Water and Weight Loss

By Troy Clarks

Our bodies are made up almost entirely of water trapped between fragile cell walls. Drinking water does wondrous things for our bodies such as maintaining an optimum level of hydration, assists in flushing out toxins to cleanse the body, keeps us cool, keeps joints working and also helps in aiding our digestive processes.

For an average adult 2 liters is the minimum recommended amount of water to be consumed daily. Our bodies use this water to also do a number of other things including sweating, urinating and is required for nearly every chemical reaction which takes place in the body. If this water is not replenished during the day, the body can become dehydrated which can affect how the body functions. If you're dieting you can cut back on food, but never cut back on water.

Like hundreds of bodily functions a person's metabolism is also dependent on water to enable to work correctly. If there is not enough water present, the body will have difficulty breaking down food and converting this food into useable energy and will slow dramatically, which means that fewer calories will be burnt throughout the day resulting in limited weight loss. As the metabolism slows, weight loss will also slow, also exercising will become less effective because the bodies energy levels will diminish. Water has another important role and that is in the process of digestion and the elimination of residue from the body. If enough water is not drunk your body will pose a high risk to constipation and related problems of the intestines. Poor digestion means poor energy levels. This will require your body to need more food, making you feel hungry which can lead to overeating. This can then lead to weight gain. When dehydrated the body send out "fake" hunger pains, this can tempt you to break your diet and reach for the foods that you shouldn't.

Water is also a good "filler". If you are trying to limit the amount of food you are consuming, aim to drink a tall glass of water around half an hour before every main meal, this will help your body to feel that the stomach is not empty causing you to eat less.

In order to gain all the benefits of staying hydrated and drinking ample water, you need to spread out the intake over the entire day. Downing 2 liters of water in one sitting will not be sufficient as the body can only digest approx 1 glass of water an hour. This excess water will simply be flushed through the system too quickly and will not be used by the body. If you get tired of the same old taste of water you can substitute for a tea, perhaps a green tea.

Water is important for overall health and also weight loss. So next time you feel a little hungry reach for the glass of water and keep yourself hydrated and healthy.

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