Drinking 8 cups of water on this diet helps with what?

raven56706
raven56706 Posts: 918 Member
edited November 9 in Food and Nutrition
What does drinking all that water ultimately help with? Is it more with curbing your appetite so you don’t eat more or does it actually help with more internal stuff.

I’ve heard multiple things but what does it really do.. in your opinion or of actual fact
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Replies

  • Water helps flush fat and toxins from your body, really. It's also important to stay hydrated, because when you're thirsty, your metabolism runs slower. :)
  • iojoi
    iojoi Posts: 378 Member
    thirst can give the same pangs as hunger too
  • fang19423
    fang19423 Posts: 1,407 Member
    It certainly helps but have to say ... I find it very difficult to keep doing it :-(
  • MissVCI
    MissVCI Posts: 277 Member
    Me personally, I eat tons of fiber ( a low day for me is 20 grams), so I need to drink a lot of water so I don't get constipated (sorry if that was TMI)
  • lizard053
    lizard053 Posts: 2,344 Member
    Water helps flush fat and toxins from your body, really. It's also important to stay hydrated, because when you're thirsty, your metabolism runs slower. :)

    This, and...

    Water helps keep your system working properly. It keeps you hydrated. Thirst feels a lot like hunger, so keeping your thirst quenched will help you identify when you're truly hungry. It prevents bloating and helps flush out water weight.

    Water is truly the best diet drink out there. And if you drink it cold, it burns calories to absorb it.

    When I started drinking 100 ounces of water a day, with no other changes to my diet, I dropped 9 pounds.
  • loombeav
    loombeav Posts: 391 Member
    Taken from http://www.mangosteen-natural-remedies.com/benefits-of-drinking-water.html

    Top 11 Health Benefits of Drinking Water

    Benefits of Drinking Water

    Lose weight: Drinking water helps you lose weight because it flushes down the by-products of fat breakdown. Drinking water reduces hunger, it’s an effective appetite suppressant so you’ll eat less. Plus, water has zero calories.
    Natural Remedy for Headache: Helps to relieve headache and back pains due to dehydration. Although many reasons contribute to headache, dehydration is the common one.
    Look Younger with Healthier Skin: You’ll look younger when your skin is properly hydrated. Water helps to replenish skin tissues, moisturizes skin and increases skin elasticity.
    Better Productivity at Work: Your brain is mostly made up of water, thus drinking water helps you think better, be more alert and more concentrated.
    Better Exercise: Drinking water regulates your body temperature. That means you’ll feel more energetic when doing exercises. Water also helps to fuel your muscle.
    Helps in Digestion and Constipation: Drinking water raises your metabolism because it helps in digestion. Fiber and water goes hand in hand so that you can have your daily bowel movement.
    Less Cramps and Sprains: Proper hydration helps keep your joints and muscles lubricated, so you’ll less likely get cramps and sprains.
    Less Likely to Get Sick and Feel Healthy: Drinking plenty of water helps fight against flu and other ailments like kidney stones and heart attack. Water adds with lemon is used for ailments like respiratory disease, intestinal problems, rheumatism and arthritis etc. In another words one of the benefits of drinking water is that it can improve your immune system.
    Relieves Fatigue: Water is used by the body to help flush out toxins and waste products from the body. If your body lacks water, your heart, for instance, needs to work harder to pump out the oxygenated blood to all cells, so are the rest of the vital organs, your organs will be exhausted and so will you.
    Good Mood: Your body feels very good and that’s why you feel happy.
    Reduce the Risk of Cancer: Related to the digestive system, some studies show that drinking a healthy amount of water may reduce the risks of bladder cancer and colon cancer. Water dilutes the concentration of cancer-causing agents in the urine and shortens the time in which they are in contact with bladder lining.
  • mslack01
    mslack01 Posts: 823 Member
    Don't really know for sure, but I know water is supposed to be good for you and I never was much of a water drinker, so I figured it has to be better than what I was doing. Plus, I have heard that soft drinks have a lot of sodium which makes you retain water. I know the more of it I drink, the more I'm starting to want it. Just wish the urge to pee would lessen. :)
  • i would imagine the more water your drink the less soda you will drink. I wish I was one of those people that drank water. Propel is pretty much all I can stand.
  • piccolarj
    piccolarj Posts: 488 Member
    Water does not flush fat out of your body! Water helps to keep you hydrated and flushes excess sodium out of your system which can show up as weight gain on the scale. Your body performs better when it is nicely hydrated and who doesn't like a good performing body!!
  • btdublin
    btdublin Posts: 250 Member
    Hey Raven.

