Biology of water

[mizski]

Re: Biology of water

BE careful, drinking lots of water flushes nutrients out of your system too, so make sure you check the suppliments forum.

It is my understanding that the body flushes out excess water soluble vitamins. It is suggested that most supplements be taken with a meal so after the body has gathered all the nutrients it needs from the food/supplements, the excess water soluble nutrients are flushed away. We have to watch the amounts of fat soluble vitamins though as they can build up.

[chinadoll]

Re: Biology of water

I understand what you are saying about the green. It isn't green per se, but the urine is a different kind of yellow than the golden yellow it is when I consume carbs.

My experience is the same as Carole's---when I am eating legally and not losing, 9 times out of ten I am not drinking enough water.

[logos]

Re: Biology of water

This might help Sarbirus: water is life

I'll call your massage studio website with pseudoscientific half-truths and raise you a a review article published by renal physiologist in a peer reviewed scientific journal.

"Drink at least eight glasses of water a day." Really? Is there scientific evidence for "8 x 8"? -- Valtin 283 (5): 993 -- AJP - Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology

[Junglebaby]

Re: Biology of water

Water is fabulous, I love drinking water, so no problem there for me. I know water assists in weight Loss, makes your skin look great, and your body consists of 70% water. You flush out toxins out of your kindneys with more water, and sometimes, you might think you are hungry, but its your body alerting you to increase your water intake.

I dont know when you all write ounces blah etc lol we use litres, they say well according to a Cardiologist, I worked for a heart surgeon in the past, and they say that you should drink especially when you are dieting a minimum of 2 litres of water a day.

All i know is water is just awesome, keep drinking. Oh and they say that at room temperature is better then ice water, but all the same its fab

[sarbirus]

Re: Biology of water

Thanks for the link Carole, interesting reading!

[imagood1]

Re: Biology of water

This might help Sarbirus: water is life

[sarbirus]

Re: Biology of water

Interesting perspective Logos, exactly the kind of debate I was hoping for.

I have a gut feeling that Dr Atkins included the water for a few reasons... maybe because drinking water fills you up, makes you feel a little bloated, and therefore will put you off eating a little (water is often recommended in diets).. maybe its also because he was worried (rightly or wrongly) about ketones in the blood and excess water may help flush them out... or maybe during his many years of trials he found that it encorraged weight loss through some action I have no idea about.

Its interesting that you mention the kidneys processing water burns energy.. This i guess makes sense and may be a benefit to drinking lots of water.

I think the reason why I asked the original question is that the science behind atkins seems to be well understood by members in the forum and is often discussed. But the water side is often refered to in a mystical or almost religious way "thy shalt consume 64oz of water per day" kind of commandment.

Regardless... I am drinking as much water as I possibly can, I'm taking six different supliments, sticking to the atkins book method and it seems to be working. So I am not about to knock it... apart from my regular visits to the wc is getting a bit tiresome! lol

[CarbaholicJoe]

Re: Biology of water

Water makes up like 70% of our body, so if we dont get enough, we aren't complete. Water is good for us, without it we would die, thats why we can live on earth

Eh? i can happily drink diet coke and live on earth... sure it contains water, but that doesnt count on atkins.

BE careful, drinking lots of water flushes nutrients out of your system too, so make sure you check the suppliments forum.

http://www.purestorm.com/water.aspx

[logos]

Re: Biology of water

I only have one scientific thought as to the recommendation to drink so much water. That is the excretion of water by the kidney is an energy requiring process. The water you drink is absorbed into your blood. They kidney must then expend energy removing water from the blood without removing all of the stuff it wants to keep (blood cells, electrolytes, protein, glucose etc). You can actually cause people to loose weight by accidentally giving them too much free water, a mistake that happens in tube fed and TPN (through vein) fed patients occasionally. The detailed physiology of this is a bit complicated in that kidney actually expends the energy via various active transporters along the nephron pumping molecules back in to the blood instead of out, but the net effect is energy loss.

I believe the real reason is just that people seem to think that if some water is good for them, an excess must be better. I think its bunk. Humans have an exquisitely sensitive system for maintaining the correct water balance. When you need water you will get thirsty. While serum ketones may induce a mild diuresis, you should get thirsty and easily replace those losses.

Likewise, I don't believe the non-sense that gets spread about various liquids not "counting" as water. If a drink is water based, made from water, like almost all drinks, it supplies a roughly equal volume of free water.

[sporty]

Re: Biology of water

Yes my urine has gotten more "green" in color since I went into Ketosis. So to answer you question yes mine has changed colors.

It was not due to Ketosis but saying I noticed the change when I went into Ketosis. It is not green just has gotten more of a green color. Sorry I should have clarified that! LOL

I actually just started taking vitamins yesterday so great now I might see a change from that too....lol

[Georgiana]

Re: Biology of water

Oops. I meant refracted, not reflected.

[sarbirus]

Re: Biology of water

No I dont think it is fat and no I didnt pay much attention to my pee before the atkins. I think your right, I may just be seeing something that isnt there, or something thats possibly natural which changes the refractive index of my pee a little.

I do know that one of my supliments I take is supposed to turn your pee a hint of green, but not seen that happening myself.

I did used to find before atkins that my pee would be almost completely clear if I drunk more than a couple of litres of water per day (on top of coffee and tea intake) and yellow if I had not drunk any water.. but now I am drinking so much more than I ever have and have yellow pee all the time.

What I do believe though is that we all know what the book recommends regarding water drinking... I know that I read it and thought "wow, I will need to drink a massive amount of water" but the concentration is often on what you eat and the water consumption is not seen as important, especially for a newbie like myself. But I am forming the opinion that the volume of water is just as important as the carb intake, and the percentages of fat, protein, fiber and carbs.

I was especially interested in the account of not drinking enough water causing a reduction in weight loss.

This isnt the thread for exercise, but from reading other members accounts, I am also begining to think that exercise is equally important.

Dr Atkins did a lot of research into this diet, with many case studies and even though initially I took his recommendations on water consumption as an estimate, I now think he put a lot more work into comming up with his water consumption recommendations than would initially meet the eye.

Again, not the place for it, but from reading his chapters on people with metabolic resistance and the nutritional supliments he recommends in these cases, could benefit people who do not initially think they have a problem with metabolic resistance (perhaps due to loosing a lot of weight in the first week or so) that may become metabolically resistant during the diet due to depletion of some of the minerals, amino acids and other compounds used during the earlier stages of the diet.

All very interesting factors indeed

[Georgiana]

Re: Biology of water

has anyone noticed anything different in their urine since going on the atkins, apart from maybe peeing a lot!

For example colour, or possibly even noticed abnormalities in the appearance

The amount of water you drink and some foods can change the color of urine. Certain medications and nutritional supplements can also do it.

I often wonder if I can see a pattern in the surface of the liquid of the pan after having a pee, causing a distortion in the optics, a little like what you may see if you added a little clear oil to a glass of water. Anyone else noticed anything like that.

I did wonder if a small amount of fat or oil is excreted in the urine even.

You should not see fat in your urine. I think all you see is light being reflected differently by the water & pee mix. Maybe you just didn't study your urine close enough before starting Atkins? But if you really believe it's fat what you are seeing, it's better to talk to a doctor.

[Georgiana]

Re: Biology of water

Yes my urine has gotten more "green" in color since I went into Ketosis. So to answer you question yes mine has changed colors.

Green????

That has nothing to do with ketosis. If you are taking a multivitamin, that could change the color to amber or neon yellow.

[sporty]

Re: Biology of water

Yes my urine has gotten more "green" in color since I went into Ketosis. So to answer you question yes mine has changed colors.