At the beginning of 2021, I decided to drink a gallon of water a day, every day, for a week. That week turned into a month, which turned into three months, and now, 12 months later, I'm still drinking a gallon of water a day. Show
Three initial reasons drove me to drink that much water a day:
I'm happy to say that all of those things happened to different degrees. But can I attribute them all to drinking a gallon of water a day? Yes and no. Fidus Motivational Leakproof Gallon Water Bottle  Fidus Large 1 Gallon/128oz Motivational Water Bottle Fidus amazon.com $22.94 Shop Now Drinking a gallon of water a dayThe beginning of my water journey! Ana Suarez for Hearst NewspapersI learned in my first week of drinking a gallon of water just how much 128 ounces is. A gallon of water is 128 ounces. One pound is 16 ounces. That means a gallon of water equates to 8 pounds, or about the size of a newborn baby. It took getting used to, but by the end of the first month, drinking a gallon every day was easier. After a year, it's second nature. More Shopping
I started 2021 with the ambition to get my health in order. I ended up losing over 40 pounds during the year. However, I cannot attribute that solely to drinking a gallon of water a day. Along with upping my water intake, I'm happy to report I eat more vegetables, fruits, healthy grains, good fats, and I learned a lot about portion control. A few months into the year, I started Noom, and I also began to walk every day for 20-60 minutes, depending on the weather and how energetic my dog, Tyrone, is feeling. While those are huge contributors to my weight loss, I'll also say that drinking from my gallon jug daily made me feel accountable for all of those other things. I would mentally check off my list to keep me motivated:
One of my goals was achieved – I curbed my cravings and lost weight. For my other two goals, results varied. My allergies still flare up seasonally, but I no longer wake up feeling dehydrated – which is a plus. My skin also did clear up partway through the year. Then my skin got really, really bad. The summer humidity had me questioning if I turned 30 or 13 this year. After months of trying to find the trick to help my skin, I learned that using Differin, Panoxyl Acne Creamy Wash, and Cera Ve Daily Moisturizing Lotion is the ideal combination treatment for my skin. To the folks who claim that water cleared their skin up, I imagine you’re just one of the lucky ones. I don't attribute drinking a gallon of water a day to clear skin. Acne Treatment Differin Gel Differin amazon.com $17.45 Shop Now PanOxyl Acne Foaming Wash Benzoyl Peroxide 10% Maximum Strength Antimicrobial, 5.5 Oz PanOxyl amazon.com $9.59 Shop Now CeraVe Daily Moisturizing Lotion for Dry Skin CeraVe amazon.com $18.37 Shop Now How much water should you drink in a day?Tyrone is 9 pounds, while a gallon of water is 128 ounces (AKA 8 pounds) Ana Suarez for Hearst NewspapersWhile 128 ounces of water is not recommended for everyone, it isn't far off from what the Mayo Clinic suggests. The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has calculated that men need 3.7 liters (125 ounces), and women need 2.7 liters (91 ounces) of fluid a day. That number is calculating water, other beverages, and the liquid you'll get from fruits and vegetables in a balanced diet. Is it safe to drink a gallon of water a day?The short answer is yes, but that's completely dependent on your body and overall health. Other factors contribute to how much water you should consume in a day. If you’re worried, consult with your primary care doctor to determine how much water you should drink. Online tools can also help to determine that number, like the Water Calculator. I used this calculator and consulted with my doctor to make sure it was accurate (it suggested up to 140 ounces for my weight at the time; my doctor said 128 was more than enough). Factors include:
Are there risks to drinking a gallon of water a day?One of the main risks of consuming too much water is water intoxication. A number of readers emailed me about this after I published my first article on the subject in early 2021. Water intoxication is a real thing, but is not common, says Molly Kimball, R.D., C.S.S.D., a registered dietitian and manager of the Ochsner Fitness Center nutrition program in New Orleans. According to Kimball, “When it does happen, it’s most often related to extreme alcohol consumption, water-drinking contests or exercise – specifically after intense exercise or exercise in hot and/or humid conditions, when consuming large amounts of water – and only water – replenishes our body’s water without replenishing our electrolytes.” While water intoxication is a rarity among regular folks, Kimball has most often heard of it with novice endurance athletes. As in, “a first-time marathoner who drinks only water – no sports drinks or electrolyte-containing drink or food during the event – and collapses along the race route.” Water intoxication (also known as water toxicity) is when intracellular water increases and causes cells to swell. This is can lead to brain cells swelling and increased pressure in the brain. You