Drink More, Lose More
Everyone knows that drinking water is essential for good
health, but for those attempting to lose weight, it is even more important. People don’t realize that one of the main
functions of fat is to dilute impurities that we’ve digested. By drinking water, more impurities are
flushed from the body, decreasing the need for fat and allowing increased weight
loss. Water also combines with oxygen to
speed the process of converting fat into energy.
Additionally, water is a natural appetite suppressant. Drinking water before meals can help you to
feel fuller and, consequently, eat less at mealtime. According to the popular
health website, WebMD, drinking water before a meal results in an average
decrease in caloric intake of 75 calories per meal.
Research has also revealed that, because natural foods like
fruits, vegetables, yogurt, and eggs have a high content of water and the body
knows it can get water from food, the human brain doesn’t always distinguish
hunger from thirst. The thirst mechanism
may be mistaken for hunger causing people to grab processed foods readily
available in our modern diet. The
problem is that these foods have little to no water content. Accordingly, the body has increased calorie
consumption but remains dehydrated and craving water. So, at the onset of that
first hunger pang in between meals, it’s a good idea to drink a glass of water
and then wait about 15-20 minutes before jumping to the conclusion that you
need a little something to snack on.
Some people say they don’t drink much water to avoid water
weight gain, when in fact, the opposite is true. The body will actually retain water if it is
dehydrated. You see, water is to a body as oil is to an engine. The body needs
water to “run” and it simply won’t let go of fluid it knows it needs.
So how much water should you drink? Unfortunately, there is no standard answer
as it depends on several conditions such as a person’s activity level, size,
weight, climate, and health condition. (People with medical conditions where
fluid intake needs to be limited should follow physician recommendations.) An accurate estimation is to drink around
half your weight in ounces of water, slowly, throughout the day. A person
weighing 180 lbs. would drink about 90 ounces, one 10-ounce glass every hour for 9
hours. Don’t guzzle…it can be hard on
the kidneys. You’ll know you’re drinking enough water to keep yourself properly
hydrated if your urine is a pale yellow to clear color. Let water, good ole’ H2O, help
you to increase metabolism, regulate appetite and retain less fluid….bottoms
up!
