Trying to lose weight may be an excellent way to improve your health and gain more self confidence, but that doesn’t mean that it won’t leave you feeling frustrated at times. Here’s a tip: If you’re trying to lose weight, drink more water. A recent study showed that drinking two 8-ounce glasses of water before breakfast, lunch and dinner may help you lose and maintain your weight. It has long been suggested that drinking water is good for weight loss, but few studies have been done to confirm this. Fortunately, this study confirms what nutritionists have longed believed.
Why Does Water Help with Weight Loss?
Drink more water, lose weight. It sounds simple, so how does it work? Water fills the stomach, so it makes you less likely to overeat and better able to control your portion sizes. Having this discipline is important when trying to lose weight, so be sure to drink water 20 minutes before your meals so that the water has time to fill you up. Additionally, drinking water prevents you from being thirsty and guzzling down high-carbonated beverages like soda and juice. If you can replace even one or two of these drinks with water each day, you’re cutting out hundreds of calories.
There is more to water than just filling up the belly. It is also believed to speed up weight loss, which is great news for dieters who want to optimize their fat loss efforts. Some studies suggest that water speeds up the rate that people burn calories. Although the number of calories burned is very small, the point is that you are burning more calories, not ingesting them. Adding water to a healthy diet and exercise regimen will enhance your weight loss efforts, and it’s the simplest thing you can do for yourself.
Adding Water to Your Diet
There are a few other things you can do to keep yourself hydrated and keep the pounds off, aside from drinking water before meals. The goal is to not just increase your intake of water but also replace it for high-calorie foods and drinks that you would normally eat.
To prevent your body from feeling thirsty or hungry enough that it makes you want to binge on snacks, drink water every two hours. This keeps the body replenished and gets rid of excess water weight. If you don’t find water satisfying, add flavor by placing a slice of lemon, lime or cucumbers into your drink. Sparkling water, mineral waters and teas are other acceptable drinks that are low in calories, satisfying and hydrating.
Also choose foods that contain a lot of water, as these meals will help fill you up without the calories. For instance, watermelon is 92 percent water and 6 percent sugar. Strawberries, grapefruit and cantaloupe are other good picks. Hot and cold soups make good meals, just be sure to aim for homemade soups that are made with water instead of high sodium broths.
Additional Benefits to Staying Hydrated
It’s great to know that drinking water keeps the body healthy overall. Water helps the body get rid of waste material and boosts the immune system. Water also prevents the symptoms of dehydration such as feeling sluggish, fatigued or dizzy. When your body feels good, you’re better able to tackle workouts to the best of your ability. Sore muscles will also be relieved by drinking water, so it’s important to stay hydrated before, during and after the workout. This allows the body to efficiently transport oxygen to the muscles so that they are more active during exercise.
How Much Water Should I Drink Daily?
There is no single formula that fits everyone, but on average, you should be drinking eight 8-ounce glasses of water daily. The “8×8” rule is easy to remember, and although it’s not a number that has been supported by evidence, it follows closely with the recommendations from the Institute of Medicine.