    I have been pondering this and a related matter.

    When you 'lose' weight, where does the weight go? It can only leave the body in a few ways - bodily functions (No. 1 and No. 2s) and sweat. However much you sweat during the day or during even an intense workout, that will not be alot. So most must be the former.

    So when you metabolise fat, from your body burning the energy stored in fat because of your calorie deficit, it is a chemical reaction with fat or glycogen reserves as the input. The output? Energy, heat and probably water and a few other chemicals (like an efficient combustion engine is water and CO2 or something) - it must be this water and chemical that leave the body. This goes through the body stream, is filtered by the kidneys and leaves the body through you urine.

    Is that right?

    Therefore, you need to keep water flushing through the body to efficiently wash out all whatever the byproduct of fat burning is.??

    Just something I have been pondering....

    [I did once study science to a high level but I can't remember what exactly happens - the fat must go somewhere! You can't just lose matter/energy - Laws of Thermodynamics!]
  • I can't imagine drinking 8 glasses or less of water a day. I drink about 10 liters of water a day ~ 40 glasses.

    I'm not sure it helps with me wanting to eat or anything. I do notice I sweat more while working out though. Flush those toxins!
  • mndamon
    mndamon Posts: 549 Member
    Because who wouldn't want to pee every 20 minutes? Honestly though once you get in the habit of it, water becomes an after thought, I just always have water with me all the time. Probably a gallon plus a day.
  • MsQt
    MsQt Posts: 793 Member
    (Short and Simple) It helps flush impurities and sodium from the body allowing your weight loss go full steam ahead!
  • malindab33
    malindab33 Posts: 8 Member
    I know it sounds crazy but I think water is My key to weight loss Not sure if it is the toxins or salt but I know it cleanses you and I know when I drink my water the weigh falls off! If I dont I have a hard time losing the pounds!
  • Water helps flush fat and toxins from your body, really. It's also important to stay hydrated, because when you're thirsty, your metabolism runs slower. :)

    ^^Yes, this... Gotta keep all that sodium in check too.

    If you are working out, you need to replace what you are sweating away.

    It can get hard at times. I mix it up. If I'm sick of water, I will add Stevia to it, or I will drink unsweetened teas.
  • loombeav
    loombeav Posts: 391 Member
    Water does not flush fat out of your body! Water helps to keep you hydrated and flushes excess sodium out of your system which can show up as weight gain on the scale. Your body performs better when it is nicely hydrated and who doesn't like a good performing body!!
    You're right it doesn't flush fat out, but it does help flush the byproducts of fat breakdown out of your system.
  • shell4short76
    shell4short76 Posts: 28 Member
    tumblr_lz4stoPNMk1rnygh0o1_500.jpg

    Finally after 6 tries. ha!
  • langababy
    langababy Posts: 43 Member
    My biochem professor in college always used to tell us that the best thing we could do for ourselves was to drink more water. She said that if you find yourself struggling to concentrate or are finding it difficult to do simple tasks, like easy mental math, then you might be dehydrated. And sure enough, when I'm well hydrated, my mind is less foggy, but when I'm dehydrated I can barely add without a pencil and paper.

