Want to Lose Weight? Drink Water
As simplistic as this notion sounds, it is actually true. Drinking water to lose weight is a sound strategy.
The secret to this lies in an understanding of the biological processes of the human body. Almost everyone has heard that our bodies are composed of mostly water, but only a scant few fully grasp what this means or it's implications for weight loss.
The Elixir of Life
When the Mars Rover went up the second time, they were looking for evidence of water. Why? Because where there is water there is life.
Almost every system in the human body is dependent upon water for optimal functioning. From your circulatory system, which regulates your body temperature, delivers much needed nutrients to your cells, and removes toxins. To your respiratory, endocrine, and even skeletal system, all would cease t function properly without water.
Given how important water is, it is surprising that very few people are getting enough water. That is until you look at their lifestyle and diets.
The prevalence of coffee shops attest to how many people start their day with a large dose of this powerful diuretic. While caffeine is a good pick me up it actually pulls water from your cells. People then follow this cup of coffee with sodas throughout the day or more coffee, while eating processed foods. When you examine the typical diet in this fashion, it is easy to see that many people are walking around in a state of mild dehydration. It is no wonder people have so many health problems. The body requires water to function properly and we are depriving ourselves of our est and cheapest key to good health.
How Much Water Do we Need
Many have heard that the proper amount of water to consume is 8 glasses a day. Is this accurate? Well the short answer is NO. For the average person if you were to drink 8 glasses (64oz) of water a day, you would be making a good start. A much more accurate measurement would be 10z for every 2lbs of body weight. So a 200lb guy should be consuming 100oz of water or about 12 1/2 - 8oz glasses. And if he exercises he should be drinking more.
That sounds like a lot of water, but if you a eat a healthy diet consisting of few processed foods, then you won;t need to drink as much. That is because processed foods have a much lower water content than their natural counterparts.
Another way to cut down the amount of water you need to drink is by eating fresh fruit. Not only do you get all the beneficial vitamins in their natural state, but you also take advantage of the high water content in fruit.
Water and Appetite
That is all very well and good you say, but how does this help me lose weight? One of the primary benefits to drinking water, especially for people dieting, is that studies have shown that the feeling for hunger and thirst are triggered together.
So that means that if you feel hungry between meals, it may actually be that your body is in need of water. Many people don't consider this and grab a snack to hold them over. Not a big deal if you are not concerned with you weight. But if you are on a diet and monitoring your caloric intake, then this can be detrimental to your weight loss goals.
A much better idea would be to drink about 4-8oz of water when you feel hungry between meals and wait a little while. If you still feel hungry than be sure to eat something with a high water content like fresh fruit or vegetables. You will find it much easier to stick to your diet if you always keep some water at hand.
Water and Metabolism.
Many people have debated the differences between drinking hot water vs cold water. A study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism ( Dec 2003) titled Water Induced Thermogenesis found that people who drank 500ml of water burned an extra calories over the next 30 minutes. The researchers found that about 40% of this increase was due to the water needing to be warmed up. So if you are wondering if drinking hot water to lose weight is better than drinking cold, I think you have your answer.
Water and Waste Removal
Anyone who has contemplated any of those colon cleans products for help with weight loss, will already understand the importance of waste removal for weight management. And while proper hydration is essential for this part of your digestive system, here I am focusing on the the waste products formed in your body's cells from the usage of energy. These are the infamous toxins that everyone is so concerned about. Besides being harmful to your body, these toxins are stored in your body's fat tissue if they can't be disposed of properly. When you burn fat through exercise and don't drink enough water, what happens is the toxins that were stored in the fat get released back into your blood stream where they can circulate and cause damage.
If you maintain proper hydration then your body will get rid of these toxins as it is supposed to and won't store them in your fat tissue. This means you won't have to spend extra money on detox products and such.
