Rules to Drinking Water?

[lexisenese]

Hello, I'm Lexi. 

     I was hoping that someone could possibly help me understand a few things.  I have been eating clean and drinking water for about two months now (along with working out five times a week), and I have definitely seen a difference in my body.  But, I recently heard many things regarding water and when to drink it.  I drink at least 64 oz of water a day, and I usually drink 16 oz before I eat each meal (and I eat 5-6 small meals a day).  But, I'm just now learning that you are not supposed to drink water during meals because it is awful for digestion, and you are supposed to drink water 15-30 minutes before eating and at least an hour after eating.  To me, this sounds absolutely unrealistic, because unless I sit at home all day, I can't really plan my water and meals out that precisely when I'm working or out and about.

     I thought this was also contradictory, because many people recommend drinking water before, during, and after workouts (which is great, and I do).  But, they also recommend that you have a protein shake or smoothie after working out to regain broken down muscle.  Isn't a protein shake or smoothie considered a meal?  So does that mean I have to wait to drink a protein drink if I had water during my workout?  It's all seeming very complicated and too technical, when I used to think that it was just good to drink water all day.

     So sorry for the elaborate, quite long concern.  I was just wondering if anyone did follow these rules and how you make it through your daily life while managing to drink water at appropriate times.  Thank you so much for your time and helping figure everything out! 

Lexi

[daniraeallen · Accepted solution]

Hi Lexi!

I'm by no means an expert but here's my two cents on water consumption:

Water is good for you (obviously). If you're drinking at least 64 oz a day, you're doing your body good. It seems everywhere I look I see a new theory on when is the best time to drink water. But that's what I consider them... theories. Do I try some of them out, sure, why not! If someone thinks drinking two cups of ice cold water just after waking up every morning will help purify the colon and help your body run more efficiently, or that one cup of water 30 minutes before a meal will help you from over eating, then why not try it out if it works for you.

Bottom line: For me, there are too many theories to keep up with, so I try not to over think it too much. 😉

[lexisenese]

Hi! 

Your post absolutely put me at ease.  I was so concerned about this, because it seemed so weird to me that water needed to be consumed at certain times when it is just....water.  

I absolutely agree that people throw out all kinds of theories when it comes to weight loss and health issues, and it causes a stir.  I am a perfectionist when it comes to accomplishments, and I wanted to make sure that I wasn't harming my body in any way, and it is nice to know you agree that it's just a theory.

I think I will try different things out for a little while, to see what is best for my body.  Exactly like you said, why not?  If drinking water during meals was seriously harmful, we would all know about it.

Thank you so much for your response!  I greatly appreciate you putting me at ease.

Lexi

[daniraeallen]

Absolutely! It's way too easy to get bogged down with all the information out there.

-Dani

[JaneH]

I'm no expert but I did see a documentary on drinking water before/during/after debate, from what I can remember, here goes..... Imagine your stomach is a kitchen sieve, if you fill it with chewed food it will take a long time for the food to go through the mesh (ie digestion), now imagine the same sieve but add a glass of water to the mix, the food will pass through the sieve a lot quicker making digestion faster and will not keep you full for as long. Does that make sense? Hope that helps x

[Heybales]

Don't eat so many meals so that timing with drinking has as many opportunities for a problem.

More meals doesn't help weight loss anyway, if you are following that myth. If personal reasons because you always like elevated insulin and fat burning turned off, then by all means eat that often.

Also, there is no benefit to drinking a protein shake after a workout, because that's not when muscle repair happens anyway. Next 24-36 hrs. And that would need to be a lifting workout anyway, where muscle actually got micro tears in it and needs repair.

If you did huge cardio effort for a long time and broke down and burned up some muscle mass - no amount of drinking protein is bringing that back. Only hitting the weights will.

[franksj]

Hi Lexi,

There are so many rules out there.  I'd encourage you to just relax.  Some of the rules may have some validity but your body is an incredible machine that will deal almost anything you throw at it.

