Too much water????

[womanpraised]

Okay... so yesterday, I got my gallon in like a good little doobee... and abotu 6 last night the air went out. So I had about 32 oz more... and I got all swollen and bloated.. I was thirsty, I wasnt forcing it.. Perhaps of note is that my water is decaff ice tea with a squich of lemon (already caught flak in another thread). But my fingers actually HURT they were so swollen, and I felt a bit out of breath.... It was wierd. They are a little swollen this am, but not so much... any thoughts?

[Kathi22]

Re: Too much water????

I would have no idea other than drinking too much in too little time. I have read several articles about ovewr consumption of water in a short period of time causing sweeling and even death. Maybe spread your water out more, and try just water without the tea and lemon.

[Finelly]

Re: Too much water????

There are chemicals in decaff tea that can do that.

[LOWCARBINCLEVELANDOH]

Re: Too much water????

I was drinking a gallon of water (as many of you know) by4:00 every day. My Ankles were so swollne some days that I had a hard time walking at first until the loosened. I decided to cut back a bit and space it out better during the day so Iget to bed @ 10) with a gallon consumed. I notice my ankles are alot better!

[knicknack]

Re: Too much water????

Sometimes before a whoosh I get SUPER thirsty and drink water like it's going out of style. Then I retain water, and then a few days later the supreme thirst goes away and with it go 2 or 3 pounds. So maybe that's part of it?

But yes, I think there is such a thing as too much water, but if you're thirsty you probably should drink. Just maybe spread it out as the others have said...

[Brook]

Re: Too much water????

Generally speaking, it's hard to drink to the point of water intoxication - to dangerous/life threatening levels. Water intoxication is an issue for extreme and endurance atheletes, military personnel, etc. People who are exerting themselves very hard, while sweating profusely (excessive sodium/potassium loss) and not replenishing the minerals as they down large amounts of water. That's why sports drinks have in them what they have in them. They address thirst and electrolytes too.

It's possible, as you've found out, to drink enough fast enough to cause yourself to be pretty darn uncomfortable - hyponatremic. Space the water out a bit more and/or make sure you're getting enough minerals in at the same time.

For endurance athletes, the damage is done with large amounts of water in short periods of time while being electrolyte deficient. For the average, every day person - to ignore the severe symptoms of it, you'd be doing intentionally cuz they're simply not pretty or fun.


Hyponatremia: An abnormally low concentration of sodium in the blood. Too little sodium can cause cells to malfunction, and extremely low sodium can be fatal. Hyponatremia has many causes including medications such as diuretics and antidepressants, hypothyroidism, cortisone deficiency (such as in Addison's disease), dehydration, vomiting or diarrhea, severe burns, kidney or heart failure, and cirrhosis.

The symptoms of hyponatremia include bloating and puffiness in the face and fingers, nausea, vomiting, muscle weakness, headache and disorientation.

It can also cause anorexia, severe cramps, coma and death.


Again, this isn't an issue for your average, every day person or dieter.

I think it's fantastic that you listened to your body and are responding accordingly.

The only reason why I know squat about it is because I live with Miss Sammy-Jammy, who by some fluke of nature is chronically hyponatremic. These are symptoms and things we deal with in our home every day.