I Drank 100 oz Of Water Every Day For A Week. This Is What Happened

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If you are a well-functioning adult who has not been living under a rock your entire life, you already know that water is crucial to your health. It has seemingly endless benefits, including keeping your cells and organs functioning, lubricating your joints, regulating your body temperature and helping aid your digestion. In essence, water keeps you alive.

You know you need it, but do you know exactly how much you need? You may have heard that eight eight-ounce glasses of water a day will do the trick (the “8×8 rule”), but that’s not entirely accurate. There are a lot of variables involved, like how much a person weighs, how physically active he or she is and whether he or she lives in a hot climate. You can calculate how much water you should consume. The bottom line, though: in terms of the eight-glasses-a-day rule, The Institute of Medicine says that it’s likely not enough.

The Issue

Many Americans aren’t drinking enough water. In fact, the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention in 2013 found that 43 percent of adults consume four cups of water or less, each day. YIKES.

I’m gonna be honest here: I drink a lot of water most days as is, definitely more than eight cups a day. But I’m certainly not perfect. There are days when I wait hours before having my first glass, and there are days I can’t get enough.

The Challenge

A week ago, I challenged myself to drink 100 oz of water throughout the day. I wanted to regulate my schedule a little more and determine if even I was getting enough water, despite how I thought I was doing.

Because measuring ounces in normal glasses of water is nearly impossible and I had no patience, I just used my CamelBak water bottle, which has measurements, to track my progress.

Sami Allen

The Schedule

Excited to see the results, I drank a little over 100 oz each day for seven full days. Here’s the schedule I followed to ensure I was not only drinking enough, but also spacing out my intake through the day:

From 7 a.m. to 11 a.m.: Drink 32 oz (the whole water bottle)

From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Drink 16 oz (half the bottle)

From 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. (lunch): Drink 16 oz

From 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.: Drink 32 oz

From 6 p.m. to bedtime: Drink 32 oz

Essentially, I was drinking 128 ounces or more in a day, which was not difficult for me to do. I also didn’t account for the tea I drink daily (on weekdays, I drink one to two cups of green tea) or any water from the foods I consumed, so it was probably a bit more than 128 ounces.

The Results

Bathroom Breaks: I won’t lie, I took a lot of bathroom breaks — at least four while at work, and I probably should have gone more. I felt the urge to go about every hour, which was alarming at first. But by the end of the week, I felt more in tune with my body and what it needed.

Bloating: I have a tendency to bloat after eating a normal portion of food, but by the end of the week, I wasn’t uncomfortable after any of my meals.

Portion Control: It’s not surprising to hear that drinking a lot of water before a meal makes you eat less, but I didn’t feel starved even at the end of the day. I was eating slightly smaller portions, and by the end of the week, I wasn’t eating during “designated” times  — I was eating when I was hungry, and I would stop when I wasn’t. What a concept.

Complexion: I’ve had some weird redness and dark spots on my right and left cheeks for at least a year now, and up until this past week, I wasn’t sure what I could do to make them better. While the issue may be the product of a larger problem, I noticed my left cheek clear up considerably. Coincidence? I think not.

In Conclusion…

Before you groan that I had an advantage over the average American before taking this challenge, I’ll admit that you’re right. I did drink a significant amount of water already and I don’t rely on other drinks to get me through the day. Water is always my go-to.

But I will say, I learned to regulate my intake more through this challenge. I wasn’t just chugging a bottle of water at the last possible moment of dehydration. I felt more balanced throughout the day.

I would highly recommend taking this challenge to anyone who wants to do something good for their body. My big takeaway: no matter how annoying the bathroom trips or constant refills are, water is always worth it.