Water intake

[Fsuphisig]

Ok so now that I've got my diet on point ive been wondering more on how much water i am supposed to be getting a day, I've read posts from people who swear they put on lbs of muscle from just drinking a shit ton of water, i dont want to fill myself up and not be able to eat but I'd like to start tracking my water intake ( carry around a jug)
How much do you guys recommend getting a day ? Im 180 lbs

 

[widehips71]

We've had a few discussions on here about this before. There's really no blanket answer though because everybody's requirements are different. I've read a lot of things saying to shoot for at least one half to two-thirds of your body weight in ounces per day. I would say don't force it, because believe it or not, too much water strains the kidneys. But at the same time don't ignore your thirst and become dehydrated. Sorry, I know that doesn't help much

 

[ECKSRATED]

Go by the color of your urine. Just maintain a almost clear looking urine and u should be good to go.

 

[Surfliftsleep]

You'll know if your not drinking enough, myself i start to feel light headed and get headaches also my mouth gets really dry and my piss smells really bad and isn't clear. Im 180lbs and aim for 3-4 litres a day, does wonders for your skin as well im pretty prone to pimple breakouts and if i don't have enough water i get pretty bad breakouts

 

[italian1]

I constantly struggle to get enough water. It's something I'm focussing on now. I get headaches if I start to get dehydrated.

 

[ECKSRATED]

I also get headaches from not getting enough water. Usually just pound a huge glass and the headache goes away.

 

[widehips71]

Go by the color of your urine. Just maintain a almost clear looking urine and u should be good to go.

This reminds me... I had blood work and urine samples done with my GP literally two weeks ago, which I do every six months. My urea nitrogen came back high and he started discussing my water intake. I always drink water from my 59oz water bottle so it's fairly easy to track how much I get. He actually told me I was drinking too much water and that it was straining my kidneys causing the elevated level. I had never heard of this before so he showed me where my urine's specific gravity was below normal, meaning it was basically too diluted and thin. Asked me if my urine was always clear like water, which it is. With my creatinine levels only elevated above normal by one tenth of a mg/dl due to a high protein diet, renal function was not seen as a problem. Only drinking too much water. Who woulda thought?

 

[DocDePanda187123]

Go by the color of your urine. Just maintain a almost clear looking urine and u should be good to go.

Just an FYI that this won't work if taking a multi or B-complex gist one as it'll make your piss neon yellow lol but what you point out is one thing I use to monitor my intake. Lyle McDonald has recommendations to drink ENOUGH water so that you get 5 clear urinations per day with at least 2 of them coming after your training. Another recommendation by Rippetoe suggests to get in around 1L of water for every 1000cals of expenditure. It'll require a little tweaking but I've found they're good beginning points. I need around 1.75-2 gallons in the summer minimum. Any less and I'll suffer dehydration symptoms. Winter time requires less.

*** remember hydration is done by ANYTHING that has water content: water, milk, fruit, Gatorade, beer, piss (if you're into that), even the food you eat will have small quantities of water.

 

[NbleSavage]

It's all about the PP.

 

[ProteinFarts]

Well beer and coffee are about a break even. If done in moderation. In excess they will both suck you dry. I prob drink a little over a gallon of water daily. Truth I have never measured. I don't drink liquids when I eat. I drink all my liquids between meals. I'm always next to a bathroom though. If your not this can be a factor.

 

[jennerrator]

Go by the color of your urine. Just maintain a almost clear looking urine and u should be good to go.

lol...but it's true! This^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

[Fsuphisig]

ok thanks to all who responded this gives me a good starting point, ive just been trying to slam as many glasses as possible and def watching the piss lol