I surfed around for a current water challenge thread, but didn't find it, so here we go!

Let me begin by telling you I actually don't like water. I've never been a regular water drinker, and the last time I was doing this WOE I know I wasn't drinking enough - even though there was an effort to drink more than I was used to and some how I did make it to my goal.

I'm not too keen on the tasteless taste, I don't enjoy it sloshing around in my stomach (which I feel like it does), I don't enjoy having to run to the ladies room more often. In fact, a reason I gave up drinking beer years ago and swapped out for vodka was so I wouldn't have to run to the bathroom as much!

Now that I have that off my chest, after doing some number crunching today I realized I am still not getting enough water (though it is more than I'm used to).

According to the basic suggested daily intake, combined with additional amounts for the amount of weight I am looking to drop, I should be drinking 11-12 cups a day. That equals 5.5 - 6 pint glasses full (easiest for me to just plunk a pint down in front of me and finish it).

Putting that in a personal perspective, I probably got most of my "water" intake in the past from the icecubes and soda mixed in with my vodka. You can rest in knowing I was not getting the 11-12 cups a day worth that way (hence, I am underwatered).

This challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to figure out how much water you are supposed to be drinking daily, and report back here every day to confirm you have had your water. Feel free to elaborate on how it is treating you at any time as well.

This does not include: diet soda, coffee, tea, booze, etc...

Water only! You can have those other things, but they are not included.

How much water do you need? Well, I found something somewhere that said I should be having 64oz (8 cups) and then another cup for each 25lbs I want to lose (which is how I got to 11). According to that, I will be able to drop to 10 cups daily in 25lbs loss from now. But don't take my word for it.

Side note: This morning I was feeling a bloat. I forced down 3 pints this morning already and things "moved" and I'm feeling better already.

I'm making an effort to get my water in (or the bulk of it) fairly early in the day as I hate waking up in the middle of the night to stumble into the bathroom and go. I could hold it in, but when you hold it in and you are cold, they tell you to go because your body is taking a lot of energy just to keep the urine warm. Yes, probably TMI, but if you never heard that before now you know how to get warm more quickly. I am always cold. And gosh darn it, it's been a long cold winter - still in the 30's today!

Have finished my 4th pint while writing this up, and have to go you probably know where.

Jump in anytime! The water is cold (or warm or hot, how ever you like as long as it's plain).

Okay, let's dial you down a little with the water drinking. The reason why there is no current water challenge is probably because such thinking is not only old fashioned, but, I'm sure you'll be glad to learn, downright unnecessary.

First of all, all liquid counts as water. So your sodas, tea, coffee, even plenty of "wet" food counts as water. So by chugging down all of that water you could well be overdoing it. Amazing, huh?

Anyway, here's some science for you, so you know I'm not just talking through the hole in my neck:

The Mythical Daily Water Requirement
Do you really need to drink eight cups of water a day?

Relinks: http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-24464774
(nice article, but I'm not seeing any references to how it pertains to weight loss which is why we are here, no?)

http://www.scientificamerican.com/p...cdee3447e81c93/

This article is dated 2009 - and while it makes mention of water not really curbing the appetite, it is not a study of how it pertains to weight loss either.

But for every link you could toss me on how water is not so important, I could likely find just as many of it's importance - including as part of this site we are on now.

http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=80697

A quote from this link: http://www.lowcarb.ca/tips/tips008.html



My personal take on this paragraph is that by drinking water as opposed to drinking those diet sodas or coffee, you avoid excess carbs/calories.

Here's another link:

https://www.hendrix.edu/healthservi...es.aspx?id=1382

This may be my fav:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weight...ffects_of_water

Lots of links, and some studies are dated within the last 2 years.

Now I'll be the first to admit - just because I read it on the web, doesn't make it true.

I'm not going to say either of us is right or wrong. But when the site I am using as a resource says it, should I not seriously consider it as a possible aid in my overall goal?

And maybe this is just my own personal battle/challenge. What I do know is I've cut soda out of my equation (as well as a second cup of coffee daily) - so the best substitute is water as far as I can see.

I've always done just fine with less water when not dieting. So the question is - is it of any benefit to up the water intake when wanting to lose weight?

As to my water update:

After my 4th pint yesterday, I managed to get cup 9 in and didn't finish the pint.

I did have a more than adequate amount of eggdrop soup - which is why I think my ability to drink anymore just fizzled out.

I've cut out sodas, tea (I always want to put sweetner in it), and I'm pretty sure that I am one of those people who will just eat when I'm actually thirsty.

Even now I am really wanting another cup of BPC, but will have some water instead.

IMHO if one drinks more water than the body needs (and there's water in everything we consume even a dry soda cracker when we use to eat those) we are over working our kidneys to expel the water ~ I don't think that's a good thing.

The LC WOE I do, the rule is Eat and Drink when Hungry and Thirsty, and stop when you're not and it's worked brilliantly for me so far.

Wishing everyone much success on your personal LC WOE journeys!

Onward, ↓ DOWNWARD & MAINTENANCE 4ever!

Jo

Hi! My name is Jo and I’m a recovering morbidly obese carb addict!

