Does Water Help You Lose Weight?

If you’re looking for a magical formula to help you lose weight, then you might want to consider your kitchen sink.

That’s right, ordinary tap water is an essential tool for anyone looking to shed those stubborn pounds.

Forget popping those pills! Drinking an 8 oz glass of water before every meal will not only help you cut back on portions, but it can even help you keep the weight from creeping back.

Zero Calories and Zero Fat

Dieticians have long recommended drinking plenty of water alongside regular exercise and a healthy diet. Why? Because water is essential for keeping your body functioning at its peak.

Often times many people confuse thirst with hunger, snacking down on high calorie foods instead of chugging down the H2o. Dry mouth isn’t the only sign that you’re dehydrated. In fact, headaches, back pain, muscle spasms, stomachaches—they’re all signals that your body isn’t getting enough water.

Quench Your Thirst

Every muscle, every hair, every freckle—every part of you down to your cells are filled with mostly water, and statistics show that almost 75% of our bodies are made of water. Water is the key to life, transporting and combining and chemically breaking down substances that our bodies need to survive. Without it, we’d die in a matter of days.

Chances are likely that you’re dehydrated right now, so do yourself a favor and get yourself a glass.

Drink Water to Drop a Dress Size

Dr. Brenda Davy, associate professor of human nutrition, foods, and exercise at Virginia Tech, demonstrated that people who drank two glasses of water 20 to 30 minutes before every meal lost a significant amount of weight in comparison to those who didn’t.

Further studies have shown that people who drank water before meals ate an average of 75 fewer calories (which adds up to a whopping 14 ½ pounds in a year!). This makes drinking water as important to your weight loss regimen as some of the best diet pills available.

Additionally, dehydration slows down your metabolism, making it more difficult to lose weight.

Benefits of Drinking Water

Besides being a low-risk way to lose weight, water has a wide variety of health benefits:

• It adds shine to hair
• It flushes out toxins
• It boosts energy
• It lubricates your joints
• It improves blood flow and circulation
• It keeps skin looking fresh and healthy
• It regulates body temperature
• It improves immunity
• It helps keep you regular
• It builds muscle
• It maintains your PH balance

Water Water Everywhere

By simply breathing, your body is losing water, and you need to replenish your body’s supply constantly. Though it may seem like a lot, the recommended amount of water a day is around 8-9 cups for an adult. Of course, some of our water intake can be found in food, but a good majority of it should be straight out of the tap, bottle, or glass in all its liquid glory.

To determine if you’re getting enough water, look at the color of your urine. If it’s slightly yellow to clear, then your fluid intake is probably adequate. But if it’s dark, bright yellow, or difficult to pass, then you should start probably start drinking more.

Stay Hydrated

Although factors such as exercise, environment, health conditions, or pregnancy can influence how much water you need a day, it’s always important to stay hydrated. Don’t let dry mouth or thirst determine how much water you drink, because by this time you may already be dehydrated.

To help you meet your needs try these easy to follow tips:

1. Drink a glass of water with each meal
2. Hydrate before, during, and after exercise
3. Skip the alcohol or the soda and drink water (or sparkling water) at social events