Based on her presentation The Five Essential Elements to Achieve Lasting Weight Loss on January 21, 2012, JJ Virgin, one of the nation's foremost fitness and nutrition experts, gives these recommendations for drinking water.

• Drink 16oz upon rising
• Drink 8-16oz 30-60 minutes before each meal
• Sip a maximum of 8oz during a meal
• Resume drinking 1 hour after each meal
• Drink 8oz 1 hour before bed

Dr. Cherniawski's comments:  Water is essential to good health. Biologically speaking, other than breast milk for infants, water is the only liquid we need to consume.

To figure out how much water you need, divide your body weight by 2. This is the number of ounces you should drink per day.

Body weight (lbs) / 2 = ounces of water per day

For example: A 200 pound person should drink 100 ounces of water every day.

There are also bad, good, and better times to drink water.

1. After sleeping for several hours it makes sense to drink a good portion upon rising.
2. Stop drinking at least 30 minutes before each meal. Water dilutes stomach acid therefore lessens its digestive efficiency.
3. Sip only small amounts of water during a meal for the same reason.
4. Allow 1 hour following a meal before resuming water intake to assure food has moved properly through the stomach and upper digestive tract.
5. Stop drinking 1 hour before bed to lessen the need to get up during the night to use the bathroom.