Drinking Water...how does it help?

Water does many things! Flushes your system. Aids in metabolism. Aids digestion. Keeps your feeling fuller. What you shouldnt do is mix water with salt or simple carbs, like sweets, sugars, sodas, pastries, bakery items, etc.

Salt (sodium) will bloat you. You'll retain water. Note that most foods already have sodium in them. Naturally! So, adding extra salt is pointless, IMO. Instead, get Mrs. Dash. Use that for a salt alternative.

Next, sugars and simple carbs. Bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad! And... wait for it... BAD! They do nothing for your body. No nutritional value. No metabolism support. Period! Plus, in the topic of water, they are water binding... causing further bloat and + on the scales. A few sweets in a week to calm the cravings is fine. Just don't make a habit of it.

As for gating water... do teas. Green tea. On-the-go Koolaid packets. Male your own lime aids. Fruit infused water. So many many ways to flavor water WITH 0-5 calories in a 32oz cup. 32oz of cold brewed Green Tea + 1 cherry To-go packet + 1 table ReaLime + ice... bam! I LOVE that. Dont like cherry? Chose your flavor packets. Lol

Hope this helps somewhat

Water is essential for metabolic processes. Infuse it with lemon. Tea is good, but several are diuretics.

Approximately 75% of your body is water. Making sure you are ingesting enough is the best way to insure that all of your systems are operating at their optimal level.

Drinking plain water is best, but if you really cannot stand it, any fluids will help. Just make sure you count any calories included and adjust for things like carbs that are in your beverages. I am partial to fizzy water I make myself with a SodaStream. I flavor it with a small amount of extract so I have no additional calories to count. Yes, you can count coffee, tea, milk, soda, etc. Even fruit contributes to water intake.

Think of it as kind of like the car oil of your body. It helps facilitate getting parts moving. That's a very simplified analogy. I just started drinking water more and it has improved not only my mood but energy level. I know the struggle as I've traditionally not drank much water myself. It doesn't taste great, it's a chore, you have to remember to have water wherever you go, and it's annoying having to pee all the time, especially with work. You really should be drinking 10-12 glasses minimum a day depending on gender, size, climate, activity etc. Do what I do. Plan for 16 oz every hour or so. Just down it. If you miss an hour oh well. Don't drink much more than that. You can't make up hydration by chugging 64 oz of water, needs to be a regular input.

You need to drink enough liquid (not necessarily plain water) to stay well hydrated. You'll be able to tell by your urine if you're adequately hydrated (it will be relatively clear or very pale yellow). Beyond that -- no, forcing yourself to drink more does nothing. And other than possibly adding some extra calories and caffeine, there is no harm in getting your fluid from tea, coffee, soda, etc. There's no reason to drink plain water if you don't like it.

Now some people believe water or other liquid helps them feel fuller, and that sometimes they think they're hungry when they're really just thirsty. I won't say those aren't true, because maybe for some people they are. I will say unequivocally that they are NOT true for me. I know when I'm hungry and I know when I'm thirsty and I don't get the two confused. And drinking fluid doesn't make me less hungry for food.