Does drinking water help with weight loss?

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AGGUK73
AGGUK73 Posts: 91 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Beside's the obvious benefits of drinking water, is there any truth that water helps to aid weight loss? I'm very aware that I don't drink enough water & I am now making an effort to consume the recommended amount of 2litres per day. Hopefully it will have multiple benefits :)

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  • lovetheinsanity
    lovetheinsanity Posts: 5
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    Actually yeah. Drink aglass of water before ur meal by 15/20 min and then eat. U'll realize that u eat less therefore it helps. Plus when ur brain sends u signals that ur hungry when ur actually not drink a glass of water and that feeling will go POOF!
  • AllyLuna
    AllyLuna Posts: 32
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    Yes, drinking the necessary water helps for your kidneys to work overtime and push toxins and extra water weight out of your body so you're not carrying extra water weight, always a plus! :happy: Also, since building muscle helps to burn off fat quicker and lose that soft weight you need water to help the muscles to repair and not get too tight.
  • Lbishop1213
    Lbishop1213 Posts: 21
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    I'm hoping! I always drink a lot of water but I never realized how much water I drink until I put it n a different cup. I have drank 120 ounces of water so far today. I am still hungry within an hour and fifteen minutes of the last time I ate. I am going to the bathroom a lot so hopefully toxins are being flushed out!
  • stevesavage09
    stevesavage09 Posts: 19 Member
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    yes!!! helps keep u full , gives u more energy , flushes toxins from ur system i drink about a gallon a day
  • DavidMNelson
    DavidMNelson Posts: 3
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    Ellington Darden, PhD (exercise physiology) has written dozens of books on exercise, fitness, and weight loss. He espouses what he calls "superhydration", which involves drinking a gallon of ice cold water everyday. Besides enhancing digestion, removal of toxins from the body, and elimination of constipation, the main benefits for weight loss come from an increased sensation of fullness/decreased appetite, and the metabolic effects of the ice cold temperature. The body has to compensate for the coldness entering the body. To maintain core body temperature, fat is burned to produce heat energy, even in the absence of any calorie deficit in the diet or exercise effects. Drinking this much ice cold water everyday will result in burning 123 calories of fat. That will result in a loss of 11 - 14 pounds in a year. (The number of calories stored in a pound of fat varies from one person to another, within the range of 3100 to 4000 calories per pound. That is one reason why some people lose more weight than others with all other factors being equal.) Obviously, the bulk of the water should be consumed earlier in the day, and you should start with lesser amounts and gradually increase it over time. Dr. Darden states that none of the 930 participants in his programs that used superhydration developed any medical problems as a result.

    This only helps if it is ICE COLD water.
  • AGGUK73
    AGGUK73 Posts: 91 Member
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    Thanks, I've already noticed the increased 'full' feeling & I'm usually always hungry. One last question though, obviously water weighs so should I make sure any weigh in's are before I've consumed any water? I've only got 2.5lbs till I'm at target so I want to be sure that my weigh in's are as accurate as possible. Then the hard work begins trying to maintain!!!!
  • XXXMinnieXXX
    XXXMinnieXXX Posts: 3,459 Member
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    It has definitely made a difference with the weight loss in the past compared to weeks where I didn't drink a lot and I feel miles better for it. Your bladder adjusts some what over time too. Win, win! X
  • cramernh
    cramernh Posts: 3,335 Member
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    Thanks, I've already noticed the increased 'full' feeling & I'm usually always hungry. One last question though, obviously water weighs so should I make sure any weigh in's are before I've consumed any water? I've only got 2.5lbs till I'm at target so I want to be sure that my weigh in's are as accurate as possible. Then the hard work begins trying to maintain!!!!

    The absolute best time to weigh in is first thing in the morning when you wake up. Use the bathroom.... and strip down to get the best scale reading.
  • BlackTimber
    BlackTimber Posts: 230 Member
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    Drink when you're thirsty. This eight glasses or more a day is just pure fantasy. Did you know that drinking too much water can be very bad for you? If you drink more than your body can process than you can go into hyponatremia (in extreme situations) . Plus it's just one more thing to feel guilty about.
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,565 Member
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    Drink 1-2gallons daily.
    Helps continue to flush toxins, repair muscle and keeps your skin looking fab!
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    Not really. Psychologically it might help, but physiologically it doesn't do anything special.

