. Of course, make sure whatever you're eating is not going to give you an allergic reaction or poison you.

Certain spicy foods have capsaicin, which mades your nose run and eyes tear. Sip milk or eat chocolate to get the stuff off of your tongue. Chose fiber-heavy foods. "Drinking water helps you sidestep joint pain." "Drinking four 8-oz. glasses a day dilutes uric acid, helping flush it from your system before it can crystallize in joints."

Food-wise, omega-3 fatty acids are good for you, fish have them. Soy nuts give you isoflavones which are good when you have high blood pressure. Walnuts can help lower cholesterol levels (omega-3 fats there, too). Spinach helps heal damaged cells. Natural powdered dark cocoa can also help lower blood pressure. Mar's CocaVia and Hershey's Extra Dark Products are actually good for you. "Eating them offers the same nutritional benefits as 3 cups of tea or 1 1/3 cups of blueberries."

[CNagy]

Excessive water only screws with your salt (and other nutrients) when you hit the 2.5 gallon per day mark (for an average sized adult.)

Drink water. Drink it. Keep drinking it. The health benefits of drinking water are quite good. Drink it until your urine is clear. ::is a water junkie::

[Psychochink]

Anybody who says that you don't need to drink water is a moron. The vast majority of people walk around in a pretty-much permanent state of dehydration, they just don't realise it.

Hell, in a lot of people the thirst impulse is so weak it's mistaken for hunger.

[mawande]

OH YES, Psychochink! I realized that when I was dieting! Told it to my students, too. "You know, half the time when you're feeling a little bit hungry, you aren't really hungry, you're actually thirsty."

I don't think they believed me. Pity, it's an easy way to reduce calories. Of course, sometimes you're hungry too and you shouldn't go more than four hours without eating anything.

[NERD]

Anybody who says that you don't need to drink water is a moron. The vast majority of people walk around in a pretty-much permanent state of dehydration, they just don't realise it.

Hell, in a lot of people the thirst impulse is so weak it's mistaken for hunger.

Thank you for calling me a moron.

[slinky]

The vast majority of people walk around in a pretty-much permanent state of dehydration, they just don't realise it.

I call BS. (http://www.snopes.com/medical/myths/8glasses.asp)

And the funny thing is that while athetic people do need to consume more water - they are the ones that really have to worry about the sodium and postassium drop more than normal people.

4 gallons a day to drop your sodium levels? Yep - if spread out across the day. Much less than that if consumed in a shorter period of time. And even less if consumed while sweating (salt loss). Especially when people are dieting or not eating as much to replace the minerals and salts.

Yes, drink water. No, don't force feed yourself water to get up to some arbitrary amount. Fruits and veg are %80-95 water, breads and cheese are even %35 water, meat is somewhere in between. You *do* get moisture from your foods - any foods.

And given what the human body needs to survive and the average activity level, of the average American anyway, the stat on people walking around chronically dehydrated is crap. Just another scare tactic.

Learn to listen to your body and its needs instead of listening to people tell you some random level without knowing a thing about you, your diet or your activity level.

[Kusoyaro]

I concur. The fact still remains that the nations where water is suplanted for soda and the like are the fattest nations on earth (first-hand exp.), so while there is an obvious correlation to the types and amounts of foods we consume and our health, there is also a link between the amount of veg/fruit/meat/grain/dairy/water we ingest daily and our overall general health. I have never needed (for at least 10 years) a single acetominaphen or paracetamol, and very rarely, if ever, take antibiotics, because water filters the blood prevernitng lots of preventable ailments, and taking bodacious amounts of fruit/veg/grain/etc ensures that I get al least the minimum amount of shit I need per day.

Of course, anyonec an survive fairly decently by drinking a glassa day and eating shittily, but then your lifespan goes to shit, as does your vitality, libido, mental acumen, etc. TRULY!

[Jon885]

When I drink water a lot my throat ends up feeling odd. I can't describe the feeling. but it does help supress hunger.