might experience headaches, confusion and drowsiness. If you don't seek treatment, water toxicity can cause seizures, delirium, or in extreme cases, coma. Kimball stressed the importance of maintaining sodium levels, saying, “Sodium is critical in maintaining the balance of intra- and extracellular fluids. It’s when our sodium levels drop due to a high amount of water in the body (essentially ‘diluting’ our body’s sodium levels) that extracellular fluid shifts to intracellular fluid, causing our cells to swell and increasing the risks mentioned above.” There’s no specific guidance on how much water is too much water, but Kimball does not recommend consuming large quantities of water (without electrolytes) in a small window of time (a couple of hours). Benefits of drinking waterMy first jug (RIP) and my new (well, 7 month's old) jug Ana Suarez for Hearst NewspapersThere are many proven benefits to drinking enough water daily. Ignore the "miracle" claims on the internet, like water clearing skin and elminiating belly fat. According to the Harvard Medical School Special Health Report, water has many important jobs, such as:
Kimball also added:
How to drink more waterDrinking more water can be hard. I personally love it. That's why I embarked on a year-long journey to drink a gallon of water a day. However, my best friend struggles to drink enough water daily, let alone consume 128 ounces. If you’re also struggling to drink enough water or want to hit that gallon-a-day goal, Kimball suggests thinking outside of water. “There are so many ways we can hydrate beyond water,” she said. It doesn’t have to be pure H20 to count toward a fluid goal if you really do not like plain old water. “Any food or drink that’s liquid at room temperature (and doesn’t contain alcohol) can ‘count’ toward our fluid intake – think herbal tea, bone broth (also protein- and electrolyte-rich), soups, smoothies, Greek yogurt, or cottage cheese.” Logging cottage cheese might feel weird in your daily intake journal, but it still counts. If you prefer to stick to more liquid-based options, you can also add to your water so it isn’t plain. Low-sugar, naturally flavored sports drink products, like Nuun, SOS Hydration, or Liquid I.V, are all great options. Just be sure to read the instructions to avoid going overboard, as these products have a lot of electrolytes. If you’re not sweating like crazy, you most likely won’t need more than one per day. I personally drink Liquid I.V. on days I know I'm going to have long stretches without a bathroom nearby. Nuun Sport: Electrolyte Drink Tablets, Citrus Berry Mixed Box, 4 Tubes (40 Servings) Nuun amazon.com $25.82 Shop Now SOS Hydration Electrolyte Replacement Powder Drink Mix Stick Packets SOS amazon.com $17.50 Shop Now Liquid I.V. Hydration Multiplier - Strawberry - Hydration Powder Packets Liquid I.V. amazon.com $23.99 Shop Now Another way Kimball suggested drinking more water is setting a loose schedule. You can aim to drink a set number of ounces by lunchtime and then another set of ounces before your workday ends. She also recommended keeping your preferred type of drinking glass or reusable bottle nearby to help motivate you and to keep track of your progress. That is why I got the giant water jug, it helped me keep track of how much I’d already had and how much more I had to go. You can also try to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into your daily diet, as Kimball remarks that most are at least 80% water. Even meat and poultry contain high percentages of water when cooked. What are the cons of drinking a gallon of water a day?Most Popular
I’d argue the cons of drinking a lot of water are associated with misinformation. During my research, I stumbled across top-related queries for drinking a gallon of water a day that demonstrate how some people believe it's a cure-all. They are:
Although drinking water can aid weight loss, that's in tandem with myriad factors, like eating a balanced diet and getting the weekly recommended amount of aerobic exercise. To suggest that simply consuming more water will lead to immediate weight loss is troublesome. Even worse, to imply that you can lose belly fat by drinking more water is an outright lie. While you can lose body fat (body, not belly) on a weight loss journey, you cannot target fat loss in such a way that correlates to directly losing belly fat from consuming copious amounts of water. Targeted fat loss (also known as spot reduction) has been proven to be a myth. Drinking more water will not help, as it's not real phenomenon. Even though drinking water won’t help you lose weight or belly fat directly, it has been suggested that drinking more water can help you consume fewer calories. Kimball referenced a February 2016 study by the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics showing that just slightly increasing water intake (1%) translated to fewer calories, less saturated fat, sugar and sodium intakes. However, Kimball also said, “That seems REALLY surprising to me, though. Assuming we’re talking 80 ounces a day on average for someone, a one percent increase is literally 0.8 ounces more.” There’s