I won't argue that - what works for you works for you and that is good!

For me personally, if I don't make a conscious effort to drink fluids I WILL eat more. Or resort to diet sodas and things with fake sweetners added.

On the flip side, found this other interesting article today:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2859815/

I do realize the hypocaloric diet is what this is meant for, but it makes sense that it will work for many doing some form of atkins or any diet.

For example, I know from past personal experience I will not lose if I continue on 3k a day calories as my weight drops.

The calories need to drop at some point, and if drinking 2 cups of water before every meal makes that easier to handle, then what is the harm in trying?

And in the end it could just be my having to get off my butt and go to the ladies room every couple of hours that is burning the calories.

Currently I am not working, but when I do work (starts back at the end of the month) I am notorious for going 10 - 12 hours without going to a restroom.

I'm having a sneaky suspicion that my body has adapted to a low water intake, and holds onto more than it should because of that.

Not everyone is the same, so I don't expect everyone to agree with this.

Then again, check out that link above. It is meant for a losing mentality. You gals seem to both be in maintenance mode which is a whole other animal.

[QUOTE]Three small 6 oz cups of coffee yield 12 calories and 2.4 carb grams./QUOTE]

Noooooo! All this time I thought coffee had zero carbs! That's what the nutrition info says. I drink 3x that most mornings - I love my coffee - black, no sweetener. Please tell me it isn't so.

[QUOTE=Bonnie OFS]
You are right. Unless you are drinking instant? In which case a cup has less than half a carb, so still nothing to worry too much about.

[QUOTE=Bonnie OFS]
dear Bonnie,

That article was written in 2000, and all information available at that time said 0.8g carbs per 6 oz. cup of brewed coffee. A few years later, 2004 I think, the USDA retested and updated many food counts. They determined that brewed, filter-drip coffee has 0 carbs per cup. Instant coffee does have a small amount of carbs (<0.5g) per teaspoonful of dry granules.


hth

Doreen

That's a relief. I drink the real thing - instant doesn't taste very good to me. But I wonder why some sites say it's got carbs & others say zero. Tho it wouldn't hurt me to cut down - the amount I drink plus the caffeine in the diet colas might have something to do with my difficulty in getting to sleep. Just maybe.

Thanks! That answers my "why" question.

Hi Snertflirt,
Thanks for starting this thread! I need around 100 oz of water per day during the winter months to feel good, energized, clear headed, and keep my digestive system happy. During the summer months, I need more. I just finished a three month program with a nutritional therapist, who recommended 1/2 oz water per pound of body weight, per day and under normal circumstances. He suggested drinking more when adding in exercise and during summer months.
I understand from your post how you figured out how much to drink, but I'm also curious if you've been able to figure out how much you need to drink to simply feel good?
My goal for the next few days is to keep better track of intake. I have a 20 oz water bottle, and just need to keep a tally of how many times I fill the bottle per day. Sounds easy to do. But as Jim Rohn said, the things that are easy to do are also easy not to do! So, I just need to be more disciplined.

I'm in! Thanks for starting this, snertflirt (Are you still doing this? Looks like maybe not...come back!)

I've recently been diagnosed with kidney disease and there are studies out there showing that the greater water intake, the slower kidney function declines. (Just found that out today!)

SO: I bought 3 tall bottles of VOSS water (because I wanted the glass kind to refill) My intention is to drink 2.5 bottles, roughly 67 ounces total, per day. I semi-randomly selected this number because I was instructed to drink a gallon (64 oz) per day when I had pre-eclampsia, and it was a stretch but I did it. Might change once I get up and running on this amount.

Like snertflirt, I want to try to get it all down the hatch early enough to not disrupt my sleep will trips to the loo.

So, Goal 1: 2.5 bottles. Goal 2: down the hatch by 6 p.m. - I'll try to post around then.

See you tomorrow!

Ok, having this challenge in mind has made me way more aware of my low water consumption. Yesterday I drank half my goal, and by 4 pm I'd had only half a bottle.

Today I am blowing it off as well!! grrrr I have had one bottle out of 2.5 and it's already 20 to 6 (my finish line is supposed to be 6 pm)

Ah well...I'll keep at it until it is second nature to drink water more heavily in the first part of the day.

Snertflirt, come back!

Just saw this thread and thought I would jump in too. My personal experience is that drinking sufficient amounts of water is a wonderful thing. I agree that one gets liquids from many foods we eat or coffee, tea, soft drinks, whatever. The big difference in my case is that the pure water seems to be easier on my body and great at flushing out unwanted toxins, helping with my liver and kidney functions.

I don't know if I belong in a water challenge since I don't have a problem drinking enough. I even go to bed with a cup of ice water on my nightstand. When I go shopping or run errands I always have a cup or bottle of water in the car to sip on.

I am definitely NOT in the camp of just drink when you are thirsty. As the mom of an athlete, I have researched, spoken to doctors, trainers, conditioning coaches - pretty much everyone and the general consensus has been that by the time you get thirsty, you can already be dehydrated.

So good luck Gonwtwindo and Snertflirt and keep on sipping!