[Vic_Rattlehead]

I normally drink around 5 cups of tea a day. And maybe 1 glass of water. Even at the moment I've decided to crack open the Grüner Tee:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v721/deth_head/GrnerTee.jpg :watson:

[Anubis Nine]

I love water so much. I also don't drink water with chlorine in it. (Go figure I don't know how to spell that) City water in my town really sucks. So my parents go to my brothers house. The water he's on is really well known for being clean tasting. (It's basically spring water that comes from his tap)

Mainly, soda is a really big luxury for me. I don't get it very often at all. I drink a lot of tea though.

[NERD]

Soda is generally expensive outside of America... from what I have gathered.

[Rogue_7]

Yeah, water is very improtant. Coming from a super dry place (colorado) and coming from a hiking/ camping background, I got used to drinking a lot of water. I Try for a quart or two a day. Plus milk, and soda sometimes. Its just better for you to keep fully hydrated. And if you are active, then you really gotta push the intake. I remember backpacking they said you needed minimum 4 quarts a day. Otherwise you risked dehydration and then heatstroke. Ive gotten severe dehydration a couple of times from hot springs, and let me tell you thats no fun at all.

[Kass]

you don't usually need to drink a seperate source of water, most people get enough water just from food they eat.

Yeah, if you want your kidneys to shut down.

Trust me, I have had more than my share of kidney stones and other problems. I've spent more time consulting urologists and nutritional experts on hydration and kidney function than I care to measure.

You do absolutely need to consume fluids as in fluid NOT in food, which is often absorbed by your body and not passed through the kidneys.

Water is ideal, but you should intake about 64 ounces of fluid a day. This keeps you hydrated and aids in kidney function. Without enough liquid, the solution in the kidneys is too dense to disolve minerals your body is passing out and the minerals form stones and crystals in your kidneys. These then pass WHOLE through the bladder and ureter and are EXCRUCIATINGLY painful. I'd rather give birth to twins at the same time than pass another kidney stone.

There's a reason the body can go weeks without food but only days without water...

[Anubis Nine]

Soda is generally expensive outside of America... from what I have gathered.

Well here in Canada out of a vending machine they generally cost a dollar or 1.25...

o.O Are they cheaper in the states? o.O

[akitaka]

^anywhere from 25c to 50c for a can, and $1.00 or more for a bottle.

snip
Agreed. And to note, we aren't Koalas; our internals aren't built to store water, and daily, we use up energy and electrolytes at a much higher rate.

Even if you were somehow able to live nutrionally on nothing but watermelons, you'd still need some liquids. Sodas, though they have water in them, retract a lot of benefits from excessive caffeine/corn syrup content. The caffiene alone is a diuretic; though the impact of the problem depends on the person. For this reason, I really worry about my mother's coffee intake; she feels that the caffiene keeps her in balance, able to sleep, etc. (and drinks at least 3-4 cups a day).

By the way, Kass...if you don't mind me asking, how large were the stones that you had?

[paul]

Does soup count?

And omg 64 ounces of water? Thats like 2 Litres!
I have a nalgene bottle thats 32 ounces, if I TRIED to drink 64 ounces I wouldn't be able to oO

If I drank a gulp of water, ever 20 minutes, for a day, the most I think I'd get through is like.. 50 ounces.

[Psychochink]

I call BS. (http://www.snopes.com/medical/myths/8glasses.asp)

And given what the human body needs to survive and the average activity level, of the average American anyway, the stat on people walking around chronically dehydrated is crap. Just another scare tactic.

Learn to listen to your body and its needs instead of listening to people tell you some random level without knowing a thing about you, your diet or your activity level.

Fine you quote Snopes. I will counter with the Institute of Medicine (http://www.iom.edu/CMS/3788/3969/18495.aspx). I could also quote the American Association of Sports Medicine, but they are too easily dismissed by sceptics as 'only applicable to athletes'. Snopes is an interesting site, but the authors don't exactly count as expert opinion. Also note that they were attempting to debunk a very specific junk email.

Note particularly the first two dot points, and the keyword "healthy":

- The vast majority of healthy people adequately meet their daily hydration needs by letting thirst be their guide. The report did not specify exact requirements for water, but set general recommendations for women at approximately 2.7 liters (91 ounces) of total water -- from all beverages and foods -- each day, and men an average of approximately 3.7 liters (125 ounces daily) of total water. The panel did not set an upper level for water.

- About 80 percent of people's total water intake comes from drinking water and beverages -- including caffeinated beverages -- and the other 20 percent is derived from food.

