# Drinking too much water?



## devotchka (Nov 27, 2001)

Does anyone else have to drink excessive amounts of water to maintain normal bowel movements? I'm not really thirsty very often, but I've gotten into the habit of drinking (I'm estimating here) at least 300 oz of water a day. Just writing that out is sort of disturbing, because I realize that it's a huge amount. Anyway, it usually means that I'm in and out of the bathroom every hour or so, if not more. And I'm constantly drinking water in an attempt to make my urine clear. (I've estimated that if my urine is clear, I've drunk enough.) If I haven't, I have a lot of trouble the next morning.I'm starting to worry about the effects this may have on my body. I know that you're expected to drink a lot of water, but this seems excessive. I also eat a lot of salad and bran.


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## Cigarello (Jun 17, 2000)

Why do you drink that much? Yuck- I can barely get 40 oz down a day; I guess the recommendation is 64oz per day (8 glasses)- so you take 5 times the recommended dose--It sure sounds like a lot--


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## devotchka (Nov 27, 2001)

CigarelloI do it because if I don't, I can't go in the mornings. It isn't because I like it.Does anyone know of any pills or particular foods I might be able to use in lieu of all this water? I take Magnesium and that seems to help, but it isn't an entirely adequate substitute.


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## ghitta (Jul 6, 2002)

devotchka- hi. in answer to your Q about foods etc : what works for me is food high in soluble fiber (not insoluble) : stewed prunes and figs, every night, after dinner, cooked greens (spinach, lettuce, kale, etc, cooked so as to concentrate their cellulose content: bulk), - certain fruits eaten totally separately from other foods (otherwise big time gas results) such as really ripe bananas, peaches, plums, etc. cooked carrots and organic small potatoes roasted in their skins (or steamed, but the skin on is essential!) really works wonders. everything smothered with olive oil, of course, to grease the skids. the supps i take that work are: 400mg of mag per day, flax oil pills or the oil itself, vit C etc. as much walking as possible and about a liter of water per day. hope any of this helps! best, g-


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## Pachacuti (Aug 18, 2002)

That does sound like you are drinking too much water. You may be at risk for changing you pH levels when you are consuming that much. If I were you I would try and cut back while searching for some other methid to relieve the chronic constipation. Good luck on your search, I wish I had found a solution for myself that I could share with you, but nothing yet.


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## devotchka (Nov 27, 2001)

Thanks for the help, guys. Sorry it took me so long to reply. What's the problem with pH levels? I'm sorry--I don't know exactly what that means. Actually, I have no idea.


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## lk (Aug 28, 1999)

Hi. I also drink a lot of water - so that I can go, and while I don't drink nearly as much as you now, I used to drink a lot more. I found that because I was taking fiber suppliments I needed so much water to make them work. I could actually feel things moving in my tummy if I'd drank enough water, but otherwise things would feel stuck. Eventually I started on the magnesium, and since that was working well, my doctor suggested I stopped taking the fiber suppliments, since they also gave me a lot of gas. This worked miracles, and now I drink way less water. Before I was pretty much drinking constantly - I was almost self-conscious about carrying a water bottle around all day as if it was a security blanket. Anyhow, since then I have found that for me, opposite to Ghitta, I have trouble with soluble fiber, and the more I eat, the more water I need. My theory is that soluble fiber works like a gel that lubricates things, but if your not getting adequate water then it acts more like glue, which explains why thinks used to feel stuck for me. Also, since I'm C naturally it makes sense that I'm not getting enough water drawn into the colon and so soluble fiber was actually causing more harm than good. Now, two years later, I take 500mg of mag a day, and avoid soluble fiber as much as possible - unfortunately that includes most fruits and processes foods that contain gums (i.e. guar gum in ice cream - except the all natural kind like Hagen Daas!). Anyhow, since your situation kind of sounds like mine, cutting back on the fiber might be something to try - though I don't know of anyone else on the board who has had a similar problem. As for drinking drinking to much water, I don't think you can do much harm by drinking too much water. I've actually heard that the RDA for water is "as much as you can drink". Linda


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