WATER!!!

REDSOXGIRL13
REDSOXGIRL13 Posts: 94
edited September 19 in Health and Weight Loss
I just read this article and thought it was a good summary of why WATER is so important :drinker: Drink up!

:drinker: Why Drinking Water Really is the Key to Weight Loss:drinker:
by Maia Appleby
Don't roll your eyes! The potion for losing that excess body fat is all around you. It covers two thirds of the planet. If you eat right and exercise at the intensity, frequency and duration proper for you, but still can't get rid of a little paunch here and there, you're probably just not drinking enough water.

No need to get defensive. You're actually quite normal. Most people don't drink enough water. Most people are also carrying around a few more pounds than they would be if they did drink enough water. If you can't seem to get that weight off, try drowning your sorrows in nature's magical weight-loss mineral. It works, and here's why:

"What on Earth is 'metabolism', anyway?" People use the term all the time, but ask them what it means and you'll get all kinds of answers. Merriam Webster defines it as, "The process by which a substance is handled in the body." A little vague, but that's really all it means.

There are many forms of metabolism going on in your body right now, but the one everyone is talking about it the metabolism of fat. This is actually something that the liver does when it converts stored fat to energy. The liver has other functions, but this is one of its main jobs.

Unfortunately, another of the liver's duties is to pick up the slack for the kidneys, which need plenty of water to work properly. If the kidneys are water-deprived, the liver has to do their work along with its own, lowering its total productivity. It then can't metabolize fat as quickly or efficiently as it could when the kidneys were pulling their own weight. If you allow this to happen, not only are you being unfair to your liver, but you're also setting yourself up to store fat.

"I've tried it and I couldn't stand it!" The problem is that, though many decide to increase their water intake, very few stick with it. It's understandable. During the first few days of drinking more water than your body is accustomed to, you're running to the bathroom constantly. This can be very discouraging, and it can certainly interfere with an otherwise normal day at work. It seems that the water is coming out just as fast as it's going in, and many people decide that their new hydration habit is fruitless.

Do take heed , though. What is really happening is that your body is flushing itself of the water it has been storing throughout all those years of "survival mode". It takes a while, but this is a beautiful thing happening to you. As you continue to give your body all the water it could ask for, it gets rid of what it doesn't need. It gets rid of the water it was holding onto in your ankles and your hips and thighs, maybe even around your belly. You are excreting much more than you realize. Your body figures it doesn't need to save these stores anymore; it's trusting that the water will keep coming, and if it does, eventually, the flushing (of both the body and the potty) will cease, allowing the human to return to a normal life. It's true. This is called the "breakthrough point."

One recent finding, as irresponsible as it may be, that caffeine increases the body's fat-burning potential has many people loading up on coffee before going to the gym. This finding may hold some degree of truth in it, but caffeine is, in essence, a diuretic, and diuretics dehydrate. Caffeine may increase the heart rate, causing a few more calories to be burned, but this is at the expense of the muscles, which need water to function properly. This isn't doing your heart any favors, either. It's already working hard enough during your workout. Never mix caffeine and exercise. In fact, your best bet is to stay away from caffeine all together. It's a big bully that pushes your friend water out of your system.

Water is the best beauty treatment. You've heard this since high school, and it's true. Water will do wonders for your looks! It flushes out impurities in your skin, leaving you with a clear, glowing complexion. It also makes your skin look younger. Skin that is becoming saggy, either due to aging or weight loss, plumps up very nicely when the skin cells are hydrated.

In addition, it improves muscle tone. You can lift weights until you're blue in the face, but if your muscles are suffering from a drought, you won't notice a pleasant difference in your appearance. Muscles that have all the water they need contract more easily, making your workout more effective, and you'll look much nicer than if you had flabby muscles under sagging skin.

"Eight glasses a day? Are you kidding?!" It's really not that much. Eight 8-ounce glasses amount to about two quarts of water. This is okay for the average person, but if you're overweight, you should drink another eight ounces for every 25 pounds of excess weight you carry. You should also up this if you live in a hot climate or exercise very intensely.

This water consumption should be spread out throughout the day. It's not healthy at all to drink too much water at one time. Try to pick three or four times a day when you can have a big glass of water, and then sip in between. Don't let yourself get thirsty. If you feel thirsty, you're already becoming dehydrated. Drink when you're not thirsty yet.

