In our attempts at changing our diet to lose weight and feel better, water always needs to be part of a healthy weight loss plan.
Regardless of what type of diet, what stage of weight loss and which personal milestone you may have reached, if you’re not drinking water, you’re making the process a lot more difficult than it needs to be. Water is the liquid of life. Our bodies are 60% to 70% water, so water must be essential to our functioning. Although we might prefer to drink sodas or other beverages, nothing hydrates like water.
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Water for Weight Loss
Water is a very useful agent in the weight loss process. As a natural appetite suppressant, drinking a glass of water prior to every meal effectively deters most overeating. Water also aids in digestion, allowing the body to more efficiently process foods. Recommended daily water intake is six to eight large glasses, but if you’re heavily overweight, you might need to drink more.
Water also facilitates weight loss inadvertently. When we exercise, we need water to enjoy maximum energy that results in a more meaningful workout. Since the muscles and organs thrive on more water, it’s not surprising that it’s an important part of your workout routine. Drinking water also helps to boost your metabolic rate, which promotes more calories being burned.
Water for Health
Aside from weight loss purposes, water is essential to our health. It helps flush toxins from our body, regulates body temperature and facilitates bodily secretions and digestive juices. If you don’t drink enough water, you risk becoming dehydrated. Dehydration can cause unpleasant side effects such as headache, nausea, dizziness, bad breath and constipation. Without water, we would perish, and it has been proven that people die from a lack of water much quicker than a lack of food.
Fitting Water In
The best way to take water is by drinking it consistently throughout the day. Maximum metabolic and dietary benefit is achieved if you are constantly hydrated. Drinking large quantities at one time are not as effective, because much of it flushes through your system without the cleansing benefit.
One suggestion is to keep a large bottle of water with you at all times and to consciously sip during and between meals, and to abstain from caffeine. Caffeine is a diuretic that requires you to drink twice as much to achieve the same levels of hydration than by drinking water alone.
If you hate the taste of water, add a twist or lemon, lime or fresh strawberry for hint of taste. Crystal Light makes a low-calorie drink mix that might appeal to your tastes, and if not them, other companies have similar products on the shelves. With so many options available and the knowledge that water is fundamental to weight loss and health, there is no excuse not to drink your quota of water each day.
