Water sucks

Well, I've only been back at this for a few days now... BUT... I found that a lot of time when my brain thinks I'm hungry, I'm really just dehydrated. So, by constantly hydrating myself, I'm not getting any of those snacking urges. Up until a few days ago, I also was a wine and diet soda junkie, but I was also constantly finding mysef in front of the cupboard asking myself what I wanted to eat... (and it was rarely a good choice). Maybe it's a mental thing, like a sugar pill or something, but I feel like the hydrating is stopping those false hunger sensations, and it's making it much easier to stay on track with my food.

I drink green tea now, and rarely drink water unless I am working out. I've noticed the green tea helps lose a lot more (probably because since I drink it I am now getting the recommended amount of water needed to flush my system where I wasn't before). It is my understanding that tea counts toward your water goal.

This all came from this site: http://www.weightlossforall.com/benefits-water-drinking.htm

Drinking water and losing weight!

"Drink 8 glasses of water each day" is what we hear all the time but what weight loss benefits do we get from drinking water?

All functions within the body require the presence of water. A well hydrated body enables these functions to occur quickly and efficiently. All chemical processes involve energy metabolism and drinking plenty of water will make us feel more energetic and boost our metabolic rate.

Water makes your metabolism burn calories 3% faster.

Drinking water is important if you're trying to lose weight, some studies have shown that thirst and hunger sensations are triggered together. If there is a slight dehydration the thirst mechanism may be mistaken for hunger and one may eat when the body is actually craving fluid. As most food contains some water, if one doesn't drink much they may be subconsciously driven to eat more to gain the necessary water supply however, you also gain the undesired effects of increased calorie consumption. Drinking more water can help to prevent overeating and benefit weight loss.

Importance of drinking water in the modern diet

So many new food product created today not only contain high amounts of energy from added sugar and fats, they also contain very little water. Foods today need to be stored for longer periods and foods with a high water content tend to spoil much faster, think about milk, yogurt, eggs, fruits and vegetables. It may be great to think that we can stock our cupboards full of all these tasty foods that last for months, trouble is, it means less water consumption from foods.

If a weight loss diet doesn't allow much food or if food consumption is mainly in the form of processed, TV dinners it may be necessary to drink even more water to help stop strong cravings for food.

The last few days I've been drinking more tea and (I know, I know, don't yell at me) a diet soda here and there.

It sounds like what you were doing was fine before. If you don't like water I don't see why you have to drink it? Wine is OK in moderation, tea is just water with leaves boiled in it, and diet soda is meh but if you like it, it's not a big deal.

I haven't seen a whole lot about water-only drinking outside of weight loss websites and women's magazines - which can sometimes offer unsubstantiated advice .

Here's a medical perspective on hydration: http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/healthy/food/general-nutrition/1013.html

It's pretty much drink-if-you're-thirsty type of advice. Other fluids are OK but moderate stuff that's high in sugar and caffeine.

The fluid retention is of concern if it doesn't go away. Typically it's not the result of overhydration or water; can be caused by hormones or sometimes medical problems. If you're still bloating after a while you might want to get that checked out.