kathryn
Cathlete
I agree that you are drinking too much. Your body obviously isn't using the water and is getting rid of the excess, possibly stressing the kidneys as well.
As others have mentioned, fluid needs are partly taken care of through high-water-content foods. If you're eating lots of green leafy veggies, celery, cucumbers, tomatoes, fruits, soups, etc, you would need to drink quite a bit less water than someone eating primarily low-water-content foods.
I suggest keeping a container of water (I use a 24 ounce stainless-steel water bottle) with you and sipping throughout the day.
The light yellow (more like "Crystal light lemonade" than some actual lemonades) colored urine is a good general guideline (though be aware that certain vitamins--some of the B vitamins---will cause your urine to be darker). There are charts online that show urine colors. I thought this one was interesting:
http://www.collectivewizdom.com/UrineColor-WhatTheColorofYourUrineMeans.html
(Blue urine? Who knew!)
Here's another (I think it's more accurate as to the 'light yellow' color): http://coachr880.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/HYD3.jpg
As others have mentioned, fluid needs are partly taken care of through high-water-content foods. If you're eating lots of green leafy veggies, celery, cucumbers, tomatoes, fruits, soups, etc, you would need to drink quite a bit less water than someone eating primarily low-water-content foods.
I suggest keeping a container of water (I use a 24 ounce stainless-steel water bottle) with you and sipping throughout the day.
The light yellow (more like "Crystal light lemonade" than some actual lemonades) colored urine is a good general guideline (though be aware that certain vitamins--some of the B vitamins---will cause your urine to be darker). There are charts online that show urine colors. I thought this one was interesting:
http://www.collectivewizdom.com/UrineColor-WhatTheColorofYourUrineMeans.html
(Blue urine? Who knew!)
Here's another (I think it's more accurate as to the 'light yellow' color): http://coachr880.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/HYD3.jpg