Being a refugee, we all know how many ounces of water I used to have to drink (I never believed that weight loss could occur without water btw).

How much does everyone drink to feel/stay healthy?

Just drink to thirst. I don't think you need to obsess over it. Obviously, if you start to "get locked up" then you want to increase it a little. If you are running, then you'll also want to hydrate to thirst. Not too much because you don't want to mess with hyponatremia (too much water).

Best,

Charles

I drink 6 to 7 16 oz bottles a day on average.

When I was losing weight, I was downing 1 1/2 to 2 gallons a day. Nowadays I drink about a gallon a day.

I drink about 2 gallons of water a day. I guess it is because I exercise. I do notice the benefits. I live in Arizona and my skin isn't as dry as it used to be. But Charles said it best...drink to thirst.

I am nursing a 6 month old baby, so factor that in.

Average slightly more than a gallon.

I try to drink at least 64 ounces..

Here is a great post about water..I love this guy.

www.watercure2.com

Anywhere from 80 to 112oz depending on the day.

I drink at least 80 oz a day but most days I drink a gallon. It is a new habit but I am working on making it a lifelong one!

Did anyone ever read about drinking 1/2 your weight in ounces?

Right after I read about hypernatremia (Charles - where do you find this stuff? You are my new encyclopedia) I'm going to have a glass and call it a night.

Thanks everyone.

I have a 23 oz poland spring bottle I fill and finish about 4 times a day. Thats 92 oz so thats pretty good

I drink between 80 and 100 ounces a day. I agree with the drink to thirst statement if all you are drinking is water.

I have heard of the 1/2 ounce of water per pound of body weight. The theory behind this has to do with a couple of things. Our bodies are 70% water, water provides oxygen, and weightloss happens better in an environment that is oxygenated well, there is the theory that water is mass, so it helps you feel full without the addition of any calories, water increases metabolism, etc. I have not done any scientific experiments or studies, so I have no idea whether or not any of this is factual, only that it is readily published

In speaking with the bariatric and ED physicians at work, the thing that made the best sense to me is that the process of burning one gram of fat requires 2 grams of water. In every gram of fat, there is an additional 2 grams of water, so in essence, for every gram of fat burned, the body will "release" 4 grams of water.

This is where the rumor about losing only water weight when following Atkins comes from. Because people typically have significantly great output than input. I know the more I drink, the more I go, and I seem to have the best losses when I feel like I am going to the bathroom every five minutes, so I buy into this.

I have also heard the drink 1/2 your body weight in ounces. I have a 32 oz water bottle I have with me at all times. I drink about 4-5 of them a day. Like Iggkatt, I work out alot so I tend to drink alot of water.

Just to add more thought to the discussion, this is the study from the New England Journal of Medicine that got everyone thinking differently about excessive water consumption.

Hyponatremia among runners in the Boston Marathon

If you have athletic pursuits, which many do after taking control of their nutrition and health, then you must acquaint yourself with the latest recommendations on hypenatremia.

Also, here is an article from the Dartmouth Medical School where they examine the oft-repeated notion of 8 glass per day. An interesting read.

Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. Really?

Regards,

Charles

I HATE water! I drink a glass when I exercise, or when I am feeling thirsty, or when I am taking my medications (although sometimes I take my meds with my morning tea). If I drink any other water it is mixed with Crystal Lite or SF Kool-aid or SF Nestea. Otherwise I drink tea and diet coke or occasional SF seltzer of some sort.

I really do not like water.

Simon, I just wanted to let you know that I got a little chuckle as I was reading your post about how much water you drink and then looked at your picture to see bottle of beer in front of you.

Latest research (that I've read anyway) has stated that although your body does need that much water, that most of it comes from the foods we eat and the beverages we drink other than water...so we really don't need to drink as much water as is "recommended" because we are already getting so much of it in other ways.

Your body will tell you when you're thirsty.

It will also tell you when you're drinking too much. If you are otherwise healthy, yet you're heading to the bathroom every single hour.... you're drinking more fluids than your body actually needs.

Well, then I'm drinking WAY too much because I go about TWICE an hour!

I drink between 3 and 4 liters of water per day.

I've also heard that if you wait until you feel thirsty you are already getting dehydrated. It also takes quite a bit (over 5 cups in one hour) to develop hyponatremia. I found this posted from the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine. It definitely states waiting for thirst is not a good idea.

How much fluid should you drink? You will not become thirsty during exercise until you have lost between two and four pints of fluid, so you can't wait for thirst to encourage you to drink. Dehydration makes you tired and it is unlikely that you can replace the lost fluid during a race after you have become thirsty. Blood has a much higher concentration of salt than sweat, so when you sweat, you lose far more water than salt. This causes blood salt levels to rise. Thirst is controlled by certain cells in your brain called osmoreceptors which are stimulated to make you thirsty only after blood salt levels have risen considerably. So you will not become thirsty until you are significantly dehydrated.

The American College of Sports Medicine recommends a limit of 1200cc (5 cups, 2.5 pints, a little over 1 quart, or 2 average size water bottles) per hour, but for a person who is not exercising near his or her maximum, this could be too much. A person exercising near his capacity and not slowed down by fatigue probably does not have to worry about limiting fluid intake. He is working so hard at maintaining intensity, he doesn't have enough time to drink too much. On the other hand, people slowed down by fatigue or those out of shape, should limit fluid intake, probably to less than two large water bottles per hour. If you are exercising for more than an hour, you should also replace salt, either with salted sports drinks or salted foods.

Well, Diamondwife, the third part of your post shows why runners are so afraid of it. The majority of people running and cycling in endurance events are non-elite athletes and the warning to limit fluid intake certainly applies to them. However, when people at the Boston Marathon (you have to qualify to run it, so there are no slouches) start getting hyponatremia, it's time to change the guidelines. These runners definitely know the guidelines, yet there were deaths. It's not so simple.

Wow, I don't drink enough water. I really don't like it very much. I don't drink diet coke all day long either.