The majority of the human body is water, and the functions of our vital organs and tissues all depend on having enough of it. While it's evident that drinking enough water is essential for health, it's not always quite as clear why it can help with weight loss. Potential reasons have to do with water's role in satiation, maintaining active metabolism and curbing hunger.
Expert Insight
In 2010, Virginia Tech associate professor Brenda Davy led a research team that investigated the effects of drinking water before meals as it related to weight loss. One group of obese and overweight participants drank two glasses of water prior to eating each main meal; another group went without the water. Both groups followed the same low-calorie diet. After 12 weeks, the water drinkers had lost an average of about five pounds more than the other group and consistently ate about 75 to 90 fewer calories per meal. Drinking water "is a simple way to facilitate weight management," said Davy.
Satiation
Although water is a calorie-free beverage with no essential nutrients, one explanation for the Virginia Tech study's findings is that it may provide a feeling of satiation. In short, having some water in your stomach is different from having nothing in your stomach, and you could feel full after eating fewer net calories as a result.
Metabolism
CNN.com's physician nutrition specialist, Dr. Melina Jampolis, also points out that neglecting to drink enough water can have an impact on your rate of metabolism, which in turn impacts weight loss. Jampolis states that being even 1 percent dehydrated can result in a "significant" drop in your metabolic rate. That drop in metabolism may make your body more sluggish and less efficient, thus wreaking havoc with your weight loss plans.
Hunger and Thirst
Finally, it's worth noting that the sensations of hunger and thirst are similar, and it can be easy to confuse one with the other. If you believe you feel hungry and attempt to quell that sensation by eating a high-calorie snack, for example, you may end up consuming a greater number of calories that day and experiencing mild dehydration if your body was actually trying to communicate thirst. Aside from drinking water before meals, a healthy strategy can be to sip water throughout the day and drink a full glass when you feel hungry. If you're still hungry several minutes later, have a low-calorie, low-energy-dense snack, such as a small bowl of soup, a cup of yogurt, some fresh vegetable sticks or a piece of fruit.
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