Weight loss stalled by not enough water intake?

[Stacy]

Water and Weight Loss

I've noticed that my weight loss seems to slow to a crawl or even stop all together when I drink 5 cups or less of water a day. Where as if I drink 9 or more cups my weight loss seems to run pretty smoothly. Has anyone else experienced this? Is it all in my head or is there a scientific reason for this?

Also if anyone can give me tips on how to get more water into my diet that would be great. I've been struggling lately just to get 6 cups and I know that is way below what I need to be drinking at my size.

 

[Kayshiz]

If your not getting enough water, yes, it could be affecting you. No only will your body hold onto more water if you are dehydrated, your body doesn't eliminate as well, which is one of the ways fat leaves our bodies.

If your urine isn't clear, you should probably be drinking more water. If you feel dehydrated, you probably are, so drink more water.

How do you get more water? I imagine the old "through the teeth and over the gums" works best. I don't know that inserting it other places would be as effective...

Just always have some with you. Its fairly portable.

 

[Stacy]

How do you get more water? I imagine the old "through the teeth and over the gums" works best. I don't know that inserting it other places would be as effective...

Lovely sarcasm, always refreshing to see a post taken so seriously. lol Well I WAS thinking maybe I should eat more soups and what not, maybe that will help.

Anyway, thanks for the advice... It's good to know that the slow weight loss on days I don't drink a lot of water isn't just my imagination.

I read on a couple of sites that I should be drinking my weight in water (in ounces). I'm not sure if that's right. If I did that I'd have to drink 357 ounces of water a day! As it is I've been having trouble in the past few days just getting down 8 glasses. lol I guess I'll just have to suck it up (literally), carry around bottles of water all the time, and deal with having to pee constantly. lol

 

[shygemini]

Water from food, beverages, and water itself should be included in determining your complete water intake each day. The AI (adequate intake) for females between age 19-50 for water is 2.7 L, or about 91 ounces. Drinking water and beverages should contribute around 70-80% of your water intake, and the rest can come from foods. Hopefully that will provide a good starting point for you

 

[Kayshiz]

How fun would the world be without sarcasm? Not very.
WebMD gives half an ounce to ounce of water per pound, which I think is a much more realistic number. And if you take into account that approximately 20% of our water intake is thru food, you really only need about 18 cups a day, which is about 9 glasses, depending on how big your glasses are (mine are huge).
So it's really not that bad.
Just try not to get to the point of being "thirsty" and you should be fine.

 

[Stacy]

Water from food, beverages, and water itself should be included in determining your complete water intake each day. The AI (adequate intake) for females between age 19-50 for water is 2.7 L, or about 91 ounces. Drinking water and beverages should contribute around 70-80% of your water intake, and the rest can come from foods. Hopefully that will provide a good starting point for you

Sweet, thanks for the advice. I didn't actually think I could factor in my water intake via the food I eat, it's nice to know that all adds in to how much I should be getting - instead of trying to take it all in by ONLY bottle after bottle of water. lol

 

[Stacy]

How fun would the world be without sarcasm? Not very.
WebMD gives half an ounce to ounce of water per pound, which I think is a much more realistic number. And if you take into account that approximately 20% of our water intake is thru food, you really only need about 18 cups a day, which is about 9 glasses, depending on how big your glasses are (mine are huge).
So it's really not that bad.
Just try not to get to the point of being "thirsty" and you should be fine.

Awesome, thanks so much for the advice, sugar! You're a doll!
And yeah, if you stopped being sarcastic I would think an alien abducted you and stole your brain. heheh You're a lot of fun!

 

[Korrie]

i've also heard that some fruits are really high in water and can count towards your daily total as well...i don't think soup would count...arn't most of those really high in sodium? Watermelon, cantalope, they are like 90% water from what I understand.

 

[Stacy]

i've also heard that some fruits are really high in water and can count towards your daily total as well...i don't think soup would count...arn't most of those really high in sodium? Watermelon, cantalope, they are like 90% water from what I understand.

