Does drinking water really help you lose weight?

Options
mshopey
mshopey Posts: 125 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Obviously its lower in calories than full fat coca cola. But what about the diet alternatives?
Will i really lose more weight if i drink my 8 glasses of water rather than say 3 cans of pepsi max?
Has anyone eaten the same calories for 2 weeks but had only water the second week?
I've been curious about this for a while, i want to step up my weight loss, ans was just wondering?
I know all the books say WATER WATER WATER, but they've been wrong so many times.
So guys? Any firsthand experience?
Thanks :)
I feel like a bit of a dumbass but still.
«1345

Replies

  • mizerygutz
    mizerygutz Posts: 1
    Options
    Absolutely go with water. While diet colas have less calories they still have SOME, whereas water has literally none. Try it out for a week anyway and see what happens!
  • nikilis
    nikilis Posts: 2,305 Member
    Options
    Obviously its lower in calories than full fat coca cola. But what about the diet alternatives?
    Will i really lose more weight if i drink my 8 glasses of water rather than say 3 cans of pepsi max?
    Has anyone eaten the same calories for 2 weeks but had only water the second week?
    I've been curious about this for a while, i want to step up my weight loss, ans was just wondering?
    I know all the books say WATER WATER WATER, but they've been wrong so many times.
    So guys? Any firsthand experience?
    Thanks :)
    I feel like a bit of a dumbass but still.

    yeh, drinking water is a good idea. people say it helps weightloss, they are probably right. hydration is important.

    secondly, if you drink pepsi max like that every day, your teeth will melt inside your face.

    so in the water vs pepsi max battle - water wins because you wont have to chew with your gums.

    cool eh.
  • Lysander666
    Lysander666 Posts: 275 Member
    Options
    It's to do with the fact that water hydrates you properly, increasing your metabolism and ensuring you burn more fat. Pepsi Max won't do that for you.

    EDIT: and as nikilis says YOUR TEETH WILL MELT INSIDE YOUR FACE
  • cherryd69
    cherryd69 Posts: 340
    Options
    I dont think it actually helps with the over all weight loss.

    It just helps to keep you hydrated, with extra exercise your body will need more fluid.

    Water contains bugger all, so drinking 8 glass's of water will always be better for your body than 8 cans of coke. Its also better for your skin than coke/tea/coffee

    Fluid balance is important, the older you get the more prone to urinary tract infections you become. The more fluid you push through your system to help your kidneys the better.


    Even knowing all this, and working where i work, i would still prefer to drink coffee rather than water, although im gettin better at it :laugh:

    I have to push fluids with my residents on an hourly basis, i wish someone would do that with me.... but then again id probably become just as annoyed as my residents do. :grumble:
  • 27jynx11
    27jynx11 Posts: 16
    Options
    If you drink ice cold water your body burns some calories heating the water after you have drunk it.
  • gettinfitaus
    gettinfitaus Posts: 161 Member
    Options
    diet cola will also dehydrate you which makes fat harder to shift as it will slow down your metabolism. Water is better for you. Personally I like cola as much as the next girl but water is a better choice so I add a tiny (as in barely covers the bottom of the glass) bit of cordial to mine to make it taste a bit better.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    Options
    Being dehydrated can, for some people, increase hunger signals, which leads to overeating. I have to be careful of this, i.e. sometimes I feel hungry when really I'm thirsty. From talking to others, this does not affect everyone. So ensuring that you're adequately hydrated may help with this.

    If you exercise and you're not adequately hydrated, then your workout will suffer and you'll burn fewer calories, so being well hydrated can help with fat loss because of this.

    also, being adequately hydrated is important for general health.

    The question about whether it has to be 100% pure water or if other low calorie drinks will do, personally I don't think it makes much difference. If you're drinking calories, then that can lead to overeating if you're not logging them, because most people will eat the same size meal whether it's accompanied by water or a drink containing calories. But if you're logging everything and staying within your calories then it really doesn't matter. Other drinks like tea and diet fizzy drinks that don't contain calories, well probably water is marginally better for health, but personally I drink a lot of tea and have no plans on quitting it. I also drink a lot of water because I live in an almost tropical climate where if I don't drink lots of water (whether alone or in tea) I will get dehydrated very quickly. I personally don't drink diet drinks because I'm intolerant to aspartame, and they make me ill. I probably would drink diet drinks occasionally if they contained other artificial sweetners instead of aspartame, but they don't. So to answer your question, as long as you're adequately hydrated and what you're drinking isn't constantly putting you over your calorie goal or making you ill in some way, I really don't think it matters.
  • AlteredSkates
    AlteredSkates Posts: 123 Member
    Options
    It's to do with the fact that water hydrates you properly, increasing your metabolism and ensuring you burn more fat. Pepsi Max won't do that for you.

    EDIT: and as nikilis says YOUR TEETH WILL MELT INSIDE YOUR FACE

    I agree.

    According to H.H. Mitchell, Journal of Biological Chemistry 158, the brain and heart are composed of 73% water, and the lungs are about 83% water. The skin contains 64% water, and even the bones are watery: 31%. Water helps digest our food so it can provide us with energy, it helps to transport waste out of the body, and it is important in controlling body temperature.

    Considering this is how much water you are made up of, I think it's essential whether you are trying to lose weight or not.
  • yuliyax
    yuliyax Posts: 288
    Options
    Diet coke dehydrates because it is caffeinated. Also I've read that artificial sweeteners in diet coke disrupt hunger hormones, encouraging people to eat junk food, don't know/think it is true but why risk it?
    And water is super good for your skin complexion.
  • __Di__
    __Di__ Posts: 1,631 Member
    Options
    Obviously its lower in calories than full fat coca cola. But what about the diet alternatives?
    Will i really lose more weight if i drink my 8 glasses of water rather than say 3 cans of pepsi max?
    Has anyone eaten the same calories for 2 weeks but had only water the second week?
    I've been curious about this for a while, i want to step up my weight loss, ans was just wondering?
    I know all the books say WATER WATER WATER, but they've been wrong so many times.
    So guys? Any firsthand experience?
    Thanks :)
    I feel like a bit of a dumbass but still.

