Most people worry about not drinking enough water. However, I regularly see clients drinking far more than they need. While dehydration can cause problems, excessive water intake may also affect hunger, energy levels and quality of life. Here is how to tell if you are drinking too much, too little or about the right amount.
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Everyone seems obsessed with drinking water yet I feel this debate has become a little too one sided and thus people have not seen the downside to excess water consumption. Many people have completely clear urine, are visiting the toilet constantly and still think they need more water.
If you have read either of my books or this newsletter for a while then you will be familiar with the 6 Types of Hunger, and how water is one of them. It can cause significant over eating if not addressed. Despite this, I would say I am probably classified as a water skeptic over telling people to drink litres every day.
Can Drinking More Water Make You Hungrier?
My first insight into water came when I did the first week of Ramadan to experience a little bit of it alongside my Muslim client. It was in June back then so no food or drink from 6am to 9pm. On my last day I decided to add in water, to see what would happen, to my great surprise I was much hungrier and felt light headed. I put it down to a one off bad day, but one year later I decided to do the first week again and also drank water on the last day, the same thing happened.
Around similar times I had started my bodybuilding competitions and the fat loss prep for these shows. Without consciously knowing I found myself not drinking much water and if I did crank up intake I was much hungrier. To many this may sound crazy, surely water would fill you up, but it is not that simple.
Key takeaway: More water is not automatically better. Some people appear to become hungrier when water intake is increased significantly.
Why Does Water Affect Hunger And Energy?
Blood sugar, and salt concentrations relate to not just how much carbs or salts are in the blood but also how much volume of blood there is, which gives their concentration in the liquid. What this means in real terms is say there are 5 units of glucose or sodium in one litre of blood, if you drink a lot of water and increase the volume of blood without changing the glucose or sodium you now may have 5 units in 1.5 litres. This means the concentration has gone down by 50%. Some people seem more susceptible to this than others. This may influence hunger, energy and how you feel.
Key takeaway: Hunger is influenced by more than food alone. Water intake may affect how some people feel, particularly if they are sensitive to changes in fluid balance.
Can Water Become A Replacement For Eating?
There is a lot of confusion around this because people do not understand the different aspects of eating, while one element is of course genuine hunger, genuine dehydration and thirst. Another huge element is learned patterns and the brain putting your hand towards your mouth. You see this with smokers all the time, they stop smoking and instead start eating more. I see the same with healthy eaters, they stop eating and start drinking more water. This seems fine on the surface but in reality it means you have never learnt to stop your hand going near your mouth every few minutes so to speak. Eventually during a bad period that water drinking returns to food eating. This problem is then greatly exacerbated if you are causing genuine increases in hunger from diluting your blood concentrations.
Key takeaway: Sometimes the issue is not hunger or thirst, but a learned habit of constantly putting something in your mouth.
How Do You Know If You Are Drinking Too Much Water?
I encourage everyone I work with to investigate water intake. I would say for my clients probably two-thirds should drink more water and one-third need to actually reduce it.
It is super simple to find out where you stand as the body tells you in the toilet.
Ideal urine should be a pale straw or light yellow colour. If your urine is completely clear most of the day, and you are visiting the toilet every 30 minutes, you are probably drinking too much. Your faeces also show hydration by how hard or soft they are and how easily they pass.
Key takeaway: Completely clear urine all day is often a sign that you may be drinking more than you need.
Should You Just Drink To Thirst?
A lot of people say why not just go with thirst?, and this is sound advice for many people but for over drinkers it may not be that helpful. This is because your body has adapted to drinking 3, 4 or even 5 litres a day. Your body becomes very good at processing and excreting excess water. Thus, you may feel thirsty when you reduce intake, even if you are simply returning to more appropriate levels. The body should soon adapt if your intake is right for your needs.
Key takeaway: Thirst is often useful, but habitual over-drinkers may need time to readjust.
How Do You Know If You Are Dehydrated?
A quick reminder not to go too far in the non-water drinking direction. Your urine will guide you again, if you find it is consistently dark yellow, strong smelling or you are passing very little of it, then you have probably gone too far. Being dehydrated will increase hunger, reduce energy and often make it harder to regulate eating patterns. I have also done a couple of 24-hour dry fasts (no food or drink for 24 hours). I found they did not work particularly well for me as I probably started them not that far away from dehydration in the first place. It then took quite a while afterwards to feel properly hydrated again.
Key takeaway: Dark urine, low urine volume and persistent thirst are common signs you may need more fluids.
Summary
- Most people benefit from paying attention to hydration.
- Drinking more water is not always better.
- Some people may drink far more than they need.
- Urine colour provides a simple guide to hydration status.
- Habits and behaviours often influence drinking patterns as much as thirst.
- The goal is appropriate hydration, not maximum hydration.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you drink too much water?
Yes. In some situations people can drink significantly more water than they need.
Is clear urine a good thing?
Not necessarily. Pale yellow urine is generally a better target than completely clear urine all day.
Can drinking more water reduce hunger?
Sometimes, but not always. Some people report the opposite effect.
Should I drink when I am not thirsty?
It depends on activity levels, environment and your current hydration habits.
How do I know if I am dehydrated?
Dark urine, strong-smelling urine, low urine volume and increased thirst are common signs.
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Photo – Me coaching rugby in Brazil where I would often lose 2kg in a day from not drinking enough water, and me being ruined after a Hyrox from dehydration also. For bodybuilding I got lower hydrations about right to minimise hunger when losing body fat. The other end of the water spectrum is that I have done two 5 day waters fasts, just drinking water and eating no food.
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