By my calculations, that translates to "healthy" people consuming 2.96 liters of water a day from non-food sources.

Keep in mind that the human body is adaptable, and will adjust itself to whatever you do to it, and therefore will have gotten used to being inadequately hydrated. Hell, when I first started paying proper attention to my fluid intake, it was a struggle to get down two liters. These days, I happily drink three without thinking about it - more on workout days.

Thank you for calling me a moron.

Well I'd use 'wilfully ignorant', but it doesn't have the same snap in a sentence. If it makes you feel better, I'd speak the same way to my friends.

[Kass]

By the way, Kass...if you don't mind me asking, how large were the stones that you had?

Biggest was a little over an inch. That one was blown up. The real crappy part was they were shaped like arrowheads. It seems to be a family thing. all the women in my family have these problems in their 20s. Then we get paranoid and live on cranberry juice and water.

[paul]

Erch 3 LITRES!?!?
>_< I cannot imagine drinking 3 litres of water per day.

The 2 litre milk packages have you seen the size?
They're huge!
3 Liters of water >_< thats insane.

Though I may be biased, sometimes I'm so busy I forget to drink, often times I went 2 or 3 days and drank around 2 glasses of milk. I've often got dizzy from not drinking enough and not sleeping at the same time heh, that teaches me.

[Kass]

Two litres of fluid really isn't that big a deal. People do it with soda all the time. They get the volume, but not the beneifts since the sodium and caffeine diminish the benefits. Some days, I can do two litres before lunch.

[Anubis Nine]

I know a person that drinks a gallon of milk a day damn near.

[jared743]

3 liters!!!! Ack! I usually drink at most 500 mL for lunch, and two glasses for supper, making about 1-1.5L. If I get thirsty, I drink more, but this is at MOST 1L. I drink no pop, unless I am at an event, not do I drink anything like coffee or tea. If I drank that much I would be having to go to the washroom alot. How much do you drinkers go? I go 3x, and my urine is not a 'dark yellow'. Wow. 4L milk jugs are huge...

edit: I am from calgary, Alberta, Canada, which is very dry.

[slinky]

Fine you quote Snopes. I will counter with the Institute of Medicine (http://www.iom.edu/CMS/3788/3969/18495.aspx). I could also quote the American Association of Sports Medicine, but they are too easily dismissed by sceptics as 'only applicable to athletes'. Snopes is an interesting site, but the authors don't exactly count as expert opinion. Also note that they were attempting to debunk a very specific junk email.

Yes, the junk email that stated that people walk around chronically dehydrated. A stat that your link did nothing to address. That's what I quoted from your post and called BS on.

Note particularly the first two dot points, and the keyword "healthy":

Note particularly your first dot point and what I said in my post. To help you out:

The vast majority of healthy people adequately meet their daily hydration needs by letting thirst be their guide.
Yes, drink water. No, don't force feed yourself water to get up to some arbitrary amount. <snip>
Learn to listen to your body and its needs instead of listening to people tell you some random level without knowing a thing about you, your diet or your activity level.

Thanks for the link that reinforced what I said in my post! That most healthy people are NOT walking around chronically dehydrated but rather are getting adequate fluid intake by obeying their thirst, rather than some random requirement.

By my calculations, that translates to "healthy" people consuming 2.96 liters of water a day from non-food sources.

Or, as stated in your link - not the snopes link, by letting thirst be their guide.

[Roxie]

I used to drink 2 or so litres a day. I'm trying to build back up to that.

[NERD]

Well I'd use 'wilfully ignorant', but it doesn't have the same snap in a sentence. If it makes you feel better, I'd speak the same way to my friends.

I don't care what you call your friends, they are your friends, but I don't like being called as a moron or 'willfully ignorant'. Especially if the cause was for something silly as daily consumption of water. Not to mention there's some heated discussions going on about it!

My point is, as long as you are still alive and well enough to badger people on the Intraweb, then there's probably not much problem with your daily fluid consumption, lest you are to end up in an emergency room for dehydration, water intoxication, kidney stone, etc. Oh, and with kidney stone- it has more to do with your genes and your kidney in general. I've known some people who suffered from it, and it's definitely a painful situation to be in. The people with the condition do a good job of trying to prevent it, but their kidney is just not as good as other people's, and end up having more, despite their best efforts.