    I drink water because it quenches my thirst, not because it has anything to do with weightloss, only eating less does that.
  • lyttmab
    lyttmab Posts: 87 Member
    Options
    I think that if you drank 8 - 10 glasses of water a day for a week, you would honestly see a greater weight loss AT FIRST! In the beginning you lose "water-weight". If you haven't kept your body hydrated, it stores water. Once you get your body back to a healthy state, it eliminates the excess water, so yes, at first, you do lose a bit more. But then, it's essential that you keep it up. Water is a great detox that helps you wash out your system and eliminate all the "crap" that's been stored in there. Also, water is good for your skin, nails, hair, joints, etc...

    If you can, try to drink filtered water, if not, then drink what you have access to. Our tap water is filled with chlorine and other chemicals that it's good if we can drink something that doesn't have all of the additives. Also, if you want to add something for flavor, add lemon slices, orange slices, cucumber slices . . . all of that adds a punch of vitamins and the acid helps with the detox!

    If you absolutely have to have the diet-soda, then be sure to drink a glass off water afterwards. Also, if you drink a glass of water before each meal, if makes you feel fuller faster. I can't say enough good things about the water. I haven't even started on kidney and bladder function - but I won't, just know that you don't want anything to go wrong with those (I have, and it's not fun).

    Just try it for a week and see if your results are better . . . I think you might be pleasantly surprised. Let us know! Good luck . . .
  • MelissaHopeG
    MelissaHopeG Posts: 56 Member
    Options
    Diet soda's are some of the number one cancer causing foods out there - I would really try to cut them out if for nothing else but that. Good luck!
  • jennifershoo
    jennifershoo Posts: 3,198 Member
    Options
    Yak! Just another diet soda post disguised.
  • OrionG
    OrionG Posts: 32 Member
    Options
    Obviously its lower in calories than full fat coca cola. But what about the diet alternatives?
    Will i really lose more weight if i drink my 8 glasses of water rather than say 3 cans of pepsi max?
    Has anyone eaten the same calories for 2 weeks but had only water the second week?
    I've been curious about this for a while, i want to step up my weight loss, ans was just wondering?
    I know all the books say WATER WATER WATER, but they've been wrong so many times.
    So guys? Any firsthand experience?
    Thanks :)
    I feel like a bit of a dumbass but still.

    Warm water doesnt really help with the thermogenics side of things, but will keep you hyrdrated, which is very important. Drinking COLD water will help a smidgen, as the body will need to warm the water, which will take a few calories.

    I drink a minimum of 72oz of cold water a day.
  • ssami_89
    ssami_89 Posts: 79
    Options
    Diet soda's are some of the number one cancer causing foods out there - I would really try to cut them out if for nothing else but that. Good luck!

    That is true, I just stopped drinking diet soda after drinking it for.. ever since I drank soda! I knew all of the cancer topics about it and everything. When I decided to stop I had like 6 bottles in the fridge I drank all of them in 2 days after the two days I noticed my two front teeth turning gray at the gum line!! Now I have to go to the dentist. I always said aspertame is delicious but I would prefer my teeth please.
  • fit4lifeUcan2
    fit4lifeUcan2 Posts: 1,458 Member
    Options
    Water has Zero calories, hydrates you, keeps you feeling fuller long which in turn keeps you from over eating or eating when you're not really hungry but in fact just thirsty. All of this does help you lose weight. Diet sodas do not hydrate you. They do not make you feel full. They actually make you feel hungry and make you eat more. They are also very unhealthy for you.
  • LaurenAOK
    LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
    Options
    If you were to eat the same calories for two weeks, one week drink nothing but diet soda and one week drink only water, I suspect you'd lose a little more after the water week.

    Why? Literal water weight! The less water you drink, the more your body feels the need to retain fluids because it feels like it's not getting enough. But if you drink plenty of water, your body feels good enough to release that excess fluid, so you pee out an extra pound or two.

    I usually lose 1 lb/wk but the week I started drinking water like crazy I dropped 3lbs.

    So, calories wise, it doesn't make a difference. But hydration is important, and water is important. Drinking more water made a huge difference for me. I lost extra weight, I lose weight more consistently, my skin is brighter, and I feel more refreshed and energized during the day.

    I don't think there's anything wrong with diet soda here and there but don't forget the water too.
  • LaurenAOK
    LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
    Options
    Water has Zero calories, hydrates you, keeps you feeling fuller long which in turn keeps you from over eating or eating when you're not really hungry but in fact just thirsty. All of this does help you lose weight. Diet sodas do not hydrate you. They do not make you feel full. They actually make you feel hungry and make you eat more.

    Also, this! Part of the reason people say water helps you "lose weight" is because it can help suppress your appetite. Diet soda has the opposite effect.
  • JisatsuHoshi
    JisatsuHoshi Posts: 421 Member
    Options
    Pft... I drink plenty of diet sodas! (My secret... the ones with no caffine!) and have not had any issues of dehydration or any other issues. Some days a 16 oz bottle or a whole liter depending on how I feel.

    Of course I still drink water like crazy... Almost like 2 gallons a day crazy.
  • kendi0
    kendi0 Posts: 17 Member
    Options
    I don't know if drinking water really helps you lose weight or not, but for sure diet soda helps you gain it!
    No-calory sugar substitutes have the same insuline response that sugar, so drinking soda you will get hungrirer and you will store fat more quickly than drinking water.

Categories