How much water do you drink?

[debih]

Just curious.

I've been monitoring my water intake (sad I know). I have really upped it since I started running (aka shuffling) and ALWAYS have water with me where ever I go.

I have three water bottles - my running one and two beaker style ones - one with a pop up straw and one that has a sort of cage inside it that I can put fruit in. I tend to use the plain one with the pop up straw most of the time (its a Britta one but I don't bother with the filter).

I fill my Britta up at least four times a day and then when I am doing any exercise I take my running one with me - so that's another bottle full every day as I take it with me even when walking the dog.

I measured the water out yesterday as I had no idea how much they hold. The Britta one holds 400ml so I'm having at least 1.6l a day from that and the sport one holds 500ml so I'm having a minimum of 2.1 every day.

The main two things that I have noticed are that I rarely feel hungry (I know that alot of the time we mistake thirst for hunger) and my skin feels really, really soft.

Its taken me since January to get to this point - I used to find it really hard to drink so much water and was either always at the loo or just felt like the water was sloshing around in my stomach! Now its second nature and I rarely drink anything else - I have a cup of coffee first thing in a morning and at meal times when the kids and Mick are having juice or lemonade I have my water. Anything else tastes too sweet. And I've got into the habit of every time I order my first glass of wine at the pub, I order a glass of tap water too.

And I'm drinking it in the evening too. I never knew what to drink at home in the evening - I'm not a tea drinker and coffee would just keep me awake at night. So I'd just have a glass of wine!!!! Now I just carry on with my water.

I wonder how much water is too much?

[tonicha]

I think it depends Debih.

I tend to drink a lot more when it's hot, but normally drink 2 - 3 litres a day - and that's just water. I have been known to drink more, but that is really a bit too much.

if you're comfy drinking 2 litres a day, I think that's what the docs tend to say is about right. My doc told me off for drinking too much water

Not only will your skin be soft and hydrated, when needing to have some blood taken, your veins will be easy to find - or so I've been told

[debih]

I think it depends Debih.

I tend to drink a lot more when it's hot, but normally drink 2 - 3 litres a day - and that's just water. I have been known to drink more, but that is really a bit too much.

if you're comfy drinking 2 litres a day, I think that's what the docs tend to say is about right. My doc told me off for drinking too much water

Not only will your skin be soft and hydrated, when needing to have some blood taken, your veins will be easy to find - or so I've been told

When we were doing the ivf the nurses told me to drink a litre of water on my drive there every morning before my daily blood tests as I am really difficult to get blood from. It definitely helped.

Although last week when I had a blood test for my thyroid it took her three attempts to get blood from me and left me with two massive bruises!!!!

[meriad]

I have about 2l per day, if not a bit more

in the mornings I'll have 3 cups of coffee but when I get to work I have a 1.5l bottle of water that I refill (and fill up a glass at the same time) and I'll have that during the day. Depending on the weather I may have some more water whilst on the train home and then at home I always have about 1/3 pint water before I go to bed and usually (but not always) drink another 1/2 to a whole pint during the night.

So in total I'm probably between the 2 - 3l mark

Apparently though drinking more than 250ml in any hour achieves very little - your body will only absorb that much and anything more it just flushes out. How true that is I'm not sure but it would work out with the 8 glasses of water a day thing...

[Ally]

I easily drink 4 litres+ of water a day Debih.

We have a fridge full of one and a half litre bottles of water and know that I get through 3 of them a day.

I have 2 coffees in the morning and that's it for hot drinks.

And I'm in agreement with water keeping your skin soft - it definitely helps keep everything hydrated.

[Diflower]

I drink at least 2 litres a day, year round, and more if it's hot, mostly little and often.
First thing, while the kettle's boiling I drink half a pint - not in one big gulp but it's always gone before I start my coffee.
My glass is never empty, I half-fill it as soon as it's empty (half this time of year as I hate it when it gets warm).
I do drink wine in the evening but still drink water as well

I have 2x1-litre bottles that once held soda in the fridge so one is always cold, I refill as soon as one's empty.
Btw if anyone thinks their tapwater tastes funny, just put a bottle in the fridge and leave it 12-24 hours, taste tests prove no-one can then tell it from bottled

Out in the car for any length of time I take a small bottle with me, but don't walk around with it, just have a big swig once I'm back in the car.
If Bb and I go out for lunch to a cafe or something like that, I only ever have tap water to drink.

[debih]

I'm trying to get my mum to drink more - she only has one glass a day and hardly drinks anything else either.

[meriad]

I'm trying to get my mum to drink more - she only has one glass a day and hardly drinks anything else either.

gosh, that really isn't enough Debih - she definitely needs more than that. How much fruit does she eat?

[debih]

She eats quite a lot of fruit but she's finding it gives her terrible indigestion.

I told her that she should start a food diary to try and see what the triggers are for the indigestion.

[Kaz]

Yikes that is far too little fluid Debih, and she should watch the fruit if she has indigestion. I have to be very careful with fruit, especially citrus, even though the lansoprazole (sp?) is containing my acid reflux nicely!

I drink lots of decaff tea, but also a fair amount of water. For instance today I had a large glass before I left the house late morning, then another large glass when I went into Coffee#1, another before I left, and two since I got home. I'll have one by my bedside tonight too Oh and I carry a small bottle in my handbag in summer, everywhere I go I almost never drink soft drinks or fruit juice.....