still plenty to be studied on the correlation between water consumption and weight loss. Kimball also said that water won’t specifically help you lose weight unless it’s fixing an issue you weren’t totally aware of. “For example, being even slightly dehydrated can leave us feeling sluggish – which in turn may translate to eating more (often more carb-rich foods) in search of that elusive energy boost, when the reality is that we’re simply dehydrated.” What changed between month 3 and month 12?The end (not really) of my water journey after a year. Ana Suarez for Hearst NewspapersBy the third month of drinking a gallon of water a day, I had gotten quite used to consuming that much water. I didn't pee as frequently as I did in week one. Now, I feel like everything is normal, though I still won't drink too much water before getting in a car. Just to be safe. Not much has changed in the last nine months now that I'm accustomed to consuming this much water. The big change is that I don’t exclusively drink out of gallon jug every day. Once I was fully vaccinated, I felt more comfortable traveling, and carrying a gallon jug wasn’t travel-friendly. I bought new insulated water bottles. I love a good big cup with a straw. They've made drinking water easier on days I felt like I was struggling to hit my markers. Elvira 32 Oz. Insulated Water Bottle Elvira 32oz Vacuum Insulated Stainless Steel Water Bottle with Straw & Spout Lids Elvira amazon.com $21.31 Shop Now After using these water bottles on trips, I began using them at home, too. While not quite as easy to keep track of all 128 ounces as with the giant jug, the smaller bottles didn't make hitting my marker more difficult, as I first believed. I still use my giant jug weekly, but I more frequently drink out of smaller water bottles now that I'm a year in. What I learned from drinking a gallon of water a day for a yearSemi-Before and After: The photo on the left is 2 months into my water journey; the photo on the right is after 12 months. Ana Suarez for Hearst NewspapersAfter a year of drinking a gallon of water every day, I found out I was wrong about some things, which is tough to admit. I hate being wrong. What I was wrong aboutDrinking a gallon of water a day for a year doesn’t fix your skin either. I had to put a lot of effort into clearing my skin, and it had little to do with how much water I consumed. I wouldn't advise drinking this much water if the main goal is “clearer skin,” as that's a false promise from the internet. I also found out my giant water jug wasn't indestructible. I wrote about it withstanding all of my clumsiness in April, and then broke it in May. That's okay though, as the replacement jug (same brand, different color) has held up fine. But I fear putting that in writing means I'll break it next week. Other lessons from drinking this much waterWhile I didn’t get the clear skin I expected, I did get some intense motivation to continue my health journey. I turned 30 in 2021 and I was determined to get healthy before my birthday. I can't say that drinking so much water made me lose 40 pounds, but I can confidently say it was the first step, and an important one. In all of my previous weight loss attempts, I would set huge goals and a 20-item checklist to achieve them. I inevitably failed because I would overextend myself and burn out. By starting out 2021's journey with drinking a gallon of water a day, I was able to focus on one goal at a time and then build. I knew I could drink a gallon of water a day at the end of January. I then commit to walking 8,000 steps every day in February. By March, I started Noom, and began eating in a calorie deficit. By April, I committed to a focused program of strength training three times a week. If you also tend to over-commit and underperform, start out how I did. I drank a gallon of water for a week. That week became a month. That month became three months. Those three months became a year. I’ve never felt happier with my own progress and I’m the healthiest I’ve been in years. What happens when you drink 1 gallon of water a day?One reason to aim for a gallon of water each day is that, according to WebMD, doing so may significantly boost your energy level. Low energy is a common problem. Some people start to slump in the afternoon and would sooner reach for a soda or a cup of coffee than a glass of water.
What are the cons of drinking a gallon of water a day?The problem is that too much water dilutes the salts in our blood which causes water intoxication with symptoms such as headaches, vomiting and mental disorientation. The kidneys also can't flush the water out of our bodies quickly enough and this excess water enters the cells in our body and causes them to swell.
How much gallon of water should you drink a day?Health experts commonly recommend eight 8-ounce glasses, which equals about 2 liters, or half a gallon a day. This is called the 8×8 rule and is very easy to remember. However, some experts believe that you need to sip on water constantly throughout the day, even when you're not thirsty.
|
Is a gallon of water a day good
Related Posts
Copyright © 2024 en.frojeostern Inc.
