Daily water intake: Let's discuss

Eh, Tinchi, everything feels easy when you're young 😛

It’s not even about being thirsty—I don't really feel like drinking anything myself—but I just figure if we're putting all this stuff into our bodies, we might as well flush it out as much as possible 😳

Kyle White2 said:I went through this once... it was awful... I felt sick to my stomach and ended up throwing up...

Look, just stop slamming down such massive amounts all at once.

Wait, you too, Kyle White2? And MilkyWay as well? 😢

Honestly, I felt like an idiot when I first started this thread, but I didn't know how else to put it—especially since this is the second time it's happened to me (the first time, back in my fifth year, I didn't even think there could be a connection..🙄 )

So, it turns out we aren't alone after all...

Water intoxication is a very real thing. I remember hearing about how some American soldiers over in Afghanistan would basically chug water for a bet—like, a liter for every single hand of cards they lost, or something along those lines. One guy ended up having to down 11 liters in a single night, and he was dead by the next day.

I’ve heard some horror stories about people actually dying from drinking way too much water. Seriously, don't mess around with that. 🙂

I mean, what’s the point of drinking if you aren't even thirsty?

Some days I might only have about a quart, and other times I'll knock back a whole liter in thirty minutes, but it really just depends on how my body feels. Honestly, the best way to handle it is to take small sips throughout the day.

Look, I honestly expected you all to tear me to shreds for starting this thread 🤔

But honestly, what can you even say? It’s just one of those things where nobody really knows...

How much water is actually safe to drink? Like, is it okay to just keep sipping whenever I feel thirsty, or should I be setting some kind of limit?

I always keep a water bottle right on my desk—as soon as it’s empty, I refill it. But over the last couple of days, I’ve noticed this constant, nagging thirst. It feels like I'm constantly running back and forth to the cooler to top off my bottle. Since 8:00 this morning alone, I’ve already knocked back more than a liter, and I definitely downed at least another half-liter before even leaving the house for work. On other days, that half-liter would last me the entire day. Now, I’m still thirsty, but I feel a bit ridiculous drinking this much... honestly, it's making me a little anxious. Maybe I'm just being silly; I know it's scorching hot outside, but still... this much?

nimbleskipper17 said:How much water am I actually allowed to drink? Like, is it okay to just keep drinking whenever I'm thirsty, or should I be stopping myself?

I always keep a water bottle right here on my desk, refilling it the second it hits empty. Over the last couple of days, I’ve noticed this constant, nagging thirst—it feels like I’m constantly running back to refill the bottle. Since 8:00 AM this morning, I’ve already downed more than a liter, and I definitely knocked back another half-liter before even leaving the house for work. There are days when that same half-liter lasts me all day long. Now, I'm still thirsty, but honestly, it feels a little ridiculous to keep going. To be blunt, I’m getting a bit worried. Maybe I’m just being paranoid, and it’s just because it’s boiling hot outside, but this level of thirst is just... off.

My take? It’s pretty simple logic: if you're thirsty, your body is screaming for hydration, so it’s basically telling you what it needs. You shouldn't be able to "overdose" if you're just responding to what your system is asking for... but that's just my two cents. Maybe someone with actual medical expertise on this forum can weigh in and tell me if I'm full of it.🙂

Why not try drinking your water a bit colder, perhaps with a few ice cubes? You won't end up drinking as much, but it’s incredibly refreshing... personally, I find it stops the constant urge to sip after that.

As for overdoing it, I have to admit I caught myself doing it too. I find myself mindlessly refilling my glass... much like how smokers constantly reach for another cigarette, I just keep reaching for my water bottle...
🙄

Sandra Walker82 said:Why don't you try drinking your water a bit colder, maybe with a few ice cubes? You won't drink as much, but it cools you down perfectly... personally, I find I don't even crave more after that.

As for overdoing it, I caught myself doing it too—just unconsciously chugging water. It’s like how smokers reach for a cigarette; I just reach for a water bottle...
🙄

Well, actually, I started that habit of keeping a water bottle on my desk back when I was trying to quit smoking. Ever since then, I've always had water within arm's reach, though eventually, I scaled it back. I stopped using water as a substitute for a smoke and only drank when I was actually thirsty. 🙂
But lately... I feel thirsty constantly. I'll finish half a liter and still feel parched. And it isn't even that hot out.

By the way, I absolutely cannot handle ice-cold water. It's physically difficult for me to swallow anything freezing. I mean, it doesn't have to be room temperature, but straight from the fridge or loaded with ice? No thank you. 😲 So, I'd basically just end up waiting for the water to warm up, and by then, I'd be starving for a drink anyway. 🙂

so, are you guys actually getting any more soaked than usual lately?

Sandra Walker82 said:As for overdoing things, I caught myself unconsciously chugging water constantly... kind of like how smokers always have a cigarette ready, except I've just got a water bottle...
🙄

Me too...😁

But I'm working on breaking the habit...😬

Let’s not start a panic here.😛 Drinking water is actually good for you. That whole scary idea about "overdosing" or diluting your system usually only happens if you chug an insane amount in a tiny window of time—like, half a liter in thirty minutes isn't going to hurt anyone.
Your kidneys are pretty efficient. If they can flush out the extra fluid, they’ll take some salt along with it. If you keep doing that over and over until your salt levels drop, then yeah, you're looking at problems.

