Weight Loss without Worry

Do we really need to drink 8 – 8 oz glasses of water a day? I always thought this recommendation was a bit broad, I mean do a 300 pound man and a 100 pound woman have the same water needs? And what about those who exercise or have a physically demanding job, do they have the same requirement as someone who sits at a desk all day?

Well, the New Beverage Guidlines were published last year in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and gave us the answers to those questions.

As it turns out men and women aren’t equal when it comes to water needs. According to the Beverage Guidance Panel, women should drink at least 4 -8 oz. glasses of water a day and men should shoot for 6. And what about the size of the person? The panel solved this question by providing blanket recommendations based on a person who requires 2200 calories per day. It was suggested that this person should have 98 oz. of beverage consumption a day.

Note: To find out the number of calories/day your body needs to maintain it’s weight go to this calorie calculator you will have to estimate your beverage requirements based on your calorie needs.

This does not mean the 98 oz. must be water, you can mix up your beverage consumption, here is the breakdown they suggest:

• Water — at least 20 to 50 oz.
• Unsweetened Tea or Coffee — up to 40 oz.
• Low-fat or Skim Milk — up to 16 oz.
  • whole milk was not recommended
• Non-calorie Sweetened Drinks (i.e. diet soda) — up to 32 oz.
• Beverages with Some Nutrients (i.e. juice or sports drinks) — up to 8 oz.
• Sugar Sweetened Drinks (i.e. regular soda) — no more than 8 oz. less if trying to lose weight
  • remember many soda come in 12, 16 or 24 oz. servings!
• Alcoholic beverages — Women up to one drink, Men up to two drinks
  • One drink equals 12 oz. of beer, 5 oz. of wine or 1.5 oz. of liquor

Do you wonder where caffeine comes into play? The guidelines recommend restricting caffeine intake to 400 mg per day. This would be roughly the equivalent of drinking 32 oz. of regular coffee or 64 oz. of tea. I am an avid coffee and tea drinker so I was thrilled with the panels approval on these two beverages. Coffee is second only to water in terms of comsumption and several studies show a link between regular coffee intake and lower risk of type 2 diabetes and colorectal cancer (WaHoo). Make sure you are drinking unsweetened coffee and tea.

So there you go, the panel did point out that all the daily beverage needs for an adult can be met with water, but if other beverages are preferred, then follow the above recommendation and you should be fine.

If you would like to read more about the panel’s recommendations go to this website.