    In short, I guess what I'm trying to say is that your body needs a lot of water to function normally, so why not give it that? And if it helps with your weight loss too, fantastic! :)
  • One thing I do is purchase the Benefiber flavored water packets. I put 2 into my 74oz jug and drink it on down. The fiber keeps you full but it can also keep you thirsty.
  • does tea count??? I struggle to drink one glass let alone 8!!! But tea.....now I can drink loads of that and it's decaf....it's liquid so it must count...surely!!
  • H_Factor
    H_Factor Posts: 1,722 Member
    when you drink enough water, your liver doesn't need to help out the kidneys to their job. when the liver doesn't have to help out the kidneys, it can focus on its primary job...which is digesting the food you eat. You know what happens when the liver is helping the kidneys instead of digesting the food you eat....you got it, that food is being stored as fat.

    there are many other wonderful benefits of water as folks have identified above.
  • tinalatina
    tinalatina Posts: 499 Member
    What does drinking all that water ultimately help with? Is it more with curbing your appetite so you don’t eat more or does it actually help with more internal stuff.

    I’ve heard multiple things but what does it really do.. in your opinion or of actual fact

    It is recommend that your drink as much as half of your body weight. Ie: If you weight 150 divided by 2 = 75 ounces of water. Water is not only a good way to help curb the appetite but....it is essential for your body to stay hydrated.

    Here is a helpful link on why its important to drink water.

    http://www.thedietchannel.com/Top-4-Benefits-of-Drinking-Water.htm
  • loombeav
    loombeav Posts: 391 Member
    does tea count??? I struggle to drink one glass let alone 8!!! But tea.....now I can drink loads of that and it's decaf....it's liquid so it must count...surely!!
    Decaf Tea does count, as do most water based drinks. Anything with caffeine in it should not, since caffeine is a diuretic.
  • Crimson21
    Crimson21 Posts: 148 Member
    It's also important to know that hunger is a side effect of dehydration. If you feel hungry, try drinking water first because it's one of the signs that your body is running low on water. I'm a Human Kinetics student and I study proper nutrition in depth, and what most people are saying on here is absolutely correct. It's extremely important to keep your cells hydrated so that your body functions work properly, it flushes out toxins, keeps sodium and potassium levels in balance, keeps your metabolism boosted and so forth. The more water you drink the better.
  • My1985Freckles
    My1985Freckles Posts: 1,039 Member
    Just wish the urge to pee would lessen. :)

    But think of all the extra bathroom running calories you're burning. :-)
  • HeatherTB2012
    HeatherTB2012 Posts: 22 Member
    I think it does help, but it's very, very challenging in my job (I'm a teacher) to drink enough - we're all chronically dehydrated because we can't get to a bathroom! Very frustrating :(
  • tumblr_lz4stoPNMk1rnygh0o1_500.jpg

    Finally after 6 tries. ha!

    I have heard that changing the "img" to uppercase "IMG" works. I'll try it here and we'll see...

    tumblr_lz4stoPNMk1rnygh0o1_500.jpg
  • mrpritchett
    mrpritchett Posts: 4 Member
    You think 8 cups is a lot? My wife and I drink a gallon (16 cups) a day, every day. Water, as others have said, helps to control eating (as many times our "hunger" is actually thirst) as well as increase endorphines, gives increased muscle growth ability (as it helps reduce lactic acid in the muscle from use), as well as helps flush toxins from your kidneys, liver, and bloodstream, and helps to promote general health (our body is around 70% percent water). Another strange fact that I found to be true for me (not sure if others can attest to this): I had to get up during the night to use the restroom, but after drinking a gallon of water per day, I now sleep through the night, as I have already purged myself during the day. This may also be affected by the carb cycling we are doing (low carb days I spend 50% of the day in the bathroom). Hope this helps.
  • Travelfixer
    Travelfixer Posts: 137 Member
    I've found on the few days I've come close to 8 glasses and I am taking a glass to be 8 oz, it's actually increased my energy, I used to drink red bull quite alot and a few days ago with the exercise and increased water I felt like I'd drunk 3 red bulls ! I was amazed, I've been starving my body of water for years
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