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Drinking water for weight loss is one of the best ways to achieve your health goals. Sadly, a lot of people don’t understand the value of drinking lots of water. Let’s change that.
Drinking Water for Weight Loss
In this article:
How Drinking Water Aids Weight Loss
Water for weight loss is one of the misunderstood health concepts. If you’re convinced chronic water retention is making you fat or bloated, you may need to change the way you look at water.
Drinking more water flushes body cells of the fluid they’re holding on to.
Drinking water helps lose weight by jump-starting your metabolism. Here’s some proof.
Research conducted by the U.S. Department of Nutrition found adults who ate a reduced-calorie diet plus excess water lost more weight than those on a reduced-calorie diet.
The team then tested the participants in both groups after their meals. They found those drinking extra water burned more calories after the meal than those who did not. The calorie-burning extends beyond mealtimes.
That’s not all. Current studies indicate every time you drink water, your metabolism shoots up by about 25 percent.
That extra calorie-burning lasts for about an hour, which means drinking about eight glasses of water a day, you’ll get this benefit several times!
Drinking water for weight loss works in additional ways. Staying hydrated prevents the fatigue that makes exercise seem like a chore. It also helps extend the workout.
The more frequently you work out, and the longer those aerobic sessions are, the more quickly you lose pounds.
How Much Water Do You Need for Weight Loss?
Losing weight through water is possible, but the question is, how much do you need to get the benefits?
The amount you need may be a bit more or less than the average recommendation, which is 64 ounces.
If you’re overweight and/or will be working out heavily, you’ll probably need more water. Much of it depends on your current weight and fitness levels. Let me give you some ideas:
For People with Extra Weight
People who weigh more than the average need to drink more water. It means you may have to drink more than eight 8-ounce glasses. Studies suggest a higher body fat index interferes with sufficient hydration.
In general, a rule of thumb for people carrying extra weight can be to aim for translating about half of their body weight into ounces.
For example, if you weigh 175 pounds, about 88 ounces of water (rounding up from 87.5) is ideal. This is the amount of optimum calorie burning. It also prevents fatigue, which gets in the way of working out.
Water for weight loss can suppress your appetite, which is an important secret weapon in your diet. You definitely mustn’t starve yourself, but being able to eat smaller portions bolsters your weight-loss goals.
Before you plan to eat, drink about 16 ounces of water. That works out to two average-size glasses. Research indicates people who do this lose more pounds than those who don’t.
Here’s another obvious weight-loss benefit of drinking water. You’ll be conditioning yourself not to drink as many sugary drinks. Fruit juice, soda, and sweet tea are loaded with empty calories.
For People with Heavy Workout Routines
If you’re going to amp up your exercise routine, you’ll need to adjust your water intake. You’ll definitely lose water during the activity through perspiration.
It’s helpful if you drink more water before, during, and after a workout for fluid replacement. If you fail to add this extra water, you risk severe dehydration.
So, how much extra water do you need on workout days? Start with the amount you’ve calculated for yourself.
Let’s assume about 70 ounces if you have a bit of weight to lose. To that, add another 40 ounces or so.
That would be too much on a normal day. But for heavy workouts, you’re just replacing the amount you’ve lost through sweat.
Drink about 16 ounces prior to your workout. If possible, stop for sip breaks as you jog, swim, or take a class at the gym. It amounts up to 8 ounces. After the workout ends, slowly drink 16 ounces.
What shall you do for extended workouts like a long day of canoeing or a bike ride?
If you can, weigh yourself before and after this long session. If you’ve lost more than 16 ounces (1 pound) of water, drink that amount of water.
Losing two pounds in a few hours means you need to drink 32 ounces of water, for example.
Listen to Your Body
As you get healthier, you learn how to listen to your body better. It also changes what you need to stay fit, and that includes how much water you must drink.
It’s essential you update your required water for weight loss by using the calculations above.
This way, you can avoid dehydration that causes frequent headaches, fatigue, dizziness, and mental “fuzziness.” If your mouth is dry or your urine is darker than a pale yellow, you’ll also see signs of dehydration.
What must you drink, though? Bottled water can be expensive, but it can be safer than your tap.
If you’re worried the tap water you have access to “tastes funny,” consider one of the modern water ionizers. They remove that unpleasant taste and may even provide additional health benefits.
Water for weight loss is not the only common misconceptions when it comes to losing belly fat. There are others, and let me share them in this video:
Water for weight loss, for the most part, does wonders to the body. It extends your calorie burn, lets you last longer during a workout, and increases your focus.
Keep in mind, though, there’s such a thing as too much water. Excess hydration, or hyponatremia, is dangerous. To not jeopardize your weight-loss goals, know how much water your body needs.
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