    And drinking more water doesn't flush toxins out, that's not how the body works. The kidneys and liver filter toxins regularly, and release them regularly. Drinking more water doesn't lead to more toxins being removed, it just leads to more urination, and when your urine is clear, it means the only thing your "flushing out" is the water you drank itself.
  • BigDnSW
    BigDnSW Posts: 641 Member
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    A real slice of lemon squeezed into the water before a meal is good. http://www.livestrong.com/article/111175-benefits-lemon-water/.
  • CassieReannan
    CassieReannan Posts: 1,479 Member
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    Of course it helps :) flushes toxins, water weight, helps you stay hyrdrated :)
  • EmmieBaby
    EmmieBaby Posts: 1,235 Member
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    In short yes, but here is a little fun fact

    Did you know that often times thirst is mistaken for hunger? Yeah, it's true. Far too often people reach for calorie rich foods because they think they're hungry when really they just need a tall glass of cold water because their bodies are dehydrated.

    Try this the next time you think you're hungry. Drink a glass of water, see if you feel satisfied and then decided if you need to reach for some food.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    If you eat less as a consequence of drinking before a meal, like the people in http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2859815/ you might lose more. The water group drank 1 litre per day extra ( 34 US ozs )

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17228036 suggests the above effect may be limited to older people.

    nihms194440f2.jpg

    "Funding for this investigation was provided by a research grant from the Institute for Public Health and Water Research"
  • AGGUK73
    AGGUK73 Posts: 91 Member
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    Drink when you're thirsty. This eight glasses or more a day is just pure fantasy. Did you know that drinking too much water can be very bad for you? If you drink more than your body can process than you can go into hyponatremia (in extreme situations) . Plus it's just one more thing to feel guilty about.

    Problem is I rarely actually feel thirsty! As someone else has posted, hunger can often be mistaken for thirst so maybe this is the case for me? I will continue to drink plenty to help me feel fuller.
  • j_wilson2012
    j_wilson2012 Posts: 293
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    Make sure to also take in some sodium. If you do not take in enough sodium, you can get water poisoning, and with too much water in a short amount of time, you can die. Just make sure not to substitute water for meals.
    check this out:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_intoxication
  • AGGUK73
    AGGUK73 Posts: 91 Member
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    Make sure to also take in some sodium. If you do not take in enough sodium, you can get water poisoning, and with too much water in a short amount of time, you can die. Just make sure not to substitute water for meals.
    check this out:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_intoxication

    Thanks, I wouldn't substitute my meals, so I would think that as long as I'm eating sensibly my sodium levels should be sufficient?
  • BigGuy47
    BigGuy47 Posts: 1,768 Member
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    with too much water in a short amount of time, you can die.
    The deaths that happen from hyponatremia (aka water poisoning) typically happen to athletes running marathons or other endurance events. Endurance events and marathons don't occur over a "short amount of time".

    Bottom line: If you plan to run a marathon, make sure to get enough electrlytes.
    If you plan to jog a couple of miles and drink more water than you usually do then you'll be fine. No need to fear death from water consumption.
  • spectralmoon
    spectralmoon Posts: 1,230 Member
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    In short yes, but here is a little fun fact

    Did you know that often times thirst is mistaken for hunger? Yeah, it's true. Far too often people reach for calorie rich foods because they think they're hungry when really they just need a tall glass of cold water because their bodies are dehydrated.

    Try this the next time you think you're hungry. Drink a glass of water, see if you feel satisfied and then decided if you need to reach for some food.

    This is what I was going to post as well. I'm grabbing glasses of water with ice and lemon juice (alternating between putting that stuff in my water and on my skin to bleach out these summer freckles!) instead of a bag of chips when I'm at the computer, and it kills the need for munchies as well as making me feel better overall.

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