Drinking Water and Weight Loss

Drinking water and weight loss: Why it is so important to drink lots of water whether you are trying to lose weight or not. Water is an essential ingredient for your weight loss for so many reasons. Here are just a few reasons why drinking water and weight loss seem to go hand in hand.

1. Sometimes we do not know the difference from being hungry for food or thirsty for water. A lot of times we are eating when we should be drinking. You may not feel as hungry if you are getting enough water. You will be satisfying the thirst, which is confused for hunger. Water also helps you digest food better. Drinking water before you eat will help fill you up.

2. Liquid hydrates your cells and helps them push harmful toxins through your body more efficiently. By drinking plenty of liquid, such as water, juice and even tea, you will help your cells function at their best.

3. Your body needs to metabolize stored fat into energy. Your body's metabolism can be slowed by even mild levels of dehydration. The slower your metabolism, the slower your weight loss (and you become tired), until eventually your weight loss comes to a stop.

4. Water helps rid the body of waste. During weight loss, the body has a lots of waste to get rid of because of all that fat. So enough water is essential to your health while dieting.

5. Another reason why drinking water and weight loss seem to go hand in hand is because water is a natural appetite suppressant. In the hypothalamus, a region in your brain that controls appetites and cravings, the control centers for hunger and thirst are situated next to each other, and there tends to be some overlap. This has both advantages and disadvantages for the dieter. On the flip side, it means that chronic mild dehydration can confuse these mechanisms, leading to feelings of hunger, rather than thirst. But on a positive note, it means you can use water to reduce your appetite. For example, in one University of Washington study, drinking a glass of water reduced nighttime hunger cravings for most of the dieters studied. I have also found this to be true.

6. Water is an essential to the processes that enables your muscles to contract. So water helps maintain muscle tone. Better muscle tone means a better looking body, and isn't that what dieting and weight loss is about?

7. Water also helps to prevent the sagging skin that often follows weight loss - water plumps the skin cells, giving the skin a younger and healthier look.

8. Water helps rid the body of waste. During weight loss, the body has a lots of waste to get rid of because of all that fat. So enough water is essential to your health while dieting.

You should be drinking at least 6 - 8 8 ounce glasses of water each day. You should drink more during the hot days and when you exercise.

The simplest way to tell if you are drinking enough water is check the color of your urine: It should be clear or a very pale yellow in color. (but note that some supplements and medications may also affect your urine color).

Remember, there are reasons why drinking water and weight loss go hand in hand. If you are trying to lose weight, make sure you drink enough water.