Water - the ultimate supplement

How's this for good science.

Based on a character in a military spy beach thriller type novel saying something about the fittest man he ever knew, rock solid, no fat, telling him to drink 5 liters of water a day and eat whatever, I decided to try it. It just made perfect sense to me.In the book this guy does it while digging pools for a living and get's in amazing shape.

First appetite is a non issue. Major portion control aid. I've just been eating less and paying less attention to what and feeling great.

Skin looks much healthier.

Leaning out from the winter blurring.

Way more energy at night.

I'm hooked. Killed my sweets cravings. Went back to regular old coffee from the crazy venti thingy I was drinking every day- all good.

I know you can drink TOO much water but this seems just right.

5 liters=1.3 gallons

Bill

[Shaf]

I used to dig pools for a living. By hand. I referred to my shovel as the polish backhoe. These were above ground pools.

I could strip a 30' circle of sod in an amazingly short time. I could do it so there was less than an inch of grade from one side to another, as long as the yard was level.

I want from 217 to 189 in the course of about 8 weeks. I drank a lot of water, a lot of gatorade, and, at night, a lot of beer. Not only was I ripped, but I was very, very tan.

I lost a lot in the gym during that period, and lost a lot of running endurance, but, man, I could dig all day long, drink all night, and do it over again the next day.

Hydration is a big issue. If my hydration is sub-par, then my performance tends to be.

Yeah, in the book the guy is in Key West, so the streets are too small for the back hoes. Basically you described what happens in the book - except all the shooting and intrigue.

[Chuck Kechter]

Lee Child? Reacher?

If so a great read. . . As are all of his novels.

Back to your regularly scheduled posts. . .

Chuck

P.S. Oh, and that water thing. . . works well, and like a charm :)

[Mike]

How strict were you with your food choices Bill? Did you basically eat whatever and whenever?

Chuck

You got it. "Tripwire"

Mike

No. I did have a couisant (sp)though. Seriously, I have been eating less overall I think because I am only eating from hunger and not from thirst. I ate a burger on a roll and that kind of stuff, but definetly not an eating binge.

Asfar as I'm concerned this part of how I eat henceforth.

[James Boelter]

I remember that Ellington Darden had an article in his webpages about what he called 'Superhydration'; his formula for water consumption was up there in the 5 liter mark ; basically 32 oz (baseline) plus an oz of water for each pound of body mass, or some incredible amount like that.
Oh wait, just found it on google, here it is!

http://www.classicx.com/html/body_2super.html

Oddly, I got out of the habit of drinking water when I lost my software developer job - there was a neat industrial strength filtered water & ice dispenser just down the hall from my cubicle; sometimes I think that machine was the only thing I really miss about the job! Well, that and the paycheck... :roll:

[Mike]

I have no problems drinking enough water. Ice water is my favourite beverage. People at work think I'm crazy when I say that, but it's true! If I could, I'd have a glass of it in my hand at all times.

[James Boelter]

Update: you know, I slipped far more than I thought in the last year. I started carrying a 1 liter bottle of Aquafina (always loved that blue design thing they have going) and refilling it when empty. The results were about what you would expect - it turned out that when I just drank water 'on impulse', without a measured count to keep me honest, (the way I've been doing this last year) I was actually drinking far less water than I thought...not even a liter a day.

In all the 'water books', the authors stress that as you get older, your thirst becomes less and less reliable as a gauge for your water needs. It was a bit of a shock to find it to be so literally true. And I'm not even 50. What must it be like for my 76+ year old parents, living in Phoenix in the summer??

Today, after 12 hours, I have barely finished 3 liters, and it's actually been somewhat ONEROUS to get that much down, if you can believe it. I actually feel a little weird - not surprising, given the new amount of fluids in my system and the ensuing changes in hydraulics and hydrostatic pressure. Can't say if my appetite is much affected yet, or my energy levels (working a graveyard shift keeps a person so messed up it's hard to establish baseline levels) but there was a definite shift in the gut and solid waste eliminations within a day. I was never constipated before, but my goodness, did a LOT of stuff suddenly decide to come out.

I'd like to thank Bill for bringing this issue up and reminding of something that I'd learned, and then forgotten. Merci Beaucoup!