To wonder how people drink

[IdLikeABiscuitPlease]

2.2L a day (the recommended amount)??

Seems quite stupid to ask but for the love of god, I cannot drink more than a pint. I feel like my body is drowning!

I did manage 2L once and my toilet time quadrupled!

I've brought a 2.2L water bottle so I've no excuses but I nearly fainted when I saw the size of it!!

Help me! I think I'm slowly killing myself from the lack of fluids.

The current UK fluid recommendations are 2000mls for men and 1600mls for women. From all drinks (excluding alcohol) and other fluids such as soup, stews and watery fruit and veg
Obviously this varies a bit depending on temperature, exercise levels, shape and size etc. If you're weeing regularly and it's pale yellow you are well hydrated

This is the advice my GP gave me but I’m not sure I agree with him that tea etc shouldn’t count

Well 2l is probably a bit much.

But good to get into the habit of drinking little and often. I like a slice of lemon in a glass which gets topped up.

And I drink loads but I don't do tea or coffee.

You can get little aids that flash if you haven’t had a drink in half an hour, irritating as fuck but really help with fluid intake

You'll probably adapt soon and won't need to go to the loo so frequently.

I drink lots and I'm still dehydrated (bowel issues).

I don't drink much plain water though.

I prefer my drinks cold so I have a Chilly's bottle which I take everywhere with me. I'd certainly never be able to drink 2 litres of water if it wasn't really cold.

It's just a habit. I've had loads of bladder problems so I have trained myself to drink less. Now my bladder is much better, I can't seem to increase what I drink because I just forget.
I think you need to accept it won't be easy at first but you will adjust.

I can't do little and often. I just don't think about drinking.
So I have a glass of water every time I eat. Personally, I use a pint glass, so breakfast, lunch, dinner so 1.7l. It has to be part of a routine, or I just don't remember to drink. And a pint after excerise. I probably dont drink enough either, but it's a step up from your current. I think you need to build up levels. Can you target a litre a day next week, 1.5l the week after, and 2l after that?
Would adding lemon slices, or some other flàvouring help?

It's a habit, at start you have to work on it but eventually it's second nature. I don't know how much I drink in modern language but it's at least 6 pints a day and that isn't including fizzy drinks or coffee.

Just do what works for you. If you feel fine and have no symptoms e.g. headaches, constipation etc. and pale wee you're probably drinking enough. Little and often doesn't really make any difference either.

I only drink a 1l a day including tea and coffee unless doing a lot of physical exercise in hot conditions.

I bought the bottle as I'm really bad for reminding myself to refill.

I don't work currently (SAHM), you'd think it would be easier but I've got absolutely shite.

I used to take a litre bottle to work & re fill it at least once.

Can you drink a pint of water with each meal and then you only have to fit another one in somewhere?

Or maybe

Pint of water with breakfast
half pint mid morning
Pint with lunch
half pint mid afternoon
Pint with dinner

Easy!

Drinking 2L of water is hard, however 2L of beer goes down like a fat kid on a seesaw

I just drink every time I feel,a bit thirsty. I have water in the car, a 2l bottle of water by my bed. I probably drink about 2 or 3 times in the night and first thing in the morning.
Cups of tea; fizzy water with cordial.
I don’t drink alcohol, or very rarely

I drink lots too! 3 x 1 litre bottles at work, 2 pint glasses when I get up, if I go to the gym I usually have 2 pints when I get back, then 4 x mugs of coffee , after work I can easily drink another 3-4 pints!!

But I always have done - I read in a magazine when I was 16 that drinking lots of water made your spots go and your skin clear and helped you lose weight. It didn't but I got in the habit and nowadays I struggle if I dont drink for a couple of hours. I do have amazing bladder control most of the time though

The ‘2L a day’ myth has permeated healthcare via the media. Everyone is different, in different environments and doing different amounts if exercise.

Try this, pinch up the skin on the back of your hand then they go. If the skin goes straight back with no extra wrinkling you’re fine. If it stays wrinkled or peaked you are dehydrated.

Another good way to tell is the colour of your wee, it should be straw coloured/ light yellow (vit b and some meds can change the colour). If it’s darker, drink more.

Usually I can drink 2 - 3 litres with no issues but I'm currently pregnant and water makes me vomit, if I get 500ml a day I'm lucky, which at the moment is particularly bad due to the heat.

I tend to chug water though, I'm not good at sipping.

Two litres is a myth.

It comes from the fact that to complete the metabolic processes associated with 1kcal of energy you need about 1ml of water.

However - 2000kcal a day is quite high for most women

• a lot of that water comes from food
• some gets ‘recycled.’

So no, you don’t need 2l of water a day. Drink if you’re thirsty. Have a look at your pee and if it’s darkwr than pale yellow drink more. That can be tea, coffee or most fluids it doesn’t have to be water.
Obviously if your doc has told you that for a specific medical reason you should drink more then do.

My first thought was alcohol too!! I have a friend who swears by drinking 8 pints of water a day - I would constantly be on the loo! I keep a 1 litre bottle by my desk in the week and try to refill it at least once. I run and exercise a lot so can easily drink 2l on those days but struggle on non-exercise days and as for the weekends - it's alcohol rather than water! But the toilet issue never goes away - I think it's just one of those things!

It doesn't have to be water.

I have decaf coffee, squash, sparkling water and a can of diet fizzy stuff most days.

We do always have water with meals though since having the kids as I think it's a nice habit. Plus once you're used to only water with meals it seems a bit weird having squash with savoury food.

I start the day by drinking a large glass of water and follow that with a cup of coffee. I find if I put a cup on my desk I never drink it. I need to pour it and then gollop it down. Perhaps set an alarm for every hour and drink a small glass hourly throughout the day. You will need to wee more at first but once your body gets used to a better level of fluid intake.

I drink 3 x 750ml bottles of water at work in this weather (2 when it's not so hot) and have a couple of pints of squash in the evening. Plus 2-3 coffees / teas a day, it soon adds up!

Agree with buying a smaller bottle. I have a 750ml bottle - I drink one in the morning, refill at lunchtime and drink the other through the afternoon.
It's not as daunting drinking out of a smaller bottle and it's fresher.
So thats 1.5L while I'm at my desk and then a few glasses of diluted squash in the evening with my tea etc.

If you break it down over the time you're awake it may not seem so overwhelming. My skin is much clearer since drinking 1.5 - 2l a day

I drink three litres of water just while I'm at work. On top of that I drink coffee and I have one can of diet fizzy drink a day.

Two litres is nothing, four bottles of 500ml water, one for breakfast, one for lunch one mid afternoon and one before bed.