How much water should I drink?

JoeyPeeps · 19-01-2017 11:05am #1

I weigh 176 ponds and run 20-30km a week. I was given a rough estimate of 2 litres a day. Is that right?

RayCun · 19-01-2017 11:17am

2l a day sounds about right, but it will depend on what else you eat and drink, what you do during the day etc

jamule · 19-01-2017 12:13pm

JoeyPeeps wrote: »

I weigh 176 ponds and run 20-30km a week. I was given a rough estimate of 2 litres a day. Is that right?

Drink when your thirsty, why do you think the sensation of thirst exists? Its impossible and pointless to put a figure on it.

RayCun · 19-01-2017 12:14pm

yeah, just have water available to drink and you will drink as much as you need

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Ed Mc Groarty · 19-01-2017 12:56pm

Straw coloured urine is a good indication of a well hydrated body.
Clear urine could suggest over hydration or even an underlying condition.

walshb · 19-01-2017 2:10pm

JoeyPeeps wrote: »

I weigh 176 ponds and run 20-30km a week. I was given a rough estimate of 2 litres a day. Is that right?

That is right.

rom · 19-01-2017 2:43pm

If you are talking about 2 of water on top of other drinks then ok but it its 2 counting tea, milk etc that that too little.

I was determined to drink more water back in the start of 2015 so I started to use an app called hyrocoach on my phone. It would remind me at work when to take a sip as drinking like a load in one go is not much good as you aint going to absorb it.

A simple google will show that probably about 60% of what is recommended. Drink little and often is key. Also the more water you drink the less hungry you feel and if you drink before meals it fills you up. Most people I know are chronically dehydrated.

"Drinking to thirst" is great advice for during a race but you should always have water nearby and try to drink a bit more even if inactive.

If you don't believe me. Try it for week and make up your own mind.

walshb · 19-01-2017 2:44pm

Sound advice, rom!

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average_runner · 19-01-2017 3:05pm

I would drink about 5 litres of water a day, always have a pint glass at my desk and at home while watching tv.

I don't drink milk or tea

walshb · 19-01-2017 3:25pm

average_runner wrote: »

I would drink about 5 litres of water a day, always have a pint glass at my desk and at home while watching tv.

I don't drink milk or tea

Fcuk sake, man....You must be never out of the can. Your kidneys won't thank you for that.

average_runner · 19-01-2017 3:44pm

walshb wrote: »

Fcuk sake, man....You must be never out of the can. Your kidneys won't thank you for that.

Water is perfectly good for your kidneys, doctors have no issue with it.

That's only a pint glass an hour in work, now take it i be home in the evening etc, its like 1 pint glass every 2 hours.

Would always have it with dinner and lunch.

loudymacloud · 20-01-2017 12:48pm

average_runner wrote: »

Water is perfectly good for your kidneys, doctors have no issue with it.

That's only a pint glass an hour in work, now take it i be home in the evening etc, its like 1 pint glass every 2 hours.

Would always have it with dinner and lunch.

im the same, dont drink tea or coffee. very rarely milk either

so i just drink water all day. Does me no harm

The Muppet · 21-01-2017 5:18pm

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You should get that checked out , going to the loo frequently could indicate some underlying problem.

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The Muppet · 22-01-2017 9:25pm

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That's hardly an underlying problem though as you are aware of it.:)

JoeyPeeps · 22-01-2017 9:28pm

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Yes, the problem is drinking a lot of water makes me go to the loo frequently.[/quote]
According to wiki, your body can only absorb 1 pint per hour at most, so drinking more than that within an hour is pointless. That's why you have to space it out throughout the day otherwise you will be visiting the loo a lot. Oops I meant litre

The Muppet · 22-01-2017 10:24pm

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The Muppet wrote: »

You should get that checked out , going to the loo frequently could indicate some underlying problem.

JoeyPeeps wrote: »

According to wiki, your body can only absorb 1 pint per hour at most, so drinking more than that within an hour is pointless. That's why you have to space it out throughout the day otherwise you will be visiting the loo a lot. Oops I meant litre

The recommended intake is 2 litres per day , Drinking 2 litres of water over a day should not have you contantly needing to go to the loo, If it does there could well be an underlying condition.

