If you're fighting the battle of the bulge, there is a free, easily accessible, healthy tool you can use to help: water. According to a Virginia Tech clinical trial, water helps with weight loss. Water can help you curb your appetite, as well as flush waste from your body and keep your muscles working well. Knowing how much to drink and when to drink it can help you put the power of water to work for your weight-loss success.
Significance
The formula for weight loss is consuming less calories than you burn each day. Drink water before you eat to help you consume less calories by curbing your appetite. It is very difficult for the body to distinguish between hunger and thirst, according to CNN Health expert Dr. Melina Jampolis, so drinking water before a meal can help you feel full, making you less likely to overeat. Drink water while you eat, as this can also help fill you up.
Expert Insight
Water and weight loss studies were performed at Virginia Tech over the course of 12 weeks. The dieters who drank water before meals, three times a day, lost about 5 lbs. more than dieters who did not increase their water intakes. Other studies at Virgina Tech found that middle-aged and older people who drank two cups of water right before meals ate between 75 and 90 fewer calories during their meals.
Benefits
Water offers other useful weight loss benefits in addition to curbing appetite. Water is essential for your metabolism to work efficiently and burn calories. Being even 1 percent dehydrated can cause a significant drop in metabolism, according to Dr. Jampolis. Dehydration can also cause fatigue, making it harder to work out and burn calories. Water also aids in workouts because it helps your muscles contract, lubricating your joints and preventing injuries.
Water and Waste
Water can aid with weight loss by helping flush wastes from your system. Burning calories produces toxins, which water flushes from the body. A diet that is high in fiber can help push waste through your system, but fiber needs water to work. Without an adequate amount of water, fiber can cause constipation, according to the website Calories per Hour.
Guidelines
To harness the power of water for your weight loss program, drink two glasses of water before each meal to help curb your appetite. Drink at least eight glasses of water a day to stay hydrated, and add more water to your program if you work out. Drink water at least 30 minutes before a workout, and while you are exercising, drink 4 to 8 ounces every 15 minutes. Rehydrate after working out by drinking at least 8 ounces of water.
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