My Frenemy... Water!

Uggggghhh!!! I soooooooo loathe drinking water. I'm sure I'm not alone in this. Give me the sugary goodness of a good soda or a refreshing juice... but water? Thanks, but no thanks! This was my thoughts on water up until a few hours ago when I read this article on water and how beneficial it is to weight loss. I'm sure that many of you are already privy to it's wonderful benefits to your health and some of you down right love drinking it, so you're probably already aware of how great it works with your body. I've been a life long dieter and I've always heard/read about it's benefits to losing weight. For some reason, this time around, reading this article, it finally sunk in. Check out the article below, and leave some thoughts on how you feel about water.

A Few Things People Don't Know About Water

As incredible as it may seem, water is quite possible the single most important catalyst in losing weight and keeping it off. Although most of us take it for granted, water may be the only true "magic potion" for permanent weight loss.
Water suppresses the appetite naturally and helps the body metabolize stored fat. Studies have shown that a decrease in the water intake will cause fat deposits to increase, while an increase in water intake can actually reduce fat deposits.
Here's why: The kidneys can't function properly without enough water. When they don't work to capacity, some of their load is dumped onto the liver. One of the liver's primary functions is to metabolize stored fat into usable energy for
the body. But, if the liver has to do some of the kidney's work, it can't operate at full throttle. As a result, it metabolizes less fat, and more fat remains stored in the body and weight loss stops.
Drinking enough water is the best treatment for fluid retention. When the body gets less water, it perceives this as a threat to survival and begins to hold on to every drop. Water is stored in extracellular spaces (outside the cells). This shows up as swollen feet, legs and hands. Diuretics offer a temporary solution at best. They force out stored water along with some essential nutrients. Again, the body perceives a threat and will replace the lost water at the first opportunity. Thus, the condition quickly returns. The best way to overcome the problem of water retention is to give your body what it needs....plenty of water. Only then will stored water be released.
If you have a constant problem with water retention, excess salt may be to blame. Your body will tolerate sodium only in a certain concentration. The more salt you eat, the more water your system retains to dilute it. But getting rid of unneeded salt is easy......just drink more water. As it's forced through the kidneys, it takes away excess sodium. For those of us who are more overweight than most, we need more water than the average person. Obviously bigger people have a larger metabolic loads. Since we know that water is the key to fat metabolism, it follows that the overweight person needs more water.
Water helps to maintain proper muscle tone by giving muscles their natural ability to contract and by preventing dehydration. It also helps to prevent the sagging skin that usually follows weight loss...shrinking cells are buoyed by water which plumps the skin which in turn will make it clear, healthy and resilient.
Water helps rid the body of waste, during weight loss the body has a lot more waste to get rid of....all that metabolized fat must be shed. Again, adequate water helps flush out the waste.
Water can help relieve constipation. When the body gets too little water, it siphons what it needs from internal sources. The colon is one primary source. Result- constipation. But, when a person drinks enough water , normal bowel function usually returns.
So far, we've discovered some remarkable truths about water and weight loss:
-The body will not function properly without enough water and can't metabolize stored fat efficiently.
-Retained water shows up as excess weight.
-To get rid of excess water you must drink more water.
-Drinking water is essential to weight loss.
How much water is enough? Of course we all know the standard of at least eight 8 oz. glasses of water a day which is about 2 quarts . However, the overweight person needs one additional glass for every 25 pounds of excess weight. The amount you drink also should be increased if you exercise briskly or if the weather is hot and dry. Preferably, water should be consumed cold because it allows for it to be absorbed into the system faster than if you drank warm water. And some evidence suggests that drinking cold water can actually help burn calories.
To utilize water most efficiently during weight loss, follow this schedule:
-Morning --1 quart consumed over a 30min. period.
-Noon-- 1 quart consumed over a 30min. period.
-Evening--1 quart consumed over a 30min. period.
When the body gets the water it needs to function optimally, it's fluids are perfectly
balanced. When this happens you have reached the "breakthrough point".
What does this mean?
-Endocrine-glad function improves.
-Fluid retention is alleviated as stored water is lost.
-More fat is used as fuel because the liver is free to metabolize stored fat.
-Natural thirst returns.
-There is a loss of hunger almost overnight.
If you stop drinking the recommended amount of water, your body fluids will be thrown off balance again and you may experience fluid retention, unexplained weight gain and loss of thirst. To remedy the situation you'll have to go back and force another "breakthrough".