There's been much written about the benefits of drinking water, but to the question "does drinking water help you to lose weight", the answer is it without doubt helps. Of the foods and magic weight loss supplements that we are told we need to purchase, the least expensive and most abundant on the market is the one item we could least afford to be lacking: water.
Why is this possible? Experiments have shown that if an individual were to elevate their water intake by about six cups each day, in a year's time that will equate to about 17,400 calories, or a weight loss of approximately five pounds. Certainly not massive, but it all helps. It's estimated that up to 40% in calories burned are because of your body trying to warm the ingested water. Additional studies have shown that drinking water prior to meals is a definite help to cutting calories. It was found in a test that adults who consumed two cups of water prior to meals lost on average roughly 4.5 pounds more in twelve weeks than the group that did not. The study participants only drank around 1.5 cups of water per day previous to the study. Based on this study it was found that people who consumed water just before eating a meal consumed between 75 and 90 less calories at that meal. These analyses are not to be construed as water in itself making people shed pounds, but the affect that a no-calorie filler has to the system.
There's also subtle things going on when more water is added to the diet. Helping the liver execute one of its major functions, that's the elimination of toxins in the system, will allow the liver to perform the job we would like it to do, which is to metabolize fat and remove it from the system. If the liver becomes overburdened, it sends fat into storage, and you get to see it every day when you look in your mirror. The role of the liver is one of my choice subjects, as in my opinion not enough emphasis has been put on its function in weight reduction and overall wellbeing.
So now that we've established that we need more water, what is that magic number of glasses or cups that we should be consuming daily? Sorry to say, that is really a very individual factor, so the "eight glasses per day" thing really doesn't fly for everyone. Unique body metabolism, activity amounts, climates, and individual body sizes are a few variables to what we should always consume daily. And too many individuals use thirst as their guide for their water intake. Usually by the point a person is thirsty, dehydration might have by now set in.
By understanding that you have a need for additional water than you are presently consuming, then you should establish the way you will go about fulfilling those requirements. As an example, probably everyone experiences the necessity for more water while exercising, thus you might kill two birds with one stone by increasing your exercise schedule. Something that works rather well for me is always drink water with each meal (and as much as I can before). For me, if I eat slower but consciously drink more water when eating I drink much more than I ordinarily would.
Author Resource:
Consuming water to help with weight loss is all part of a diet and exercise program necessary for a healthy lifestyle. Our article on a few fat burning foods will point out great foods that should be incorporated into every diet. Jim O'Connell is a health advocate and writer living in London.