Changing the way you drink water is perhaps the single most important change you can make in a weight loss diet. And you can achieve it without expensive equipment, books, diet foods, etc. Here are lots of tips I’ve gathered over the years on how to lose weight and how to diet effectively using water to supplement your weight loss plan.
Drink Lots of Water. Good water levels support healthy biological functions, all of which can help you lose weight sooner rather than later–i.e., your endocrine system (hormone balance), your metabolic burn-fat-for-energy exchange, and your liver function. And drinking more water actually decreases your body’s fluid retention.
How Much Water Should You Drink Each Day? Some experts recommend a gallon a day. However, water intake should be regulated by the amount and type of exercise and body mass. To adequately hydrate your system for normal functionality, you need around 3 quarts each day–3 quarts is 6 pints, 12 cups, 96 oz., 8 soft-drink can’s worth. But for rapid weight loss, you need to add an extra 8 oz. per 25 pounds above your ideal weight.
Drinking Water Dramatically Reduces Your Appetite. It also leads to healthier natural thirst so that you can diet effectively.
Drink a Glass of Water About 30 Minutes Before Your Meals. This trick makes you feel full before you eat and cuts down on the amount you want to eat. Eating healthier portions is really often the best plan for weight loss.
Drink Water Instead of Diet Soft Drinks. A study by the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio discovered that the risk of being overweight increases 41% for each can of diet soda a person drinks. Experts believe that one’s appetite gets stimulated by consuming empty calories like those in diet soft drinks. Eliminating diet soft drinks has helped many people with surprisingly quick weight loss.
Drink Water to Avoid Extra Calories. Most of us lose track of the amount of calories we consume through all those popular high-calorie drinks. This includes soft drinks, energy drinks, alcohol, and all the specialty coffees now available. If water is just too bland for you, see comments below on using isotonic drinks in your weight loss and dieting plan.
Drink Water for Proper Hydration. Proper hydration is the balance between salt and water in your system. Less water increases salt in your tissues, which then dilute the salt by absorbing water from your blood. This causes water retention weight gain, which undermines many a weight loss program.
Drink Extra Water If You Are Walking to Lose Pounds. Add a cup (8 oz.) for each 20 minutes or each mile walked.
Be Careful About Drinking Lots of Water Just Before You Exercise. This is only a comfort tip: you don’t want to “really need to take a break” in the middle of a brisk walk around the neighborhood.
When Hydrating Your System Use Isotonic Fluids With Water. Isotonic drinks like Gatorade diluted with water have the same salt concentration as blood and cells, so they are tremendous hydration aids. Consuming isotonic drinks has no net effect on your salt/water balance while still delivering nutritional elements like minerals and electrolytes, and replacing fluids.
Drink Filtered Water. Drinking only filtered water can prevent the sometimes-negative aspects of much of the tap water available today, like high sodium content.