Drinking Water and Weight Loss

Drinking water and weight loss go hand in hand no matter what weight loss plan you're following.

You've heard the saying, "You can live without food, but you can't live without water." That's because water is vital to our very existence. And it can be said that water is vital for weight loss as well.

Why is water for weight loss so important? First of all, water is a major component of the human body. Women's bodies are typically 50%-60% water. If you are not drinking enough water to replace the water you lose every day, you’ll become dehydrated and your weight loss will suffer.

Water not only helps to transport vital nutrients throughout your body, water also helps to transport waste materials and toxins out of your body. When you body burns fat, that fat becomes “waste material” and needs to be transported out of your body.

If you’re not staying hydrated, it becomes difficult for your body to metabolize that stored fat and remove it from your body. In other words, not staying hydrated can slow down the fat-burning process.

Secondly, drinking an adequate amount of water helps in the hunger department. Did you know that when you feel hungry, you might actually be thirsty instead? Studies show that it's difficult to distinguish between hunger and thirst.

Most people don't associate a growling stomach with thirst, but often times it is thirst, and not hunger. So the next time you're feeling hungry, drink a glass of water and wait twenty minutes or so to see if the hunger goes away.

If you are truly hungry, water can help suppress your appetite. Drinking a large glass of water with every meal can make you feel fuller faster, thereby decreasing the amount of food - and calories - that you consume.

Water also helps keep your energy levels up, which is so important when you need extra energy for your workouts. Your blood consists of large volumes of water. If you're dehydrated, your blood volume decreases and your muscles don't get all the oxygen they need to operate efficiently. You may also feel tired when you're dehydrated because your brain is lacking sufficient quantities of water.

So what exactly is an adequate amount of water? You've probably heard the "eight 8-ounce glasses a day" theory. In reality, the amount you need depends on a number of things: your weight, your activity level, your environment, and your diet.

A simple way to tell if you're getting enough water is by the color of your urine. If your urine is bright yellow, you probably are not drinking enough water.

Do beverages such as coffee, tea, or soda count toward your daily water intake? Unfortunately not. Those beverages typically contain caffeine, and caffeine is actually a diuretic. So rather than adding water to your system with those beverages, you'll actually end up expelling more of your body's water faster due to the diuretic effects of the caffeine.

On the other hand, fruit juices can certainly count toward your daily water intake. Unfortunately, fruit juices contain quite a few calories. Replacing one or two glasses of fruit juice with good old tap water can really help you cut your overall calorie intake.

While drinking water and weight loss certainly go otgether, don't go overboard. There is no such thing as a "water diet" for weight loss, and water fasting for weight loss can be extremely dangerous.

If you’re already getting enough water on a daily basis, great – keep it up! If you’re like me and find it difficult to continually sip on water throughout the day, you might want to browse through some of my tips to increase daily water intake.

Drinking water and weight loss are closely related, and anyone who is trying to lose weight should definitely focus on getting enough water to make their weight loss a success.

Photo by Matt and Kim Rudge

Photo by jenny downing

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