- Studies show that people who drank 16oz of water 20-30 minutes before each meal lost weight more quickly and more significantly than those who did not. Why? Water helps fill you up. The study also showed that those who drank water before meals ate an average of 75 fewer calories per meal (115-225 fewer calories per day!)
- The body processes hunger and thirst similarly so often times you may feel hungry when you are just thirsty. In this way, staying hydrated acts as a natural appetite suppressant.
- Being deyhdrated lowers your metabolism, which means you burn calories less efficiently and therefore lose less weight. Why? When your kidneys aren't properly hydrated, they don't work to capacity and the extra load gets dumped on your liver. Your liver metabolizes fat so when it is spending it's time helping the kidneys, it metabolizes less fat.
- How much water should you drink? A good benchmark is to try to drink half your weight in ounces of water each day. If you way 150 pounds, you should aim to drink about 75 ounces of water per day. If you work out, that number should be increased in order to replenish fluids lost during your workout.
Water can get a little boring, so here are some tips I found to make it better:
- Have a big glass of water at every transitional point in the day (when you first wake up, before each meal, before going to bed)
- Make it convenient, keep a water bottle on your desk all day and fill it up when it's empty!
- When you have a junk food craving, drink a big glass of water immediately. This will up your water intake and may also give the craving time to pass.
- Don't allow yourself to drink a diet soda until you've had two to four glasses of water. You'll find that you may not want soda anymore or that just half a can is enough.
- Put slices of fruit in your water (citrus works well because it doesn't break down quickly). This adds a hint of flavor to "spice up" your water!
Happy Drinking!
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