I've also read that water before a meal helps lessen appetite so that's a good thing.  But it will dilute your stomach acids used for digestion if drunk during a meal.  So the stomach makes more, no big deal.  And the water goes out of your stomach very quickly.  If you drink 15-30 min before the meal, its gone before the food gets there.

I drink on the following schedule and don't worry about the rest:

- Upon waking.  Very first thing I do.

- around 10:00am - set an alarm on my Fitbit.

- around 3pm - again an alarm

- Before going to bed - evidence it lessens chance of stroke.

For a total of about 32 ozs.

Then I don't worry about it.  Other than that I get liquids in my meals.  If I feel thirsty, I drink.  I typically don't drink much with meals.  For the reasons you sited, but not a big deal, and really more of a personal perference.

One point of advice.  Make sure you are replenishing your electrolytes by drinking Gatorade or adding Nuun tablets (or others) to the water every so often.  If you start to feel cramps or irregular heartbeat, make sure you are getting enough electrolytes (and minerals).  64 oz would be a lot for me.  All the water may be flushing out some good things.

There is some good evidence that protein within 20 minutes of the workout is good for recovery and rebuilding.  It may be that your body targets that intake for the purpose of recovery and rebuilding from the recent activity.  The other poster is right that it is not absorbed and used immediately, but your body reacts to the workout by using it more effeciently when consumed within 20 minutes.  It's also good to consume at least 20g of protein with the first half hour of waking.  Darn it, I'm giving you more rules!  Sorry about that.

I'm on a constant quest to know more about these things.  I think there is much we don't know about what is best, so I'd encourage you to continue to be a student and see what works for you.  You may already be or will be sensitive to what works best for your body.  Stick with that and try out new things every once in a while.

Hope this was helpful.  Great question and welcome to the community.

Best,

Jim

[WendyB]

I drink when I'm thirsty. I listen to my body

I guess I do not understand rules??

[PalmbayMick]

I have found that if I drink water about a half hour after eating, and another half hour after that, I don't get hungry so much between meals. Yet if I drink water on an empty stomach, I don't feel satisfied and within 10 minutes am hungry again.  I worked out the reason for this is that the remaining food in my stomach after a half hour is watered down, it is therefore technically, still food, and a half hour later, it is further watered down, again, very weak food, but still food, which satisfies my hunger and I don't even think about food. I perhaps digress from the intention of the thread, however, by drinking steady amounts of water through the day, ie a pint glass every hour, I pee every hour, slightly green urine with no smell.  If I find I am not drinking enough, I only pee a couple of times through the day and my pee goes strong yellow and I can smell it, indicating I need more water.  This is a good indicator of the amount one needs to drink as I am sure everyone is different, also the amount one eats and exercises will factor here too.

[DavideFitbit]

Hi guys, I agree there are a lot of different opinions out there and it can be confusing with all that information online. I try to drink as much water as I can, something I've always had problems with. I've also read several times that people drink water before eating mostly to feel more full and eat a little bit less during meal times. And they drink water during and after workout, of course, to hydrate. 

[SunsetRunner]

This doesn't really answer the questions you're asking, but here's my take on water.

I drink water 98% of the time.   The other 2% I need a gatorade for potassium when I start experiencing muscles cramps. And I get  a Slurpee when I do a long distance walk.   Once you start drinking that much water you're not going to have a taste for anything else to drink.

When I see people running or walking outdoors while holding a water bottle in their hands that tells me they're not drinking enough water.  Someone who drinks an adequate amount of water should be well hydrated to not need a water bottle in hand during a short run or walk.  

[BWright1175]

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@SunsetRunner wrote:

This doesn't really answer the questions you're asking, but here's my take on water.

I drink water 98% of the time.   The other 2% I need a gatorade for potassium when I start experiencing muscles cramps. And I get  a Slurpee when I do a long distance walk.   Once you start drinking that much water you're not going to have a taste for anything else to drink.

When I see people running or walking outdoors while holding a water bottle in their hands that tells me they're not drinking enough water.  Someone who drinks an adequate amount of water should be well hydrated to not need a water bottle in hand during a short run or walk.  