Jbastiani is the creator of Be Better Everyday a website devoted to providing information to everyone on how we can all live the life we want to live if we just commit to making small changes everyday. You can find other articles he has written athttp://bebettereveryday.com
The secret to this lies in an understanding of the biological processes of the human body. Almost everyone has heard that our bodies are composed of mostly water, but only a scant few fully grasp what this means or it's implications for weight loss.
The Elixir of Life
When the Mars Rover went up the second time, they were looking for evidence of water. Why? Because where there is water there is life.
Almost every system in the human body is dependent upon water for optimal functioning. From your circulatory system, which regulates your body temperature, delivers much needed nutrients to your cells, and removes toxins. To your respiratory, endocrine, and even skeletal system, all would cease t function properly without water.
Given how important water is, it is surprising that very few people are getting enough water. That is until you look at their lifestyle and diets.
The prevalence of coffee shops attest to how many people start their day with a large dose of this powerful diuretic. While caffeine is a good pick me up it actually pulls water from your cells. People then follow this cup of coffee with sodas throughout the day or more coffee, while eating processed foods. When you examine the typical diet in this fashion, it is easy to see that many people are walking around in a state of mild dehydration. It is no wonder people have so many health problems. The body requires water to function properly and we are depriving ourselves of our est and cheapest key to good health.
How Much Water Do we Need
Many have heard that the proper amount of water to consume is 8 glasses a day. Is this accurate? Well the short answer is NO. For the average person if you were to drink 8 glasses (64oz) of water a day, you would be making a good start. A much more accurate measurement would be 10z for every 2lbs of body weight. So a 200lb guy should be consuming 100oz of water or about 12 1/2 - 8oz glasses. And if he exercises he should be drinking more.
That sounds like a lot of water, but if you a eat a healthy diet consisting of few processed foods, then you won;t need to drink as much. That is because processed foods have a much lower water content than their natural counterparts.
Another way to cut down the amount of water you need to drink is by eating fresh fruit. Not only do you get all the beneficial vitamins in their natural state, but you also take advantage of the high water content in fruit.
Water and Appetite
That is all very well and good you say, but how does this help me lose weight? One of the primary benefits to drinking water, especially for people dieting, is that studies have shown that the feeling for hunger and thirst are triggered together.
So that means that if you feel hungry between meals, it may actually be that your body is in need of water. Many people don't consider this and grab a snack to hold them over. Not a big deal if you are not concerned with you weight. But if you are on a diet and monitoring your caloric intake, then this can be detrimental to your weight loss goals.
A much better idea would be to drink about 4-8oz of water when you feel hungry between meals and wait a little while. If you still feel hungry than be sure to eat something with a high water content like fresh fruit or vegetables. You will find it much easier to stick to your diet if you always keep some water at hand.
Water and Metabolism.
Many people have debated the differences between drinking hot water vs cold water. A study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism ( Dec 2003) titled Water Induced Thermogenesis found that people who drank 500ml of water burned an extra calories over the next 30 minutes. The researchers found that about 40% of this increase was due to the water needing to be warmed up. So if you are wondering if drinking hot water to lose weight is better than drinking cold, I think you have your answer.
Water and Waste Removal
Anyone who has contemplated any of those colon cleans products for help with weight loss, will already understand the importance of waste removal for weight management. And while proper hydration is essential for this part of your digestive system, here I am focusing on the the waste products formed in your body's cells from the usage of energy. These are the infamous toxins that everyone is so concerned about. Besides being harmful to your body, these toxins are stored in your body's fat tissue if they can't be disposed of properly. When you burn fat through exercise and don't drink enough water, what happens is the toxins that were stored in the fat get released back into your blood stream where they can circulate and cause damage.
If you maintain proper hydration then your body will get rid of these toxins as it is supposed to and won't store them in your fat tissue. This means you won't have to spend extra money on detox products and such.
Jbastiani is the creator of Be Better Everyday a website devoted to providing information to everyone on how we can all live the life we want to live if we just commit to making small changes everyday. You can find other articles he has written athttp://bebettereveryday.com
