Water is a secret weight loss weapon. And drinking more water has many health benefits. So, if you feel hungry, try to drink a glass of water to see if it is real hunger or just the habit of having a snack.
Most adults admit they don’t drink nearly enough water every day
Drinking water can help improve your metabolic process, detox the body, and works as a hunger controller. Also, drinking water can help the body to stimulate digestive process,(1) thus leading you to lose those unwanted pounds.
What should you do to make sure that you’re drinking more water on a daily basis to keep yourself replenished with water and stimulate fat loss?
Read the following four ways of drinking water through which you can lose your weight.
1. Always Drink Water Before You Eat
Water is a hunger controller. Drinking it before meals will make you feel fuller, that’s why it reduces the amount of foods you eat.
One study, for example, found that people who drank water before meals ate an average of 75 fewer calories at each meal. (2) Drinking water before one meal on a daily basis will lead you to ingest 28,000 calories from fat every year.
Do your math: You would drop about 8 pounds every year just from the water! Now think if you drank it before your every meal.
Make sure that you are drinking 100% pure, healthy and filtered water without any contaminants as water pollution is on the rise globally.
2. Try To Replace Calorie-Filled Beverages With Water
Say goodbye to the sugary sodas and juices and try to replace them with water to shed extra pounds. A single can of sugar soda can exceed your daily sugar allowance.
If you think water tastes tedious, add some drops of lemon. A glass of purified water with lemon is a formula for successful weight loss as the pectin in citrus helps reduce craving for food. If you think that this also doesn’t work, then you better at least quit fizzy beverages for just a couple of weeks and see the visible difference.
Lemon or lime is rich in vitamin C, which is actually a primary anti-oxidant that can help protect body cells from free radicals.
Ascorbic Acid or vitamin C can reduce the risk of coronary disease and cerebrovascular event, and lower hypertension. A study in Stroke indicated that people with low ascorbic acid levels, especially overweight males with high hypertension, have a high risk of the cerebrovascular disease. (3)
3. Drink An Ice Cold Water
Drinking ice cold water can help improve your metabolic rate because the body works harder to warm the cold water up, thus burning more fat laden calories and helping you to reduce weight. (4) Also, ice cold water is a lot more refreshing as compared to water with normal room temperature.
But you don’t need to go on an “ice water diet,” because you’re not going to lose your weight doing that. Do keep hydrated, though. In general, increasing intake of water (warm or cold) is going to be good for your health.
4. Drink Enough
If you genuinely want to lose your weight with water, you need to stick to the “8×8” rule advised by most nutrition experts: Drink eight-ounce glasses of water every day to lose weight and sustain an ideal weight.
You might have to consume more water if you workout a lot or sweat heavily, or consume less water if you use other drinks such as herbal teas (make sure they are caffeine-free).
You probably know that it’s important to drink plenty of fluids when the temperatures soar outside. But staying hydrated is a daily necessity, no matter what the thermometer says. Unfortunately, many of us aren’t getting enough to drink, especially older adults. Older people don’t sense thirst as much as they did when they were younger. And that could be a problem if they’re on a medication that may cause fluid loss, such as a diuretic.
Think of water more as a maintenance tool, not a magic bullet, for weight loss.
So, enjoy water, cold, warm or hot, whatever you like. But make sure that you do drink sufficient water, every day. It is the one tool that can keep you hydrated and prevent the side effects associated with dehydration like headache, dizziness, sleepiness, low urination, lesser skin elasticity, dry mouth and low blood pressure. sip water regularly throughout the day in an attempt to prevent feelings of thirst (a sign you’re already dehydrated), and then you may have better appetite regulation throughout the day.
(1) Relationships Among the Brain, the Digestive System, and Eating Behavior: Workshop Summary.
(2) Water and Your Diet: Staying Slim and Regular With H2O
(3) Plasma Vitamin C Modifies the Association Between Hypertension and Risk of Stroke
(4) Hot Or Cold Water For Weight Loss?
by Cara Lucas
