If you drink more water, will it help you lose weight? Few can deny the importance of water. It plays a critical role in every chemical reaction in the body. Too little water can lead to dehydration – and even death. Many diet and nutrition books talk about the importance of drinking water for weight loss – but does it really work? Some experts recommend drinking up to two liters of water a day to speed up weight loss. Can drinking this much water really help you shed a few pounds?
The Benefits of Water for Weight Loss
There may be some truth to the idea that drinking water helps with weight loss. A study published in the journal Obesity in 2008 showed that women who watched their calorie intake and upped the amount of water they drank lost more weight than women on a similar diet who didn’t change their water drinking habits. Even after other factors were taken into account – such as exercise – those who drank more water were still the big weight loss winners.
Another Reason to Drink Water for Weight Loss
There’s another good reason to drink more water if you’re trying to lose weight. In a German study, men and women boosted their fat burning rate by thirty percent after they drank seventeen ounces of water. Apparently, the body has to expend more energy to heat up water – so it’s best to drink it cold.
Drinking Water for Weight Loss: Be Realistic
It’s important to keep water drinking in perspective. Drinking water for weight loss is not going to have a huge impact – but even small boosts in the rate of fat burning add up over time. Drinking water also reduces the desire to overeat for some dieters – and some people misinterpret dehydration and thirst as a sign of hunger – so keeping a bottle of water around may ward off unplanned trips to the refrigerator. Water is one of the few calorie free liquids – so it’s okay to overindulge.
How to Get the Benefits of Water for Weight Loss
How much water should you drink for weight loss? Aim for a liter for every 1,000 calories you take in on a daily basis. So, if you’re eating 1500 calories a day, you would ideally drink a liter-and-a-half of water daily. This sounds like a lot, but it’s quite doable if you replace soft drinks and other sweet beverages with water.
Drinking plain water can get boring, but it’s not hard to flavor it yourself by adding a few squeezes of juice from a fresh lemon, orange, grapefruit, or tangerine. You can also make flavored water by adding small amounts of a flavored extract such as peppermint, a sugar-free coffee syrup, or a few mint leaves to a cup of water. These low calorie additions will add extra flavor – without adding calories.
Drinking Water for Weight Loss: The Bottom Line
Drinking water for weight loss may have some modest benefits. It won’t take the place of a healthy diet and regular exercise, but it’s one more small lifestyle change that can help tip the odds in your favor.
References:
http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20040105/drinking-water-may-speed-weight-loss
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