Drink Water - Lose Weight

Is There Truth In The Claims That Drinking Water Causes Weight Loss?

So how does this “drink water to lose weight” thing work anyway? I mean if you eat healthily and exercise regularly why can't you lose weight here and there? How do you lose weight with water?

You probably learned that your body is made up a great deal of water during science class; 60 – 70 % in fact. So the benefits of water to our bodies are all due to the fact that our bodies are made up of so much water, therefore requiring water to function properly. What many people don’t know however is that water is an unexpected weapon when it comes to weight loss and there is a whole list of other benefits to increasing the amount of water you drink. Of course there is also water fasting for weight loss but this article is more for increasing your water consumption in conjunction with a healthy diet plan.

Does Drinking Water Help You Lose Weight?

Water helps the body to get along in a healthy manner, and it is very important in a healthy diet. It serves many roles in weight loss and one of these has to do with the liver.

The liver has the happy task of metabolizing fat or in other words turning fat into energy to fuel our daily activities. If you are trying to lose weight then you definitely want to encourage and help your liver burn fat more efficiently.

The problem arises when the liver has to deal with a lot of other jobs like taking up the slack for the kidneys because they are water deprived. This slows down the liver’s productivity and it will not metabolize fat as quickly or efficiently as it could when the kidneys were pulling their own weight. This why water is extremely important on a Detox Diet Plan.

Another role of water in a weight loss diet is to suppress the appetite. Sometimes, the hardest part of losing weight is the mental battle to stop thinking about all of the wonderful foods you are missing out on; water fills your stomach, acting as a natural appetite suppressant so you won’t be as hungry and your mind tends to wander less when it comes to food if you aren’t hungry. Eating foods with high water content can also help dieters, by increasing the fullness factor. Click here for more diet tips.

In a healthy body, water helps to lubricate the general processes of the body. Ligaments are made more fluid and healthier, the skin is healthier, the organs function better and the elimination of waste becomes more regular. In addition, drinking more water can help you to digest your food better and can even help you detoxify, allowing you to flush out toxins from your body.

People make the mistake of not drinking water while dieting because they already retain water and it may give the appearance of being fatter. BUT… if your body gets enough water on a regular basis, it won’t try to hoard every bit of water it can get, meaning that water retention will be drastically reduced.

Dehydration Symptoms

If you aren’t drinking enough water, chances are you will know it. Your body has a variety of ways of letting you know that it needs more fluids.

  • The most obvious is thirst. If you feel like you are thirsty then some experts say you are already on your way to dehydration. Others say that following your thirst cue is the best way to stay hydrated.
  • The brain is largely made up of water so even a slight dehydration may lead to headaches.
  • You will have a greater chance of suffering from constipation as your body redirects water to other bodily functions. Your stools will be harder and so more difficult to expel.
  • If you are well hydrated, your skin should feel elastic. When you pinch the skin on the back of your hand it should snap back instantly.
  • Concentrated or dark urine is a sign of dehydration.

Tips to Drink More Water

Water is not the most exciting drink and some people just do not like water. Water is pretty tasteless in comparison to other drinks. If you are trying to drink more water, there are a few things you can do to get that accomplished so start with baby steps.

  • First of all, make sure that you have ice cold water in your refrigerator at home and at work.
  • You can add a squeeze of lemon juice to your water to improve the taste.
  • Divide up the amount of water you want to consume into small amounts that you can tolerate to drink and start early in the morning. If you drink one glass with each meal and another one when you get up in the morning then that’s already half your water done. Fit the other four in between breakfast and lunch and then lunch and supper.
  • The common perecption of 8 glasses a day is a fair guideline but only a guideline. Physical activity, heat, and humidity can increase our fluid needs. In these situations, keep water bottles close at hand and drink frequently to avoid dehydration.
  • Another trick that many people find helpful is to increase your consumption (eating ) of foods that contain a high percentage of water but lower in calories – vegetables such as carrots, lettuce, cucumber and broccoli all contain over 80% water and some over 90 %. Fruits are also high in water but if you’re dieting then just watch out for the calorie levels in the fruit.
  • Getting soda and juice out of the house for a few days is a great way to get more water into your system; after all, if that is all there is to drink, then what other choice do you have?
    Water for weight loss; maybe it’s a difficult concept to understand, but water is so important in effective weight loss. Try it, you’ve got nothing to lose except some weight and it won’t do you any harm anyway.

New! Comments

Have your say about what you just read! Leave a comment in the box below.