Do you think water is yucky? Drinking other fluids will certainly help hydrate your body, but the extra calories, sugar, additives and whatever else aren't what you need. Try a slice of lemon or lime in the glass, or if you really think you hate water, try a flavored water. Just make sure you read the labels. Remember that you're going to be consuming a lot of this fluid.

It's probably a good idea to stop drinking water a good three hours before you go to bed. You know why.

"How cold should it be?" This is debatable. Most experts lean toward cold water, because the stomach absorbs it more quickly. There is also some evidence that cold water might enhance fat burning.
On the other hand, warmer water is easier to drink in large quantities, and you might drink more of it without even realizing it. Do whatever suits you, here. Just drink it!

When you drink all the water you need, you will very quickly notice a decrease in your appetite, possibly even on the first day! If you're serious about becoming leaner and healthier, drinking water is an absolute must. If you're doing everything else right and still not seeing results, this might just be what's missing.

Link: http://www.inch-aweigh.com/water.html
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Replies

  • I just read this article and thought it was a good summary of why WATER is so important :drinker: Drink up!

    :drinker: Why Drinking Water Really is the Key to Weight Loss:drinker:
    by Maia Appleby
    Don't roll your eyes! The potion for losing that excess body fat is all around you. It covers two thirds of the planet. If you eat right and exercise at the intensity, frequency and duration proper for you, but still can't get rid of a little paunch here and there, you're probably just not drinking enough water.

    No need to get defensive. You're actually quite normal. Most people don't drink enough water. Most people are also carrying around a few more pounds than they would be if they did drink enough water. If you can't seem to get that weight off, try drowning your sorrows in nature's magical weight-loss mineral. It works, and here's why:

    "What on Earth is 'metabolism', anyway?" People use the term all the time, but ask them what it means and you'll get all kinds of answers. Merriam Webster defines it as, "The process by which a substance is handled in the body." A little vague, but that's really all it means.

    There are many forms of metabolism going on in your body right now, but the one everyone is talking about it the metabolism of fat. This is actually something that the liver does when it converts stored fat to energy. The liver has other functions, but this is one of its main jobs.

    Unfortunately, another of the liver's duties is to pick up the slack for the kidneys, which need plenty of water to work properly. If the kidneys are water-deprived, the liver has to do their work along with its own, lowering its total productivity. It then can't metabolize fat as quickly or efficiently as it could when the kidneys were pulling their own weight. If you allow this to happen, not only are you being unfair to your liver, but you're also setting yourself up to store fat.

    "I've tried it and I couldn't stand it!" The problem is that, though many decide to increase their water intake, very few stick with it. It's understandable. During the first few days of drinking more water than your body is accustomed to, you're running to the bathroom constantly. This can be very discouraging, and it can certainly interfere with an otherwise normal day at work. It seems that the water is coming out just as fast as it's going in, and many people decide that their new hydration habit is fruitless.

    Do take heed , though. What is really happening is that your body is flushing itself of the water it has been storing throughout all those years of "survival mode". It takes a while, but this is a beautiful thing happening to you. As you continue to give your body all the water it could ask for, it gets rid of what it doesn't need. It gets rid of the water it was holding onto in your ankles and your hips and thighs, maybe even around your belly. You are excreting much more than you realize. Your body figures it doesn't need to save these stores anymore; it's trusting that the water will keep coming, and if it does, eventually, the flushing (of both the body and the potty) will cease, allowing the human to return to a normal life. It's true. This is called the "breakthrough point."

    One recent finding, as irresponsible as it may be, that caffeine increases the body's fat-burning potential has many people loading up on coffee before going to the gym. This finding may hold some degree of truth in it, but caffeine is, in essence, a diuretic, and diuretics dehydrate. Caffeine may increase the heart rate, causing a few more calories to be burned, but this is at the expense of the muscles, which need water to function properly. This isn't doing your heart any favors, either. It's already working hard enough during your workout. Never mix caffeine and exercise. In fact, your best bet is to stay away from caffeine all together. It's a big bully that pushes your friend water out of your system.

