Does drinking a lot of water everyday help you lose weight?

Water has benefits such as keeping your body well hydrate and in turn helps your internal organs work at optimum performance which aids in weight loss. In addition, water flush/reduce high sodium which cause water retention. The amount needed varies from person to person due to factors such as exercise, climate, medication, weight, etc.

kelly39014 wrote: »

I heard drinking like 8 8 oz glasses of water can help you lose weight and flush out the system is this true? Does it help you not retain water or something?

No, water does not help you lose weight in of and itself. However, water helps keep you full and keeps you well hydrated.

drinking water keeps you hydrated. being hydrated helps your body work the way it's supposed to work, including your metabolism. other than that, water has no bearing on fat loss...any loss you would see on the scale from drinking more water would simply be retained fluids being flushed out...nothing to do with actual fat.

Drinking water is essential to life, but not necessarily to weight loss itself. The body still absorbs water from foods we consume.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Yes and No.

High water intake will cause the body to let go of bloat of heavy water retention either from not drinking enough or high sodium intake. It's kinda like a signal to your body saying "ok, well, we are in a place that has plentiful resources so it is no longer an advantage to stock pile all this extra fluid and associated weight of the fluid anymore."

Most anyone's body can hold more than just a couple lbs of water. Just 32 ounces of water weighs upwards of 2 lbs. If you are getting enough water and doing strenuous exercise then it wouldn't be a stretch to see your body fluctuate 5+ lbs in just a short time period.

The kicker is, this is just water weight and while it IS technically weight loss, it can come right back on as easily as it came off. This is usually the reason you see people on here say things like "I just started working out last week and I've already lost 7 lbs!!" ...that may be true and valid but they didn't lose the kind of weight they think they did.

More importantly what water can do is help you to feel more full and keep you hydrated. That way you are less inclined to be really hungry and eat more calories or most importantly DRINK more calories through things like soda and such.

Drinking water (and water only) helps you be healthier. The only weight lost would be if you switched from pop (or some other sodium-laden drink) and your body wasn't having to fight the excess sodium with it's own water...and you'd only drop a pound or two of water.

Water is good for you and worth drinking, for sure. If you switch to water, it is likely that you'll feel better.

The eight 8oz glasses isn't really necessary. Unless you have a physical or mental issue that blocks a normal thirst sensation, you can trust your thirst to guide you on how much to drink. Keep it available and drink when you feel like it.