Water intake and fat burning benefit?

nikolabird
nikolabird Posts: 52 Member
edited November 15 in Health and Weight Loss
How much water is everyone taking in??
I'm trying to drink between 2L and 3L a day. But find it hard going.
I've read it can help to increase metabolism and boost fat burning. Any one find this to be the case.
The only difference I've noticed is the constant need to pee!!

Replies

  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    I drink enough to keep me hydrated. I don't go by a certain amount. And the only way water will help you lose fat is if it keeps you from drinking calorie-loaded drinks that would eliminate your deficit.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    edited February 2017
    Keeping hydrated just keeps your body functioning optimally...it's healthy to be hydrated but has little to do with fat loss or boosting metabolism short of being dehydrated is going to have a detrimental effect on numerous bodily operations...I wouldn't say it boosts metabolism so much as being hydrated will help everything run the way it's supposed to run.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Drinking water doesn't increase your metabolism and it doesn't boost fat burning. Sorry.

    Water helps you stay hydrated. It helps if you might think you are hungry....but you are actually thirsty.

    I drink at least 2 liters a day......sometimes 3. Mostly unsweetened iced tea.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    Not based on science but just my logic: the body works better when its hydrated. So even if drinking water does not boost metabolism, burn fat - staying hydrated helps everything else go well.

  • annacole94
    annacole94 Posts: 994 Member
    Yes, being hydrated is good. No, you don't need to drink 3L a day to be hydrated. Drink what you're comfortable with. I don't drink much water, and I feel icky when I do try to pound 2-3 L in a day.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    It's summer here now and I've been drinking 3L of plain water, plus my usual 5 or so cups of tea and coffee (around 2+ extra Litres) everyday. The only difference between now and winter where i struggle to get in just 1L of plain water is I pee once every 30 minutes, and the water retention that i get in my lower legs disappears.

    People often say that tea and coffee counts as fluid, but in my experience it does not.
  • DietPrada
    DietPrada Posts: 1,171 Member
    I don't know how much water I drink. But all fluid counts, not just water. I drink when I'm thirsty - I figure animals are smart enough to drink when they need to, why should we be any different. I've experimented in the past with forcing down the suggested amount of water regardless of whether I'm thirsty or not and all it did was make me pee more. It did not have any impact on weightloss or how I felt.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Oops sorry, i didn't answer your question about fat burning/metabolism.

    I usually gain weight in winter and lose it again plus more in summer. Is it due to all the extra water i drink in summer? Naaah, it's a nice thought and it would be great if it were that simple. But it's simply because i eat more and move less when it's cold, the polar opposite happens in summer.

    My skin doesn't "glow" when i drink loads of water either :confused:
  • heyrayrae
    heyrayrae Posts: 1 Member
    Does anyone know if coffee/tea count towards your water intake? I've heard that it doesn't as it retains fluid in your body?
  • jennybearlv
    jennybearlv Posts: 1,519 Member
    I drink when I'm thirsty, never track it, and have lost 50 pounds just fine. If tracking large quantities of water makes you happy go for it, but it's not a requirement to lose weight.
  • DietPrada
    DietPrada Posts: 1,171 Member
    https://www.nutrition.org.uk/healthyliving/hydration/healthy-hydration-guide.html

    http://www.webmd.com/parenting/features/healthy-beverages#1 "Coffee and tea also count in your tally. Many used to believe that they were dehydrating, but that myth has been debunked. The diuretic effect does not offset hydration"
  • RunningMom1038
    RunningMom1038 Posts: 144 Member
    OP, drink to your thirst. Forcing water into your body won't make it burn fat any faster.

    As far as whether tea and coffee count as fluid or not, why would it not? The main ingredient is water. It remains H2O even when infused with tea leaves or coffee grounds.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    When i get my fluid from just tea and coffee (more tea than coffee) plus the milk i also add, i can feel the fluid build in my ankles and calves by early-mid afternoon. Whereas if i also drink plenty of plain water i can completely head off the fluid retention. So again, the only thing i count as water is actual plain water.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,342 Member
    I drink a LOT of water. I'm onto litre number 3 (it's 2pm), and I've also had a large black coffee and 4 cups of tea (2 green, 2 peppermint). I'll probably drink another 2 litres of water before I leave work, and another 2 at home.

    I honestly don't think it does anything for my metabolism, or for fat burning, it's just the amount I feel comfortable drinking. The best thing it does for fat-burning is add to my step total when I take the long way to the ladies room.
  • dgobbett
    dgobbett Posts: 53 Member
    While drinking water itself does not really increase your metabolism the temperature of said water can increase metabolism.

    https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article-lookup/doi/10.1210/jc.2003-030780

    Water-induced thermogenesis can occur when drinking water that is cold enough, your body needs to use energy to bring the temperature of the water back to body temperature and it can raise your caloric burn by sometimes 50 calories per day.

    I don't recommend relying on this, but unless someone can provide a counter study. Water (under the right conditions) does in fact increase energy expenditure.
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