Drink More Water to Lose Weight?

mhlew

I love water and I drink a ton of it, however I am not so sure how it works exactly to increase weight loss or if this is some myth.

I really hope no one responds with "it fills you up more and you eat less" this is not the case with me as water has little to no affect on satisfying hunger for me (only food!)

Any info so I can understand the benefits of water and weight loss would be great. All I really know is that a huydrydated body is good for the functions of your organs and your body is less prone to water retention.

GothyFaery

Not the answer you want but it helps fill you up. No, it doesn't last long but it does take up room in your stomach which will make you feel less hungry.

A lot of times people can be dehydrated and think they are hungry when really their body is just calling for water in any form so that helps there too.

Lastly water helps get waste out of your body meaning you can lose a little bit when you first start drinking it regularly.

tibby531

All I really know is that a hydrated body is good for the functions of your organs and your body is less prone to water retention.

this is why I drink the water.

benno1978

Without enough water your kidneys cannot function properly. So some of their workload is pushed off onto the liver, which means the liver is busy and metablosises less fat

http://www.freedrinkingwater.com/water_health/health1/1-the-role-of-water-dieting.htm

Also if you don't drink enough water, your body will start holding onto water and you will get weight from water retention

Lastly water has zero calories so much better to drink water than other drinks that have calories soda, squash, alcohol etc

PeterSedesse

I am not sure there is any research that shows a benefit to drinking a lot of water if you are already hydrated properly.

But I do know that being dehydrated and not drinking enough water with meals can lead to a couple of bad things. First is poor nutrient absorption. You get less of the vitamins and minerals out of the food you eat if you are dehydrated. The other major thing is metabolism inside your cells. Water is a key part to converting glucose into energy, and being dehydrated can decrease your ability to get energy into your cells. Obviously lower metabolism means lower energy burning and less energy available for exercise.

As for ´feeling full´.. In my experience ( not based on real research) if you do drink water with certain types of food, especially things with high soluble fiber, it will make you feel full longer. I run a weight-loss boot camp, and we also feed our guys oatmeal in the morning and most people remark about how they feel ´full´ throughout the morning because of it.

csuhar

All I really know is that a hydrated body is good for the functions of your organs and your body is less prone to water retention.

this is why I drink the water.

Same here. Any "filling up" I've experienced tends to only be very brief. While that has some potential applications, such as inspiring me to order something smaller on a restaurant menu or to grab less food on this particular trip to the pantry, it is, like I said, only a brief impact.

But I have heard that a hydrated body functions better and, in particular, that keeping the body hydrated helps avoid water retention as well as promotes elimination of the retained water, resulting in a lower number on the scale.

HeidiCooksSupper

More recent research has not found a link between drinking lots of water and weight loss. If drinking water works for you in keeping your eating under control fine. It works for some, but not for many others. Instead of recommending a specific amount of water be drunk, scientists are now recommending that you instead just check the color of your urine. If it is straw colored or very light yellow, you are fine. If it is dark yellow or bright yellow, you are a bit dehydrated; drink more.

northbanu

I never felt water helped with hunger at all. Now coffee, that helps suppress my appetite. Coffee really just helps me have a light breakfast. I get a little nauseated If I drink coffee instead of a meal when I really need some food.

It seems like I've heard that drinking water can help keep off water weight. Don't know if that's true or not, I just thought I should repeat random things I might have misunderstood as actual advice.

LeonCX

Everyone is different. As to what the Dr. said, I never found oatmeal to be particularly filling. Everyone is different. Water is obviously something the body needs, but as far as having some magical weight-loss properties, I would say no. I don't think people who live in desert areas of the world where water is scarce are more obese than the rest of us.

baubisson

If nothing else, drinking adequate amounts of water will keep your body from doing any wacky water-retention nonsense that'd make the scale read strangely all of a sudden.