    Water is the best beauty treatment. You've heard this since high school, and it's true. Water will do wonders for your looks! It flushes out impurities in your skin, leaving you with a clear, glowing complexion. It also makes your skin look younger. Skin that is becoming saggy, either due to aging or weight loss, plumps up very nicely when the skin cells are hydrated.

    In addition, it improves muscle tone. You can lift weights until you're blue in the face, but if your muscles are suffering from a drought, you won't notice a pleasant difference in your appearance. Muscles that have all the water they need contract more easily, making your workout more effective, and you'll look much nicer than if you had flabby muscles under sagging skin.

    "Eight glasses a day? Are you kidding?!" It's really not that much. Eight 8-ounce glasses amount to about two quarts of water. This is okay for the average person, but if you're overweight, you should drink another eight ounces for every 25 pounds of excess weight you carry. You should also up this if you live in a hot climate or exercise very intensely.

    This water consumption should be spread out throughout the day. It's not healthy at all to drink too much water at one time. Try to pick three or four times a day when you can have a big glass of water, and then sip in between. Don't let yourself get thirsty. If you feel thirsty, you're already becoming dehydrated. Drink when you're not thirsty yet.

    Do you think water is yucky? Drinking other fluids will certainly help hydrate your body, but the extra calories, sugar, additives and whatever else aren't what you need. Try a slice of lemon or lime in the glass, or if you really think you hate water, try a flavored water. Just make sure you read the labels. Remember that you're going to be consuming a lot of this fluid.

    It's probably a good idea to stop drinking water a good three hours before you go to bed. You know why.

    "How cold should it be?" This is debatable. Most experts lean toward cold water, because the stomach absorbs it more quickly. There is also some evidence that cold water might enhance fat burning.
    On the other hand, warmer water is easier to drink in large quantities, and you might drink more of it without even realizing it. Do whatever suits you, here. Just drink it!

    When you drink all the water you need, you will very quickly notice a decrease in your appetite, possibly even on the first day! If you're serious about becoming leaner and healthier, drinking water is an absolute must. If you're doing everything else right and still not seeing results, this might just be what's missing.

    Link: http://www.inch-aweigh.com/water.html
  • TamTastic
    TamTastic Posts: 19,224 Member
    Great article! Thanks!

    I drink a ton of water and have made it as much of a priority in my healthy lifestyle as my diet and exercise.

    I rarely drink anything else! :flowerforyou:
  • kimss
    kimss Posts: 1,146
    me too... i liked this article... i want my hubby to read it. thanks :happy:
  • You probably just saved my diet!!:flowerforyou: I drink water all day but no where near what I need by that!:huh: Who knew!!
  • AwMyLoLo
    AwMyLoLo Posts: 1,571 Member
    I :heart: water!
  • Cariñosita
    Cariñosita Posts: 184 Member
    I LOVE water, too!! Great article. Thanks for sharing.
  • sarabear
    sarabear Posts: 864
    bump to read later!
  • sunny2
    sunny2 Posts: 8
    :drinker:
    I just joined today, and this post is awesome. I have had a hard time drinking water, but I use a lemon additive or lemons to keep it down and I am trying to drink it all day and stay off the STARBUCKS, but its hard, however, the caffeine part of the article makes a whole lot of sense. I stopped taking dietary supplements with caffeine in them, but forgot about my latte's. OOOPS.
  • :happy: ~ WOW!! What a great article! I know how corny this sounds, but I swear this article was written for me b/c I have been working my tail off in the gym/dieting (w/o all of the results I am wanting) and have not been drinking my required amount of water each day! I am DEFINITELY going to do better.....no doubt! Thanks so very much for sharing!

    ~Brandy
  • mommared53
    mommared53 Posts: 9,543 Member
    Thanks for the article. I recently bought a 64 ounce water bottle to drink my water at work. When I first started my lifestyle change, I rarely drank water because I didn't like it. Then I drank water with the flavoring added. Now, I've graduated to plain water. I've come a long way baby. :bigsmile:
  • stratdl
    stratdl Posts: 303 Member
    Great article!!!

    I used to HATE drinking water because I hated having to run to the bathroom every 5 minutes (it seemed).

