Water

Status
Not open for further replies.
N

NeoUser

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Pronouns
She/Her
My weight loss seems to have plateaued and when speaking to a friend about this they were surprised I am not drinking 4 litres of water each day! 😳 If I'm honest, I barely have 1 litre most days. Do people drink 4 litres of water a day to help them lose weight???
 
Drinking 4 litres of water a day?
No way.
I can't see how it would help and would never do so myself - I drink maybe 2 pints a day in hot weather and a bit less in the winter.
 
Drummer said:
Drinking 4 litres of water a day?
No way.
I can't see how it would help and would never do so myself - I drink maybe 2 pints a day in hot weather and a bit less in the winter.
Click to expand...
I had a similar reaction - surely not that amount! I think I would feel bloated all day long and not to mention popping to the toilet every 5 minutes. But I just thought, if I'm bloated all day maybe I wouldn't want to eat and hence lose weight! :rofl:
 
4 litres is a lot. I drink 1/2 a litre (well a pint) of water first thing and then again at midday and in the evening with cups of coffee and green tea through the day but wouldn't get near 4 litres.
 
Are you or your friend confusing water with fluids. That said 4 litres is excessive even for total fluid intake, let alone just drinking it as water and then potentially coffee/tea etc on top.
I think the recommended guidance which I seem to remember was 3 litres has now been recognized as higher than necessary and that is fluids not specifically water. Generally I rely on my body to tell me and I will drink more when it is hot both to cool down and to replace sweat, particularly when I am working hard in the heat, because I will feel thirsty then whereas when it isn't hot and I am not working as hard or sweating as much I don't feel the need to drink as much. Listen to your body would be my advice.
Some diabetes medication like the "Flozins" do require you to drink a bit more because they work by encouraging your kidneys to remove more glucose via your urine, so you are effectively flushing out excessive glucose, so that can be a factor and it is of course important to prevent dehydration, but 4 litres is more than the average person needs in average circumstances and I cannot see how that equates to weight loss other than making you feel full all the time and therefore discouraging you from eating so much. Not a comfortable feeling being awash/overly full of fluids in my opinion. It happens when I go for a Chinese banquet and need to drink lots of water to counteract the MSG.
 
Never counted consumption but would guess I could get close to 4lts, like me tea & coffee & glasses of squash.
 
rebrascora said:
Are you or your friend confusing water with fluids. That said 4 litres is excessive even for total fluid intake, let alone just drinking it as water and then potentially coffee/tea etc on top.
I think the recommended guidance which I seem to remember was 3 litres has now been recognized as higher than necessary and that is fluids not specifically water. Generally I rely on my body to tell me and I will drink more when it is hot both to cool down and to replace sweat, particularly when I am working hard in the heat, because I will feel thirsty then whereas when it isn't hot and I am not working as hard or sweating as much I don't feel the need to drink as much. Listen to your body would be my advice.
Some diabetes medication like the "Flozins" do require you to drink a bit more because they work by encouraging your kidneys to remove more glucose via your urine, so you are effectively flushing out excessive glucose, so that can be a factor and it is of course important to prevent dehydration, but 4 litres is more than the average person needs in average circumstances and I cannot see how that equates to weight loss other than making you feel full all the time and therefore discouraging you from eating so much. Not a comfortable feeling being awash/overly full of fluids in my opinion. It happens when I go for a Chinese banquet and need to drink lots of water to counteract the MSG.
Click to expand...
My friend was definitely referring to water because she doesn't drink any other fluids - ever! 😳
I've heard of some people having 3 litres of all fluids per day but does drinking all of that help aid weight loss? I'm guessing not if part of that total is alcohol haha!
It's interesting you say to listen to my body - I literally don't drink much throughout the day because it just doesn't occur to me / feel thirsty, unless I too have devoured a Chinese banquet 😉
I guess my question is: should I be drinking more? Will it actually contribute to weight loss (in combination with healthier diet choices)?
 
The answer I believe is not necessarily, unless you are eating more/too much because you feel hungry. I don't think drinking more water has any significant weight loss benefit other than filling you up so you don't want to eat so much. There is likely some other factor resulting in your friend's weight loss but they are misguidedly attributing it to the water. Drinking 4 litres is excessive and not recommended by the NHS and may actually put additional strain on your kidneys which will obviously have to work harder to remove it. Too much water is as much of a problem as too little, so I would not be tempted to follow her lead. Not saying 4 litres a day is dangerous but over the long term it is making your body work harder than it need to.
 
NeoUser said:
My weight loss seems to have plateaued and when speaking to a friend about this they were surprised I am not drinking 4 litres of water each day! 😳 If I'm honest, I barely have 1 litre most days. Do people drink 4 litres of water a day to help them lose weight???
Click to expand...
It definitely is contradictory what information we are getting from experts(sic). I was told that a litre of water a day. When you think about it 4l is only 500ml short of a gallon. It's all very confusing. I drink 4 X 330ml bottles a day but my weight never goes down, I'm 15st 7lbs at present and have been for a year, I was previously 16st 3lbs. I've tried everything from walking, couch to 5k(not for me) dieting, eating only veg and fruit didn't work, chicken, turkey and 1 red meat per week but the weight stays the same. I don't eat fried food. I have not had any direction from the health professionals regarding my diabetes. I would certainly pull back on your water intake though
 
A pint of water weighs a pound and a quarter, so 1 lb 4 oz. 1 litre therefore weighs 1 kg but anyway No Way can my body contain or pee that much in 24 hrs. Husband had to do a 24hr urine collection a while back when having investigations for suddenly weeing blood but it was in the past by the time they investigated anyway - and neither did he. ISTR he collected about 1 and a half, half gallon containers of his, which was decreed average anyway.
 
The NHS seems to recommend judging it by urine colour (clear pale yellow) rather than a particular daily litreage.

6-8 cups or glasses of liquid, and drinking when you are thirsty (eg more in hot weather or when active) seem to be a good guide.

www.nhs.uk

Water, drinks and hydration

Find out how water and other drinks fit into a healthy diet and lifestyle.
www.nhs.uk www.nhs.uk
 
I try for four pints a day. I have the old style milk bottles and fill them up and put them on the side or I'd not drink at all. I never want to drink. I only drink the water, with the occasional mug of coffee if I think on. 🙂 It's harder to get down in cold weather and also I get fed-up of dashing to the loo. 🙄
 
Ditto said:
I have the old style milk bottles and fill them up and put them on the side or I'd not drink at all.
Click to expand...

That’s a really simple idea! Very visual 🙂
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top