Drinking Water and Weight Loss

Is there actually an association between drinking water and weight loss? Can you really drink water to lose weight? A lot of people will tell you that you can and while I agree that drinking water is an aid to ridding the body of waste, I don't agree that drinking water as your only means of weight loss will show results.

Drinking plenty of water should definitely be part of a comprehensive healthy eating and weight loss plan, there are so many benefits of drinking water, but drinking water to lose weight is not a standalone method for continued weight loss.

If it was it would have made the news a long time ago. Face it, while we are all looking for the easy, effortless way to lose weight, there is no magic wand for losing weight.

Reminder

If you are actually hungry, water cannot take the place of food. By substituting water for food you run the risk of overeating later.

There is a lot of talk out there about water as a metabolism booster. True, you need water for your body to burn fat. Without enough water to function properly, the kidneys begin to depend on the liver for help, which leaves the liver malfunctioning, that is, not metabolizing fat properly, so some of the fat that would normally be used as fuel by the body gets stored in the body instead.

Drinking more water allows the liver to be more efficient at turning fat into fuel. But the water isn't actually causing a weight loss, it is providing the body with one of the tools it needs so that its organs can function efficiently. I am hesitant to call this interdependence between the kidneys and liver drinking water and weight loss.

Is Drinking Water an Appetite Suppressant or Simply a Method of Postponing Hunger?

I have also heard water referred to as an appetite suppressant. I don't think that's accurate. What actually happens is that your body is tricked into feeling fuller in that moment and the hope is that this full feeling will discourage you from eating too much. This is another way that some try to establish a connection between drinking water and weight loss. This can work for some but definitely not for all.

You see, some of us eat even if we are full.

Now, if it is your habit to drink a lot of soda, juice, or other high-caloric beverage, and you decide to start substituting water for that beverage, of course you will lose weight. You have eliminated hundreds, if not thousands, of calories daily and that will cause weight loss.

By the way, kudos to you if you do this. You have definitely taken a step in the right direction. This is definitely a case of drinking water and weight loss, although technically it is substituting water.

If filling up on water works for you, it works only for a very short time. You still need to fuel your body and when you shrink your meals because you are drinking a lot of water before the meal, the body burns the fuel and then is looking for more, so you postpone hunger. You don't actually eliminate it.

So if you are trying to prevent yourself from having an unplanned snack, a big glass of water might do the trick in the moment, but as a long term strategy I would not count on the "big glass of water before meal" strategy as part of my drinking water and losing weight plan.

I read an article that suggested a good lunch to promote healthy weight loss would be to drink a large glass of water, have a chicken sandwich on wheat and then drink another glass of water. If I did this, I would be so miserable and I would feel so ripped off with such a limited lunch.

Here's what I would recommend. First, I would eliminate the water before the meal and drink water, as desired, during the meal. I would add a salad. Lettuce, celery, and tomatoes are primarily water so I would still get my water but with added value, so to speak.

Water is essential, but it shouldn't take the place of food. You need both. You can get your water from your food but you can't get your food from your water.

Water Should Not Take The Place Of Food

Adding the salad would give the meal more variety, there are so many vegetables to choose from, you don't have to be bored eating the same old thing every day. This lunch also provides more chewing action and will take a lot longer to consume than just a sandwich, and the eye will see more items on the plate.

For these reasons, you feel less deprived. Do not discount the psychological components of healthy eating. And don't forget, by adding the veggies we have improved the nutritional content of the meal. Consider this an alternate method of drinking water and weight loss. The water is in the veggies.

One of the benefits of drinking water daily is to prevent water retention, which can cause fluctuations in weight. Our body trusts that if we are currently providing it with all of the water it needs, we will continue to do so. Based on that trust, it expels fluids regularly because it knows there is plenty more available.

In contrast, if you don't consume enough water, the body is hesitant to let it go because it can't be sure it will get more and so it retains water. So, in an indirect way, drinking water and weight loss go hand in hand.

Be careful! Did you know there is such a thing as drinking too much water?

Are drinking water and weight loss connected? What is your opinion? Please take a moment to let us know your experience.

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