Your body is almost 70 percent water, according to David MacCaulay's atlas of the body "The Way We Work." Some fitness and nutrition professionals, including celebrity personal trainer Bill Phillips and CNN Health correspondent Dr. Melina Jampolis, recommend drinking water to help you lose weight. Although cold water burns a few more calories, Phillips notes that warm water does a better job of suppressing appetite, which is the main benefit of drinking water for weight loss.
Step 1
Drink 64 to 128 oz. of warm water every day. Your body needs ample fluids to burn the fat it must to lose weight. Without the water, your body may slow its metabolism in response to your weight loss regimen, making you work harder for every pound you lose.
Step 2
Drink one glass of warm water before each meal. A study reported by the American Dietetic Association found that subjects who drank a glass of water 20 minutes prior to eating consumed, on average, 75 fewer calories per meal than those who didn't. Although 75 calories isn't much on its own, at three meals per day that adds up to over 14 pounds in a year.
Step 3
Drink warm water as your first response to any kind of between-meal hunger craving. This fills your stomach with zero-calorie water instead of the calories that come with snack food. Phillips recommends warm water because he finds people prefer the taste of cold water. The less-welcome taste of warm water will further curb your desire for food.
Step 4
Take a multivitamin after breakfast. Harvard nutritionist Walter Willett recommends this step for anybody undergoing any weight loss regimen. The multivitamin will help fill in any holes left open by your reduced food intake. Since the water method replaces nutrient-laden food with zero-nutrient water, this is an especially important step.
Things You'll Need
- Multivitamins
References
- "Eat, Drink and Be Healthy"; Dr. Walter Willett, et al; 2006
- "Body for Life"; Bill Philips; 2006
- CNN Health: Drinking Water and Weight Loss
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