I was reading a post about losing weight and one of the member’s comments was something like “I just replaced all my drinks with water and I’m now 10 pounds down”.
It was a curious experience since I once really thought I was the only one who would have ever lost weight that way, yes! It works for me.
But how can something so simple like plain water which doesn’t have any added supplements, vitamins or any sort of “magical” weight reduction products dissolved in it help you reduce your body fat?
Well there are several answers to that question, and I’d like to point them down:
1. Feel Full with a Glass Before Meals
Well yes, it does occupy space in your stomach, so it is a good idea to drink it before your meals and during the day, that alone will save you a lot of calories from snacks or overeating.
I like to eat my meals into a 75% percent of fullness and then drink a glass of water, experts recommend to do it before so you’ll have more self control.
By doing this, the space used by water will help you with the satiety feeling and wont add any calorie, try it, you’d be surprised.
2. Regular Intake Boosts Your Metabolism
If you have read my previous posts you’d start to notice how your metabolism plays a key roll in your weight control, and it is evident that you can take steps to better it with your own good habits.
Drink water throughout the day and that will help your body burn fat by the increase in your metabolic rate, the effect of a couple glasses of water (around 16 oz) have will last for more or less 40 minutes after you drink them.
3. Replace Sweetened Drinks
At first you’ll miss the flavor of the calorie-filled and sugar-added drinks, specially when eating spiced foods, however the sole action of replacing them with plain water will save your body the intake of all those calories, even without any other change in your diet (however you should consider it a must).
You’d also be surprised by the amount of sugars contained in some juices (specially for sweet fruit ones), and things get worse for the processed and bottled ones, so get rid of them too please.
You can add lemon juice to your glass of water to add some flavor if you find it hard other way, just avoid adding sugar or you’ll void the effect.
4. Drink Ice Cold Water
The logic behind this is that your body gets cooler as you drink cold water, surely it goes lower the colder the water is.
In order to raise your temperature, your body needs to burn calories and “heat up” (ever notice how urine is warm? You can trust me, no need to test), in this process calories will be burned and you in exchange lose weight, a little but sweet right?
Sure you wouldn’t base your diet solely on ice cold water, but you can sum all these other tips benefits and the results will come afterwards as a snowball.
Additional Notes
A good balanced diet, reducing the intake of high sugar drinks and processed foods as well as an active exercise routine will all add into the weight loss effect you are looking for, there is a special balance of body fluids that needs to be maintained for the body to work properly, however you can consider this:
- Drinking water alone wont inhibit your appetite so skipping a whole meal by drinking water won’t be beneficial on the long run.
- You can sip smaller but more frequent amounts of water during the day rather than a large couple of glasses every now and then so you wont feel bloated
- Carry a water bottle everywhere and keep in mind you need to keep drinking, there are even some reusable water bottles marked as for the amount you should have drank per the hour of the day.
Additionally, you should be aware that the water itself doesn’t kill fat in any way, its the effect of the replacement of sweetened drinks and snacks with a zero calorie fluid, in this case water, that gives you the desired benefits.
At first you may be heading a lot more frequently to the restroom but it’s worth the extra effort, you’ll get a little more used to it and reduce its frequency later on, remember that a darker color in you urine could mean that you are not hydrated enough.
If you’ve been working towards a health and fitness weight loss goal it’s important not to let all that hard work go to waste. Don’t stop your fitness training once you reach your target weight. Instead consider complementing it with some muscle building workouts that will build up your physique as well as keep it trim. Find out how people like Tom Brady not only build their physiques but also maintain them. We can also share everything we know about the (as we like to call them) Tom Brady Supplements.