[Kusoyaro]

The argument that since someone isn't ina hospital for dehydration or whatnot implies a generally sound water consumption habit is very flawed. There are levels of well-ebing, and if your not drinking a litre a day (straight or from food sources) chances are ver high that while you may be feeling fine, you could be feeling much better.
A few years ago I never used to drink water, only pop. I thought I was fine, but then again I used to get headaches and get ill (I haven't been sick for 5 years, except for once when i got pnemonia from standing outside during a blizzard for an hour with only my boxers, on a bet), but the more water i drink and the cleaner i eat (as in no factory made shit - i can literally taste the unfood the inseminate into the stuff), the beter i feel. my headaches went away, and remember in supersize me that guy had this wierd heavy feeling, and lack of drive? that was me, i didnt know it though cuz i was used to it.
all im saying is that just because ur not feeling bad, it doesn't mean you couldn't use more water. much more. and keep in mind that thirst is the last warning before dehydration sets in - that means that when u thirsty, your body is severaly depleted of water, and begins craving it. trust me, im a doctor, but not really.

[NERD]

I'm not a health nut, and since I'm still in my early 20's, I figure I can go on leading a generally healthy life until somewhere in my 30's. I do generally drink good amount of water, but soda as well, and I'm happy with that. Nor did I have any serious medical problems in the past either.

For those of you who are obviously healthier than me, that's great. Keep it up. But I'm sticking with my routine: the keyword here is laissez faire.

[Kass]

Oh, and with kidney stone- it has more to do with your genes and your kidney in general. I've known some people who suffered from it, and it's definitely a painful situation to be in. The people with the condition do a good job of trying to prevent it, but their kidney is just not as good as other people's, and end up having more, despite their best efforts.

Yes, it has a lot to do with genetics, BUT adequate fluid (not caffeinated because caffeine inhibits the dissolution of minerals) intake can all but eliminate them as a problem. Stones form exactly one way--by the mineral concentration in your kidneys or bladder being sufficiently high enough to begin the crystalization process. Why someone's body produces enough minerals in the kidneys depends on several factors including genetics and fluid intake, but an adequate fluid intake will keep the water to mineral balance in check. Even someone with a predisposition to kidney stones can prevent them with proper nutrition and fluid intake.

Any sound urologist will tell you that a sure fire way to weaken your kidneys is to depend on the water content in food to keep your body hydrated and your organs healthy. There is a definite reason your kidneys begin to fail after only a 2-3 days without fluids, but your body can go for a couple of weeks on fluid alone.

~~~total change of topic/audience~~~
P.S. Knock off the willfully ignorant and moron crap, guys.

[NERD]

Well, I'm not the one with kidney stone, and I'm grateful for that, because caffeine is one of the vices I have in my life. However, I might add that my old English teacher who had kidney stones was able to prolong the affliction from coming back, which in some cases were years, but not able to prevent it hundred percent. He described it as akin to having a timebomb up your urethra. If you had it at least once in your life, better pray that would be the last one.

[Balain]

You need to drink roughly 2 litres a day of water. It's like 2.2 liters. Most people can and do drink this much which is good, but it's not water which is bad cause you get crap like caffine and sugar and who knows what else.

[badgaijingirl]

i know this sounds gross but if my pee is deep yellow then i know i am not getting my water. i cannot imagine my day without a big bottle of water beside me. i have to admit that i need to drink more. just the reminder of having it there really helps me. if you want to drink more just take sips a couple of times throughout the day with the goal of having to fill it up with each meal that you eat. also, one of the reasons why so many people get bad hangovers when they drink alcohol is that they don"t drink water at the same time and also throughout the night. i 'd rather get up once or twice from sleep at night to pee than to have a raging headache and hangover in the morning. drink drink drink!

[mawande]

Does soup count?

And omg 64 ounces of water? Thats like 2 Litres!
I have a nalgene bottle thats 32 ounces, if I TRIED to drink 64 ounces I wouldn't be able to oO

If I drank a gulp of water, ever 20 minutes, for a day, the most I think I'd get through is like.. 50 ounces.

Try half a cup of water every twenty minutes. It's practically nothing to your mind, but your body will be very happy.