To really swear by drinking water ?

[Jumell]

I’m currently on a diet /exercise plan and trying to aim for drinking 2 litres of water a day.

I don’t mix my water with anything else - it’s just straight tap water but omg it makes such a difference to everything. It improves my

Skin
Digestion

Can speed up weight loss but ONLY as part of a calorie controlled diet and exercise plan - won’t make you lose weight on its own !

So yes - something this simple really makes a huge difference to wellbeing and 2 litres of tap water a day costs next to nothing

I was thinking yesterday as well that clean drinking water is something we take for granted in a rich, developed nation like the UK. Was thinking that if I lived in one of the world’s Least Developed Countries I might be walking 10 miles a day for this privelege!

So yes - water I think is an excellent ‘superfood’ as they say - or ‘superdrink’

And I say this as someone who isn’t really a ‘natural’ water drinker - I don’t really like drinking it - much prefer drinking Diet Coke/Pepsi Max if given a choice ! But this is why I space my water drinking out throughout the day - so 500 ml every 3 hours or something ! Makes it easier !

So in short - highly recommended!

The water in our taps here in Harrogate, North Yorkshire is brilliant! It's so good that it's bottled and sold worldwide! Harrogate Spring Water so you're wrong there!

I always take water for motorway journeys, except for my 25 minute commute to work, but I wouldn't take any for a trip to the supermarket.

My pee is a healthy straw colour and my kidneys are functioning perfectly - I had kidney function tests a couple of months ago as part of a general blood test for a different health condition.

If going six hours without a drink is too long, do you think people should be waking up in the night to drink?

Can't stand the stuff, only to be drunk in times of total desperation

Okay so you asked....

during the night the production of urine slows down because the kidneys produce less overnight. It's normal not to drink during the night. I assume you're not being serious asking this?

As long as you drink enough during the day, then it's fine not to drink at night.

But generally, if someone went from 8am to 2pm without a drink (and they had a normal cup of something at breakfast- like 300mls) they would feel thirsty unless they are old because when you're old your sense of thirst declines.

Well no, I wasn't being entirely serious, but guess my point is that if we can easily go 8-9 hours without a drink at night, why would it be an issue during the day as long as your total liquid consumption is within healthy limits?

Lots of people work in jobs where they can't just stop and have a drink, or where they can't carry water with them. Surely as long as you drink enough over your waking hours, it's not all that important when that happens?

I drink plenty over the course of a day - at least 2 litres of fluid - if not more - but it just happens to be before and after work, and in the evenings, rather than when I'm at work for practical reasons.

Not totally true, it's a bladder irritant

Clear liquid is better for your bladder or some clear liquid through the day.

If I drunk when I was thirsty I would never drink.

I'm never thirsty, I also don't sweat either. My middle kid drank so much water when he was younger I suspected he may even be diabetic, he'd even drink about 2 litres just before a meal. I reckon he (as a young adult) must drink at least 5 litres a day.

But he's a very fit and healthy young man!

Me, I must be permanently dehydrated my wee is like (tmi) treacle!

I go through phases of trying my best to drink water and my skin is definitely better. It's a constant battle to drink more fluid, so I drink copious amounts of tea, which I realise is a diuretic but is probably better than nothing.

I love coconut water but after drinking 2 litres one day, I spent the next 24 hours on the toilet.

If anyone has suggestions on how to drink more water I'd be very grateful. Not a fan of squash either.

This isn't wholly true either.
If you're not used to it, it can be (but isn't always) an irritant and a diuretic. If you drink it regularly it's usually neither.

If anyone has suggestions on how to drink more water I'd be very grateful

Tea?

I have quite a serious autoimmune disease (medically diagnosed and monitored) and the improvement in my symptoms when I drink 2-3l water a day compared with much less, is quite incredible. It's measurable, so not placebo.

I'm absolutely a science-led individual for pretty much everything but in this case no matter what advice is out there about only needing to drink when you're thirsty, I just can't justify applying it to myself and support others who feel the same for medical reasons or just general health. There are clearly more subtle benefits than currently available standard medical tests can pick up.

I also think there's a difference between "need" and "supports optimal performance". Sure, no one is going to die if only drinking when thirsty, but drinking more liquid absolutely in my experience helps a number of bodily systems run at their best.