7 Tips: Water for Weight Loss

Even though water doesn’t have some magical property that makes it dissolve fat, drinking water is one of the most important things you can do to promote weight loss. More than just replacing the water that you lose during exercise, there are some intense benefits to drinking water and keeping your body hydrated in order to lose weight. Here are 7 tips for drinking water for weight loss.

#1 - Staying hydrated helps prevent you from overeating.

Drinking water before a meal can help you feel more satisfied, keeping you from eating more than is necessary. Studies have shown that people who drank water before a meal ate an average of 75 fewer calories at that meal. Plus, dehydration has been shown to cause food cravings. Making sure that you’re hydrated can curb those cravings and set you up for a more balanced eating schedule.

#2 - Sometimes thirst can be confused with hunger.

Signals can easily be mixed, especially when the drive to eat is such a strong force. When you’re hydrated, this is one less thing to worry about, and your body won’t have to decipher thirst and hunger.

#3 - Water speeds up your metabolism.

Just like not drinking enough water makes you feel sluggish, shorting yourself on H2O also impedes your metabolism. Studies on people who drank cold water frequently during the day show that their metabolic rates were higher. This means you’re burning more calories without trying, and that’s a sure recipe for weight loss.

#4 - Drinking ice water burns calories.

Though it is true that drinking a glass of ice water burns about 8 calories as your body heats the water for digestion, that doesn’t add up to much. It would be more important to go for a brisk walk once a day than to worry about the temperature of your water. But if drinking really cold water is refreshing for you, then by all means, add ice!

#5 - Your workouts will benefit!

Drinking water helps lubricate joints and prevents muscle cramping. Plus, adequate water consumption gives you energy. Even mild levels of dehydration lead to fatigue and cramping, which can easily keep you from working up a good sweat.

#6 - How do you know if you’re drinking enough water?

Some people are pretty good at keeping a tally, but others either can’t keep track or forget that there is water in food and other drinks. That leads to them attempting to drink far more water than is necessary, and they get frustrated when they don’t reach that goal. The best indicator is your urine. It should be pale yellow. It’s as easy as that!

#7 - It has zero calories!

If you’re drinking water instead of your typical drinks that contain sugar or fat, then you’re doing yourself a favor for weight loss by making the swap. Plus, sugary drinks sabotage weight loss in several different ways, so the switch to water will have a lot of benefits.Make sure that you’re not skipping water consumption as part of your weight loss plan. It’s one of the easiest and most beneficial things you can do when trying to get rid of extra pounds.