    At Christmas-time, one of my co-workers gave everyone M&Ms cookie mix in a nice plastic bottle (32-ounces). I made the cookies and the bottle sat around in a cabinet for a while. When I joined the website, I pulled it out and started filling it with water (and an iced tea drink mix to start with). Now I don't ever want to go anywhere without it! I always drink at least two a day (sometimes even more). I have been losing numbers on the scale much easier than I ever had before (sans water), so I completely agree with the idea that water helps in weight loss (and now I know why!).

    I told my co-worker just yesterday "thanks for the water bottle"! She gave me a funny look and said "you're welcome" but I could tell she thought I was weird. That's okay with me--I'm feeling pretty darned healthy and happy! :bigsmile:
  • lreilly16
    lreilly16 Posts: 26 Member
    Great Article!! Thanks for sharing :drinker:
  • MTGirl
    MTGirl Posts: 1,490 Member
    That was a great article - thank you for posting it! :drinker:
  • TamTastic
    TamTastic Posts: 19,224 Member
    I've been trying to get people to drink water for a long time! I always include it in what I did to get the weight off. I honestly think it helped and it minimized any "monthly bloat" too!! :wink:
  • Mom_To_5
    Mom_To_5 Posts: 646 Member
    Great article!!

    I drink 5 500 ml bottles a day!!!!
  • weaverc
    weaverc Posts: 158
    Great information! Thanks for sharing.
  • JJs25th
    JJs25th Posts: 204 Member
    This is great info -- shame water isn't one of the items we can track our progress on under the Nutrition reports for those of us that could use the improvement -- like me...
  • Aeilm
    Aeilm Posts: 92
    Great article. I also want my hubby to read. I've been on him about drinking more water. Thanks for posting!
  • Glad everyone liked it... I thought it was helpful :drinker:
  • Astrogirl
    Astrogirl Posts: 18
    I hate water but after reading this I'm going to try hard to like it - thanks!
  • dimplzz
    dimplzz Posts: 456 Member
    I have learned to like water and it is pretty much all I drink. (milk is the other) I am still having a hard time getting all the water in.

    I find that most of the time when I do get it all in, I tend to drink 20-30 ounces during the day and then 40 ounces in my 60-80 minute workout.

    Thanks for posting this!
  • Amy_B
    Amy_B Posts: 2,317 Member
    Great article! Thanks!

    I drink a ton of water and have made it as much of a priority in my healthy lifestyle as my diet and exercise.

    I rarely drink anything else! :flowerforyou:
    Ditto! I drink at least 96oz/day but always aim for a gallon.
  • I discovered that if I stick lemon slices in my water, I enjoy it more and drink it without having to think about it. Otherwise, I'm one of those people who really only wants water if I'm hot! (and I live in Northern Michigan, so it's not hot very often!)
  • AwMyLoLo
    AwMyLoLo Posts: 1,571 Member
    I have a question. I drink about umm... A LOT of water every day. Can't even count how much, but I keep a huge cup on my desk at work am constantly refilling it. I drink usually 2 16.9 oz bottles from the time I leave work til the time I get home, then continue to drink through the evening. Kind of a personal question but, my urine is still not completely colorless. I just don't see how that could be? :indifferent:
  • stephiepoo
    stephiepoo Posts: 81
    Wow I must be over-dehydrated then. :frown:
  • :heart: Bump
  • etandit
    etandit Posts: 35
    Thank you, i intend to read this often as this is a MAJOR problem for me. This helps!


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    Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Easy Calorie Counting:flowerforyou:
  • curvykatie
    curvykatie Posts: 870 Member
    wow that was really helpful! i just made myself a chart today so i could measure my water intake.
    looking at today ive had 2 glasses :noway: i really need to drink more, and now i know why, thanks for posting the article
  • nurse7641
    nurse7641 Posts: 23
    As bad as I hate it, I have started drinking bottled water daily. I try to get in at least 4 bottles...which is equivilant to my 64 oz. So far, I am doing well!!!!!

    I have always drank Mt Dew and/or Starbucks Fraps. It has been 7 days since I have had a Mt Dew and 4 days since my last Frapp.

    200963.png
    Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Calorie Counter
  • MrRon
    MrRon Posts: 7
    :drinker: Great message. I drink no less than 10 to 12 glasses of water per day. Really has helped in improving my health and moving ahead with my weight lost goal.!!!!!!!!!

    :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker:
This discussion has been closed.