'How' question

helenium

Hello all,

Just wondering. I'm upping my water intake because apparently it helps weight loss. I guess this is true, but my inner scientist wants to know... why? how? How does water intake help weight loss?

Does it increase your metabolic rate? If so, why? Does anyone know?

Thanks everyone!

greeneyed84

Your body hold on to water through salt intake. The more water you drink the more of it your body will flush out of your system and you will retain very little water that way. Water. As water does weigh a bit, it helps.
One day i ate too much salt and didn't drink more than 8 glasses fo water, so the next day my scale showed 2 lbs more.

ambie35

bump.
Not that I have any problem drinking 8 + glasses a day anyway

TrainingWithTonya

Water is required for most all metabolic processes. If you don't have enough intake then the body will try to conserve water. This can be done as described above from salt intake or it can be done by not using as much water for things the body sees as "unnecessary" like glycogen storage. When we lift weights, the first thing we gain isn't muscle fiber mass it is glycogen storage to fuel the workouts later. Glycogen is stored in 3 times as much water (IE: 1 gram glycogen to 3 grams water), so not storing that water means more that is available for other body processes and less glycogen that is available to fuel the anaerobic activities you do and produce pyruvate so that fat burning can occur. (You have to break down glycogen for fuel to get the pyruvate that is needed for fat burning.) If you are consuming enough water to keep the metabolic processes of the body going, then you don't need to conserve water so you can burn more fat.

helenium

Water is required for most all metabolic processes. If you don't have enough intake then the body will try to conserve water. This can be done as described above from salt intake or it can be done by not using as much water for things the body sees as "unnecessary" like glycogen storage. When we lift weights, the first thing we gain isn't muscle fiber mass it is glycogen storage to fuel the workouts later. Glycogen is stored in 3 times as much water (IE: 1 gram glycogen to 3 grams water), so not storing that water means more that is available for other body processes and less glycogen that is available to fuel the anaerobic activities you do and produce pyruvate so that fat burning can occur. (You have to break down glycogen for fuel to get the pyruvate that is needed for fat burning.) If you are consuming enough water to keep the metabolic processes of the body going, then you don't need to conserve water so you can burn more fat.

Thanks! A neat answer with good detail. My inner scientist is satisfied! *chugs water*.