Drinking water may be the most important piece of the weight loss puzzle. let us briefly go over the importance of water for our body in general. Water helps eliminate toxins through urination, carries nutrients to cells, and prevents dehydration. To make the process of burning calories efficient, an adequate supply of water is required. Meanwhile, water helps the body metabolize and burn fat. Water plays a major role in how every single cell, tissue, and organ in our body operates and is important to almost every bodily function.
Water contains no calories, fat, or cholesterol and is low in sodium. Water is a natural appetite suppressant, and it helps the body to metabolize fat. Current research shows that low water intake yields an increase in fat deposits. Conversely, high water intake reduces the number of fat deposits. Without enough water, the kidneys will not function properly. As a result, some of their workloads are pushed off onto the liver, in turn preventing the liver from operating at peak levels.
How does all this tie into weight loss? Because metabolizing fat is a primary function of the liver, and because the liver can't function at peak levels when taking on the added workload from the kidneys, less body fat is metabolized and more is stored. If the liver does not have sufficient water it cannot reach total productivity and will not metabolize fat efficiently, leading fat to store in the body. This leads to either weight gain or reaching a plateau of weight loss. To increase your ability to metabolize fat and lose weight, you should drink plenty of clean water to improve your kidney and liver functions.
Not drinking enough can make you gain weight!
When your body is not getting enough water it holds on to what it has, resulting in water retention. As a simple survival mechanism, your body has a tendency to hold onto and store what it doesn’t think it will get in the future. Once your body recognizes that it is getting a steady supply of water it will release the water weight it has been holding. Water weight is stored in your waist, face, and ankles and is released when there is no longer a reason for your body to store it.
How much water should you drink to lose weight?
It is important to get at least eight glasses of water daily or one cup for every 20 pounds of body weight. For example, a 160-pound person who does not exercise or work in hot climates needs 8 cups of water. If you exercise you need to drink even more water because of all of the water you lose while working out. To motivate yourself to drink more water fill up a gallon jug or a pitcher with the allotment of water and keep it on your desk at work or home. This will create a goal for you to complete each day and motivate you as you know you are on the right path to drinking enough water. It is important to note that these 8 glasses should be pure water and you should not count your morning cup of coffee into the total. Teas, fruit juices, coffees, and all other beverages are mainly comprised of water but it does not count in your daily goal. Your body needs pure water in order to fully hydrate and rid your body of toxins. The best indicator that you are drinking enough water is when your urine comes out pale yellow or clear. The darker the color of your urine, the more dehydrated your body is.
A trick to losing weight by drinking water is to have a glass of water before each meal. This is not only healthy for you, but it will help you control your appetite. In a most recent study scientists at Virginia Tech monitored a group of overweight men and women on low-calorie diets for three months. Only half of the group was told to drink two cups of water before every meal. At the end of the study, the water group had lost an average of 15.5 pounds compared to the other group which only lost an average of 11 pounds. Drinking water before your meal is an easy strategy to avoid filling your plate with a second serving.
More importantly increasing your drinking water levels can benefit your life in more ways than one. Water fuels your energy, stamina, and memory leading to a more healthy and happy lifestyle. Get to drinking folks!