Bottom line: It’s totally fine, even encouraged, to drink about two liters of fluid throughout the day. If my memory serves me right, the math is roughly 3 to 4 ounces per kilogram of body weight. And remember, you aren't just getting hydration from the tap or a bottle of Dasani; you're getting it from juice, tea, soup, fruit, veggies, and all that stuff. (And sure, alcohol counts too, but... let's not go there).
If you happen to stick strictly to plain water and end up drinking more than the recommended amount, just add a pinch of something to season it and you'll be fine. I'm not saying go out and drink 10 liters—your kidneys might actually get annoyed with you. Then again, they might "rust" if you don't drink nearly enough.

☕

I tend to drink a lot of fruit tea, and most of the time I just add a few drops of lemon to my plain water...

Kyle White2 said:I drink a ton of fruit tea, and most of the time I just add a few drops of lemon to my regular water...

Ugh... putting lemon in water? That is straight up yuck.😁

I’ve already seen this debate play out in threads about dieting and cellulite. When I pointed out that you shouldn't force yourself to chug water if you aren't actually thirsty—because honestly, overdoing it can be dangerous—I got absolutely torn apart by a bunch of women who are currently obsessed with fighting cellulite.😁
For me, drinking excessive amounts of plain water isn't an option. If I'm consuming fluids, they need to be isotonic drinks.

I don't believe for one second that forcing down two or three gallons of water a day is necessary for your body to function normally. You should just drink what your body asks for. Naturally, if you're sweating, you'll need more, so you drink more. Look, if your body is healthy, it runs like clockwork.🙂 You don't need to torture your system with bad advice from people reading some cheap wellness magazine.😉

p.s. shree, why on earth did you try to gulp down such a massive amount all at once?😁

Nathan Collins2 said:p.s. shree, why on earth did you chug such a massive amount all at once?😁

Heh... fair question. Let me explain:

Right outside my office door sits the water cooler. Those greedy HR types slapped a sticker on it that reads: "Have you had your 8 glasses of water today?"

So, I'm sitting there, bored out of my mind... stealing glances, swatting flies, just staring off into space... when that damn sign catches my eye. I thought to myself, "Well, honey, when was the last time you actually hit your goal? Don't you care about your health? You've got work to do."

And just like that, I started drinking. I knew instinctively that if I didn't get this done right here at the office—and do it by force—it simply wasn't going to happen. So, over the next three or four hours, I powered through all 8 glasses.

The rest of the story speaks for itself.😬

Tinchi said:That whole idea about mandatory daily water intake is complete nonsense.

I personally know individuals who barely touch water at all—they claim they don't even feel the need—yet they function perfectly well under normal circumstances.

Oh, I am sure they function quite normally for a certain period of time.

I recently read an article by a highly respected American internist who argued that chronic dehydration actually does far more damage to the body than standard lifestyle vices like being overweight or smoking; he posited that a lack of hydration is the primary driver behind the vast majority of modern ailments, ranging from diabetes to cardiovascular disease, kidney issues, and liver dysfunction.

My personal record is somewhere around 6 gallons of fluids—and honestly, that was a mix of plain water, Gatorade, and liquid carbs—during one incredibly brutal adventure race. I honestly have no clue how my kidneys managed to process all that and how I stayed relatively functional afterward. If anything, I actually under-hydrated, considering I was trekking non-stop for 36 hours straight under a blistering sun. I even ended up dropping about 5 or 6 pounds by the end, at least a couple of those were just water weight, so I definitely needed
more. I’m attempting something similar this weekend, mostly just to see what the numbers look like this time. But we're talking about an ultramarathon here, pure ultra-sweating. I truly don't understand some women who force themselves to chug 1.5 or 2 liters of water first thing in the morning just because they're following some "diet." 😕That is hands down one of the most ridiculous "dieting" trends I've ever heard of; you ladies really will try anything when it comes to this stuff. One of these days, some blonde girl is going to end up in the ER because of the latest "efficient" diet involving hyperventilating—either breathing too much air or not enough.
Anyway, I heard that squatting in the dark on corn kernels for 24 hours is a great way to burn off fat stores🙄

Where exactly does it say I’m doing this because of some diet? A diet has absolutely nothing to do with it... This is about health, skin quality, and all that other stuff.

shadowseal372 said:So, what’s the actual limit on how much water you should be drinking?

Kidneys run most efficiently when you hit about 28ml per kilogram of body weight daily.

If you aren't interested in doing the math yourself, here are some rough estimates:
110 lbs...1.4 L/day
132 lbs...1.7 L/day
154 lbs...2 L/day
176 lbs...2.2 L/day
198 lbs...2.5 L/day

...these figures assume standard conditions, like average ambient temperature and moderate activity levels...

...and don't just chug it all at once. Spread it out. Small amounts every hour or two...

just something to consider...