Advice on Losing Weight by Drinking Water
Water is a very essential part of our life.
The fact that the first thing through which scientists decide that a planet is inhabitable is by searching for water.
Credit: TINISIA
Human body comprises mainly of water and so it needs to perform it’s bodily functions.
Water helps keep our gut health better thereby helping us in losing weight.
Drinking Water Can Make You Burn More Calories
Drinking water increases the amount of calories you burn, also known as resting energy expenditure.
In adults, resting energy expenditure can increase by 24–30% within 10 minutes of drinking water. This lasts for at least 60 minutes.
It has been observed that drinking 0.5 liters (17 oz) of water results in an extra 23 calories burned.
On a yearly basis, this sums up to roughly 17,000 calories — or over 2 kg (4.4 lbs) of fat.
Several other studies have also monitored overweight people who drank 1-1.5 liters (34–50 oz) of water daily for a few weeks.
They found a significant reduction in their weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference and body fat.
Drinking Water Before Meals Can Reduce Appetite
Some people put up a claim that drinking water before a meal reduces appetite.
And there actually seems to be some truth behind this, but almost exclusively in middle-aged and older adults.
Studies based on older adults have shown that drinking water before each meal may increase weight loss by 2 kg (4.4 lbs) over a 12-week period.
In one of the studies, middle-aged overweight and obese participants who drank water before each meal lost 44% more weight, compared to a group that did not drink more water.
Another study also showed that drinking water before breakfast tends to reduce the amount of calories consumed during the meal by 13%.
Drinking More Water is Linked to Reduced Calorie Intake and a Lower Risk of Weight Gain
Since water is naturally a calorie-free drink, it is generally linked with reduced calorie intake.
This is mainly because then you tend to drink water instead of other beverages, which are often high in calories and sugar.
Observational studies have also shown that people who drink mostly water have up to a 9% (or 200 calories) lower calorie intake, on average.
Drinking water may help prevent long-term weight gain.
In general, an average person gains about 1.45 kg (3.2 lbs) every 4 years.
This amount can be reduced by:
- Adding 1 cup of water: Increasing your daily water consumption by 1 cup can reduce this weight gain by 0.13 kg (0.23 lbs).
- Replacing other drinks with water: Substituting a serving of a beverage containing sugar with 1 cup of water may reduce the 4-year weight gain by 0.5 kg (1.1 lbs).
It is especially important to encourage children to drink more water, as it can help prevent them from becoming overweight or obese.
How Much Water Should You Drink?
Many health authorities recommend drinking 8–10 glasses (about 2–3 liters) per day.
However, this number is random since the water requirements depend entirely on the individual.
For example, people who sweat a lot or exercise regularly need more water than those who are not very active.
Older people and breast-feeding mothers must also monitor their water intake more closely.
Keep in mind that you also get water from many foods and beverages, such as coffee, tea, meat, fish, milk, and especially fruits and vegetables, however they are not calorie free.
As a good rule of thumb, you should always drink water when you're thirsty, and drink it enough to quench your thirst.
If you find you have a headache, or are in a bad mood, or constantly hungry or have trouble concentrating, then you may be suffering from mild dehydration.
Drinking more water will help fix this.
Based on the studies, drinking 1-2 liters of water per day is sufficient to help with weight loss.
Also, it is not recommended to drink too much water either, as it may cause water toxicity, thus damaging our kidneys.
This has even caused death in some extreme cases, such as during water drinking contests.
Conclusion
As my final i would like to add that for efficient weight loss, along with improving your water intake, you should also try to workout and eat less but enough food.
You can read more about the Japanese Water therapy for weight loss here..
