Most diets and dieting/weight loss tips I've seen advocate the old "8 Glasses of Water" a day or something similar. It sounds so simple. But it's really a lot more dangerous than it sounds, especially if you don't pay attention to your own body, and don't research the ins and outs of it before you do.
I've tried to do the 8 Glasses a Day thing before. Each time I do, it makes me ill. I use normal-sized dinner glasses. I reach my max around 5 or 6. It's especially risky if you're doing a lot of outside work and/or exercise and are sweating a lot. You don't want water then. You want something like Gatorade. Continuing to drink a lot of plain water will cause severe problems that can kill you. Water isn't as harmless as it sounds, and drinking large amounts, especially if you start to feel sloshy and overly hydrated even if you haven't reached the "8 Glasses a Day" thing yet, can put your health at risk.
http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/nutrition/a/aa070703a.htmhttp://drbenkim.com/drink-too-much-water-dangerous.htmlFrom the second link:
If you eat plenty of foods that are naturally rich in water, such as vegetables, fruits, and cooked legumes and whole grains, you may not need to drink very much water at all. If you do not use much or any salt and other seasonings, your need for drinking water goes down even further.
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The main idea that I wish to share through this article is to beware of mindlessly drinking several glasses of water per day without considering your diet, exercise habits, climate, and sense of thirst. And when you do find yourself in need of water, remember that you can get it from liquids and/or whole foods.That applies to me. I drink plain, unsweetened iced tea most of the time. I eat grapes and other fruits, and other foods that have a high water content. If I'm thirsty, I drink. I can also tell when I need plain water because nothing else feels like it's helping me. I pay attention to what my body's needs are, and don't follow a formula like drinking 8 glasses, 3 quarts of water, or half my body weight of plain water a day. If I need the water, I drink it. I get my hydration from other sources. Yes, there's no calories in water. But there's also no sodium and other nutrients that get depleted when you exercise. You're better off drinking Gatorade at the gym than plain water, even if Gatorade has calories.
Don't follow a formula to the letter. Pick something to use for a guideline, and
pay attention to your own body's needs and changes and requirements, and adjust it accordingly. Losing weight is a good thing. It's just better to be smart about it. If you find yourself obsessively craving something beyond all reason that you've been denying yourself in the course of a diet (like bread products on a protein-only diet) that's a warning sign. Listen to your body and work with it, not against it.
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