If you're overweight, losing weight can help you look and feel your best and reduce your risk of a variety of health problems such as diabetes, high cholesterol and heart disease. Drinking water can aid in your fat loss efforts by speeding up your metabolism, reducing your total caloric intake and helping curb your appetite. Drinking plenty of water can help with your weight loss efforts.
Water is the most prevalent component of your body, making up about 60 percent of your body weight, according to MayoClinic.com. Water helps flush waste from your system, cushion your organs, keep your blood flowing and make up your muscles and metabolism. People with a higher fat percentage -- such as overweight people and seniors -- tend to have less water in their bodies, according to Michigan.gov. Fat is only 20 percent water and muscle is made up of 75 percent water. Water keeps your muscles functioning properly, helping you burn more calories since muscle burns more calories than fat tissue.
Expert Insight
Drinking water promotes weight loss, according to a study conducted by Virginia Tech. In the study, people who drank two 8-ounce glasses of water prior to meals lost more weight than those who did not drink water. After 12 weeks, dieters who drank water before meals lost about 5 pounds more than dieters who did not increase their water consumption. Drinking water before meals helps you feel full and prevents overeating during meals.
Recommendations
There is no universal recommendation for how much water to drink to help you lose weight but there are general guidelines. The Institute of Medicine advises men drink about 3 liters or 13 cups of total fluids a day and women consume 2.2 liters, about 9 cups, of total fluids a day. If you want to lose weight, consume all of your fluids in the form of water, since water is calorie-free and sugar-free.
Considerations
When drinking water, factor in when you drink to help lose fat. Drink 1 to 2 cups of water before each meal and one cup of water before each snack. Also, add more water to your diet if you have any medical conditions or are taking medications that dehydrate you. If you live in a hot or cold climate, drink extra water as your body needs more water to maintain your body temperature in extreme heat or cold. If you are physically active, you will need to drink more water to replace the sweat you lose while working out.
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