For one, by replacing high-calorie sweetened beverages like sodas, Gatorade, Sobe teas, etc., with water, you reduce the calories you take in. Eating high-calorie foods and drinking beverages loaded with refined sugars is a sure way to increase your body fat in a short period of time.
By replacing unhealthful beverages with water, you will drink fewer calories and reduce the fat-making hormones, which is a great first step.
Drinking water throughout the day, especially right before a meal, will make you feel full, thus reducing the amount of calories you take in.
However, I don’t suggest you go on a ‘water diet’ in the hope of slimming down for the summer. Eating foods high in nutrition and low in calories, along with plenty of water, is a good way to stay satiated, so you don’t eat processed junk foods.
Foods low in calories, and high in nutrients, fiber and water, such as dark-green and rainbow-colored vegetables, along with low-sugar fruits, provide water and fiber, which curbs the appetite because they make you feel full.
The benefits of H2O.
Water transports oxygen and nutrients to the cells, detoxifies them, helps to regulate body temperature, boosts metabolism, and moisturizes joints, as well as a thousand other benefits. Most of us are “dry” – walking around dehydrated.
We lose water constantly throughout the day, especially during the warmer months due to sweating. You can’t replace it by downing coffee or a beer. Alcoholic and caffeinated drinks are diuretics, which cause you to lose water. If you feel thirsty, you are already dehydrated.
In the journals Metabolism, the Lancet, and the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers found that hydrating the body increases fat burning, as well as the number of enzymes that cause fat-burning. The researchers also found that proper hydration also preserves muscle. Their conclusion was that drinking water is definitely a must for sustainable fat loss and a healthy body composition.
So now the question is, how much water is enough?
Different factors play a role in the need for water. The amount you need depends on the climate, your diet, your height and weight, how much exercise you get, and the medications you take. It also depends on the health conditions you have.
Should you drink 64 ounces or eight ounces? It’s hard to say. However, to play it safe, for the average adult drinking 2-3 liters (9 – 13 cups) a day is a good place to start. Drinking plenty of water improves detoxification, digestion, and is needed for joint lubrication.
If you are looking to shed those extra pounds, drinking water is not only imperative for your health, it’s a must for your fat-loss efforts.
References:
Bilz S., Ninnis R., Keller U. Effects of hypoosmolality on whole-body lipolysis in man. Metabolism, 1999; Apr;48(4):472-6. PubMed
Haussinger D., Roth E., Lang F., Gerok W. Cellular hydration state: an important determinant of protein catabolism in health and disease. Lancet 1993;22:341 PubMed
U. Keller, G. Szinnai, S. Bilz and K. Berneis. Effects of changes in hydration on protein, glucose and lipid metabolism in man: impact on health. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2003) 57, Suppl 2, S69–S74
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