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I'll respectfully disagree to that, depending on your definition of "short."  Personally, it's not about being thirsty or needing to hydrate... but running (and breathing heavily while doing so) tends to dry out the mouth.

[astrangeginger]

I'm a biologist, and I've heard all the different theories about when you should and shouldn't drink water. There can be some benifit to drinking before a meal, simply because you will partially fill up your stomach and theoretically will be less hungry (of course if your stomach is empty, water isn't gonna do **ahem**, you're still gonna be hungry). And you definitely want to drink before and after a workout, because your body is using more water and more energy during this time. If you want to drink during your workout, there's nothing wrong with that, I do.

As a general rule, your body knows what it needs. If you are dehydrated and need water, you will feel thirsty. Just like how when you need more energy you will feel hungry or if you need rest you will feel tired. Just listen to your body and you will be fine.

[SunsetRunner]

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@BWright1175 wrote:

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@SunsetRunner wrote:

This doesn't really answer the questions you're asking, but here's my take on water.

I drink water 98% of the time.   The other 2% I need a gatorade for potassium when I start experiencing muscles cramps. And I get  a Slurpee when I do a long distance walk.   Once you start drinking that much water you're not going to have a taste for anything else to drink.

When I see people running or walking outdoors while holding a water bottle in their hands that tells me they're not drinking enough water.  Someone who drinks an adequate amount of water should be well hydrated to not need a water bottle in hand during a short run or walk.  

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I'll respectfully disagree to that, depending on your definition of "short."  Personally, it's not about being thirsty or needing to hydrate... but running (and breathing heavily while doing so) tends to dry out the mouth.

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If you're breathing  heavily you're running too fast.    I run 2 hours or more and my breathing doesn't increase.  

[shipo]

Regarding rules; there are no universal rules.

The thing is, everybody is different, and as you advance in your training, your body will require changes in the rules you use for yourself.

A tale of three runners (within my personal circle):

• Runner #1: Early fifties, good condition, his 5K time is about 24 minutes.  Water use: he doesn't sweat hardly at all; on a humid 90°F day the rest of us will be dripping with sweat, but otherwise relatively comfortable, his shirt will have a sweat spot maybe the size of a grapefruit.  The issue with this individual is he needs to carry a Camelback so he can pour water on his head, otherwise he'll overheat and swoon.
• Runner #2: Early sixties, great condition, his 5K time is about 21 minutes.  Water use: he drinks a lot of fluids (green tea and water) thoughout the day, and hardly ever drinks water during a run, even long 15+ mile jaunts in high summer.  He admitted taking one small cup of water during a half-marathon a couple of years ago on a day up in the 80°F range.  He drinks water, a lot of water, after most long runs.
• Runner #3: Mid forties, good condiiton, his 5K time is about 23 minutes.  Water use: he drinks before, during, and after every run, regardless of how long or short the run.

As you can see, there is no hard and fast "rule"; said another way, you need to experiment with what works for you, and as time goes on, keep experimenting as things will gradually change.

[BWright1175]

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@SunsetRunner wrote:

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@BWright1175 wrote:

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@SunsetRunner wrote:

This doesn't really answer the questions you're asking, but here's my take on water.

I drink water 98% of the time.   The other 2% I need a gatorade for potassium when I start experiencing muscles cramps. And I get  a Slurpee when I do a long distance walk.   Once you start drinking that much water you're not going to have a taste for anything else to drink.

When I see people running or walking outdoors while holding a water bottle in their hands that tells me they're not drinking enough water.  Someone who drinks an adequate amount of water should be well hydrated to not need a water bottle in hand during a short run or walk.  

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I'll respectfully disagree to that, depending on your definition of "short."  Personally, it's not about being thirsty or needing to hydrate... but running (and breathing heavily while doing so) tends to dry out the mouth.

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If you're breathing  heavily you're running too fast.    I run 2 hours or more and my breathing doesn't increase.  

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Congratulations on being in perfect physical shape, but most of us here are not.... we are here because we are overweight / out of shape / trying to improve / etc... in which case moderate and vigorous exercise can and will cause us to breathe heavy.