Water before meals aiding weight -loss!

WildFlower7
WildFlower7 Posts: 714 Member
edited September 2024 in Food and Nutrition
By ANAHAD O’CONNOR
Published: November 15, 2010

Dieters have been encouraged to employ this trick for ages, with the reasoning quite simple: the water fills the stomach, thus reducing hunger. But only in recent years have studies borne this out.

In the most recent, a randomized trial published in the journal Obesity in February, scientists at Virginia Tech followed a group of overweight subjects age 55 and up on low-calorie diets for about three months. Half the people were told to drink two cups of water before every meal. At the end of the study, the water group had lost an average of 15.5 pounds, compared with 11 pounds in the other group.

A 2008 study showed a similar effect, finding a 13 percent reduction in calorie intake in overweight subjects who consumed water before breakfast. But a third study, this one in 2007, had a peculiar finding: drinking water 30 minutes before a meal reduced calorie intake and feelings of hunger in older adults, but had little effect on subjects under 35. It’s not clear why, but the researchers pointed out that because older adults are at increased risk of being overweight and obese, further studies should determine whether this is effective for the aging population.

Studies show the average person gains about a pound between Thanksgiving and January. Most adults gain one to two pounds a year over a lifetime, so staving off the holiday pound can go a long way.

THE BOTTOM LINE Drinking water before a meal can reduce calorie intake, though the effect seems most prominent in older people. ANAHAD O’CONNOR scitimes@nytimes.com

Replies

  • mamagooskie
    mamagooskie Posts: 2,964 Member
    I always drink water before every meal!!
  • sblowes
    sblowes Posts: 66 Member
    I always drink water as cold as I can get it, since my body has to expend MORE energy, just to heat it up! It's not much, but every little helps.
  • lt3ag4s
    lt3ag4s Posts: 835 Member
    Back in my skinnier days, I developed the habit of not drinking at all while I was eating. My motivation was to get the most for my money. I need to work on drinking more then just coffee.
  • amysj303
    amysj303 Posts: 5,086 Member
    Even better if you add fiber, like metamucil, to the water, the fiber helps you to feel full, aids digestion, and some evidence suggests that it absorbs some of the fat so your intestines don't, that is why it's especially important for cholesteral. I used to drink a fiber drink before bed, but now I do it before dinner!
  • mamagooskie
    mamagooskie Posts: 2,964 Member
    Even better if you add fiber, like metamucil, to the water, the fiber helps you to feel full, aids digestion, and some evidence suggests that it absorbs some of the fat so your intestines don't, that is why it's especially important for cholesteral. I used to drink a fiber drink before bed, but now I do it before dinner!

    Interesting....I might have to try that!!
This discussion has been closed.

Categories