Excellent suggestions! I'll have to see if I can find a water/fruit conversion chart. Hmm If they have 'em. Other than that I guess I can guesstimate. heheh But I should probably just er on the side of caution and just get the water the old fashioned way - bottoms up! *Hopes there's always a loo nearby*

 

[shygemini]

Excellent suggestions! I'll have to see if I can find a water/fruit conversion chart. Hmm If they have 'em. Other than that I guess I can guesstimate. heheh But I should probably just er on the side of caution and just get the water the old fashioned way - bottoms up! *Hopes there's always a loo nearby*

As long as you get your fruit/veggie servings in each day, and eat an otherwise balanced healthy d iet, i think you'll have no trouble getting in your water from foods

 

[NuBeginnings]

Everyone knows water is essential for life. But what most people don’t know is:

1. You need to drink far more than you probably think. A moderately active adult human being should drink water steadily throughout the day. And while your intake will vary depending on your activity levels, your weight, and the temperature a good “rule of thumb” for water requirements is weight in pound / 2 = oz. of water / day. So if you weigh 10 stone, or 154lb, then you ought to be drinking at least 77 fluid oz of water a day. That’s about 4 pints or 2 litres. That’s a lot more than most people drink. At first you’ll find yourself running back and forth to the loo a lot… but you’ll soon get used to it as your body finds a new equilibrium.

2. Even a small amount of dehydration can have dramatic effects on your mental and physical performance, especially when it comes to weight-loss. A tiny loss of 2% of your bodyweight (just 1kg for a 50kg person) causes an increase in perceived effort and research suggests it can reduce performance by 10-20%; a fluid loss of more than 3-5% bodyweight reduces aerobic exercise performance noticeably and impairs reaction time, judgement, concentration and decision making. You might think this is a lot of fluid to lose, but don’t be deceived: my cycling friend can lose 2 to 3lb in just an hour’s cycling on a hot day.
In terms of weight loss, not only is water essential to our being able to work out with suitably intensity, but it’s also necessary to help carry away the waste products of the fat we burn as we lose weight. Allowing these to build up in your body can leave you feeling rotten.
This is why I keep a water bottle (complete with a special filter in the lid, so the water I am drinking is pure and refreshing!)

Fact is, if you’re thirsty… it’s too late and you’re already dehydrated.

Drink steadily, little and often, and you’ll be fine.

 

[Stacy]

Everyone knows water is essential for life. But what most people don’t know is:

1. You need to drink far more than you probably think. A moderately active adult human being should drink water steadily throughout the day. And while your intake will vary depending on your activity levels, your weight, and the temperature a good “rule of thumb” for water requirements is weight in pound / 2 = oz. of water / day. So if you weigh 10 stone, or 154lb, then you ought to be drinking at least 77 fluid oz of water a day. That’s about 4 pints or 2 litres. That’s a lot more than most people drink. At first you’ll find yourself running back and forth to the loo a lot… but you’ll soon get used to it as your body finds a new equilibrium.

2. Even a small amount of dehydration can have dramatic effects on your mental and physical performance, especially when it comes to weight-loss. A tiny loss of 2% of your bodyweight (just 1kg for a 50kg person) causes an increase in perceived effort and research suggests it can reduce performance by 10-20%; a fluid loss of more than 3-5% bodyweight reduces aerobic exercise performance noticeably and impairs reaction time, judgement, concentration and decision making. You might think this is a lot of fluid to lose, but don’t be deceived: my cycling friend can lose 2 to 3lb in just an hour’s cycling on a hot day.
In terms of weight loss, not only is water essential to our being able to work out with suitably intensity, but it’s also necessary to help carry away the waste products of the fat we burn as we lose weight. Allowing these to build up in your body can leave you feeling rotten.
This is why I keep a water bottle (complete with a special filter in the lid, so the water I am drinking is pure and refreshing!)

Fact is, if you’re thirsty… it’s too late and you’re already dehydrated.

Drink steadily, little and often, and you’ll be fine.

That sounds like pretty solid advice to me. Thanks for taking the time to impart some wisdom. Given the above criteria and my current weight it looks like I need to be drinking 178.5 ounces of water a day, or just over twenty-two 8 fluid ounce glasses of water a day. Wow! It's good to know that as my weight drops so will how much I need to drink. lol