It's just an observation for the op.

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Itziger · 23-01-2017 6:14pm

The Muppet wrote: »

The recommended intake is 2 litres per day , Drinking 2 litres of water over a day should not have you contantly needing to go to the loo, If it does there could well be an underlying condition.

It's just an observation for the op.

Yeah, the old 'recommended by who' problem. There are as ever thousands of opinions on this. And I guess it differs for people as everything else does.

I would very, very rarely get through two litres of water. It would have to be hot and I'd have to be doing a session or Long Run. In a normal working day I too would be hitting the loo too frequently.

I find I take about a litre or 1.5 max. (Actually 1.5 would be a lot for me) I have been told that the original figure could/should take into account the water from fresh fruit or veg. Don't know if this is true.

adrian522 · 23-01-2017 6:23pm

I thought the 2 litre recommendation was about total water intake, including water contained in food and other drinks etc. I think the "drink to thirst" mantra is best rather than trying to hit an arbitrary number.

walshb · 24-01-2017 11:06am

When you are getting thirsty then you have missed out. You shouldn't be waiting until you get thirsty.

adrian522 · 24-01-2017 11:10am

Missed out on what exactly? An unnecessary trip to the bathroom?

walshb · 24-01-2017 11:17am

Missed out on hydrating yourself, of course! No need to be drinking for the sake of it, but conversely, no need to be waiting until your mouth is like Ghandi's flip flop either.

adrian522 · 24-01-2017 11:28am

I didn't mention anything about Ghandi's flip flop. What's the difference between

No need to be drinking for the sake of it,

and drinking when you are not thirsty? That would seem to be drinking for the sake of it no?

Plenty of peer-reviewed studies out there that say drinking to thirst is the best strategy.

walshb · 24-01-2017 11:33am

adrian522 wrote: »

I didn't mention anything about Ghandi's flip flop. What's the difference between

and drinking when you are not thirsty? That would seem to be drinking for the sake of it no?

Plenty of peer-reviewed studies out there that say drinking to thirst is the best strategy.

I mentioned Ghandi's flip flop. Bit of banter, that's all.

Waiting for thirst to kick in before drinking water is not what I would advise.

Drinking for the Sake of it is self explanatory. Ingesting water just so that you are ingesting water. It's all about balance.

Rule: Drink little and often and don't wait for thirst to kick in.

Just filling yourself up with water all day because you think it's making you healthy is a bit silly.

Keeks · 24-01-2017 12:01pm

jamule wrote: »

Drink when your thirsty, why do you think the sensation of thirst exists? Its impossible and pointless to put a figure on it.

walshb wrote: »

Rule: Drink little and often and don't wait for thirst to kick in.

These are the best bits of advice here......drink little and more if you are thirsty.

I believe (and open to correction here) that the 2 litres of water figure comes from the Phase 8 by 8
i.e have 8 glasses of water by 8pm where a glass of water is 250ml

This to me is just putting a number to the phase "little and Often"

Drink little and often. How much you need to drink will depend on the individual and what activities they are doing etc

adrian522 · 24-01-2017 12:14pm

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/296081.php

http://www.runnersworld.com/hydration-dehydration/drink-to-thirst

I'd have a read of both of the above if you are interested. The first references a piece published in Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine the second is from Tim Noakes.

They do reference the myth about not waiting until you are thirsty to drink and why that is unhelpful in most situations.

Several groups have previously advised against waiting until feeling thirsty before drinking.

However, the authors state that this advice is largely meant for situations where people sweat much more frequently, and that the advice has helped foster the idea that thirst is a poor guide for knowing when to drink.

The fact is that drinking too much water can be more of a problem than not drinking enough and the idea of drinking an arbitrary amount of additional water (2 litres or whatever) is never going to be suitable to everyone as people have different needs. Thew body has an inbuilt system for letting you know when you need more water.

walshb · 24-01-2017 12:31pm

That's it in a nutshell. It is not an exact science. Common sense and a little bit of education should see you right. Giving someone advice doesn't mean the advice is correct. It may be, but it may not be. Once it's based off some common sense and relevant factors you won't go too far wrong.

How much water should I drink?

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