Cold water

mdsjmom98
mdsjmom98 Posts: 333 Member
edited December 17 in Health and Weight Loss
Something I heard when I started on this journey is that drinking lots of COLD water. I heard that by drinking it really cold it helps burn extra calories. One day in a conversation with my sister, she claims she drinks "warm" water (yuck!!) I kind of blew it off because I knew as long as I was drinking water I would be ok. Then yesterday my brother (who is just a weirdo) posts something on facebook about the similar thing my sister had said. The article said that if you drink cold water during/after a meal, that it is bad for you. Anyone else ever heard this? If so, what are your thoughts on it? True or false??

Replies

  • MrsLehman24
    MrsLehman24 Posts: 204 Member
    idk the facts but I think drinking lots of water, cold or warm is good for you.
  • scotslass
    scotslass Posts: 317
    I have heard drinking cold water speeds up metabolism and drinking room temp water helps burn calories lol I drink cold water as it's what I prefer. As long as your well hydrated I don't think it really matters :-)
  • whutzup1
    whutzup1 Posts: 96 Member
    Great Topic! Wish I could help answer it and I am very curious to see what is posted, I personally cannot drink it ice cold- it kills my teeth (ouch) I drink it cool.:drinker:
  • delilah47
    delilah47 Posts: 1,658
    Quite some time ago, I heard that drinking cold water can burn a few extra calories. For me, if I drink lots of cold water, I get chilly. I mostly drink room temperature water; I can drink more, faster, than cold water.
  • MaryPhillips90
    MaryPhillips90 Posts: 236 Member
    I remember hearing something like this a LONG time ago, but from my own extensive research, I have not really found anything on warm water, but cold (ice) water does in fact help you burn calories. Your body has to work to get the water the same as your body temperature.
  • Wendysworld13
    Wendysworld13 Posts: 225 Member
    Your sister and weirdo brother are correct, but so are you. Room temperature water is better for you because it helps digest food better. A galss of water before meals helps you eat less and less quickly and helps your digestion start quicker whil a glass of warm water after meals does help speed things along and also helps some of the bad stuff move thru your inestines quicker therfore not being absorbed.
    However you are right in that drinking water - ANY WATER, is better for you. Just drink. In the long run, that is what matters.
  • mslynne25
    mslynne25 Posts: 10
    bump
  • brandillyn
    brandillyn Posts: 105 Member
    My husband said that if you drink lots of cold water, your body has to change it to the right temp. in order to digest it. So if will make you seem fuller longer. Hot water is the same thing but it doesn't take as long. But that's all I know.

    Hope it helps(:
  • MandyMarie01
    MandyMarie01 Posts: 448 Member
    i prefer room temperature water (not hot but not super cold either, just perfect) cold water tends to hurt my mouth (I'm weird I know lol) but I also drink more water that is slightly cold than if i were to drink it straight from the fridge.

    I have a brita waterbottle that i fill up with the cold tap water and i can drink it from there, but I like to put it in the door of the fridge for a little while and then i'll drink it and leave it sit out while i'm drinking it lol.

    call me weird.
  • maybethistime70
    maybethistime70 Posts: 65
    drinking cold liquids after a meal can harden the fats you have just eaten, making it harder to digest. drinking a cup of hot liquid after a meal is advised to help push any fatty foods through faster. otherwise, drinking cold water can burn a few more calories, but the other poster is right, water is good no matter what. these are my two cents. :)
  • lizard053
    lizard053 Posts: 2,344 Member
    Think of it this way. Water needs to be body temperature to be properly absorbed. The colder the water is, the harder your body has to work at absorbing it. You can burn up to 60kcal per 8 ounce glass of ice water you drink. I did the math in my blog for just warming up 1 8-ounce glass of water. 8 kcal (Calories as we count them!) just for warming it, never mind absorbing it!
  • 17ChargerGirl17
    17ChargerGirl17 Posts: 441
    I have read that cold water speeds up your metabolism. But I think that as long as you're drinking water like you should be, it's all good. I personally don't like my water cold.
  • Sweet_Potato
    Sweet_Potato Posts: 1,119 Member
    I heard that too, but I don't know how credible it is. My girlfriend says you shouldn't drink water at all (any temperature) during or after a meal, a claim that I'm also skeptical of. I do prefer my water slightly warm, but I say drink it whenever and at whatever temperature you like the best to ensure you drink enough of it.
  • jen88ve
    jen88ve Posts: 153
    I have heard drinking cold water speeds up metabolism and drinking room temp water helps burn calories lol I drink cold water as it's what I prefer. As long as your well hydrated I don't think it really matters :-)

    I've heard this too, I agree anything is better than nothing!!
  • TitanGM
    TitanGM Posts: 1,161 Member
    The case is not that cold water make you wonders, but yes it is said and confirmed that cold water HELPS increase metabolism. Increase of metabolism = more calories burned.
  • Dwamma
    Dwamma Posts: 289 Member
    I just googled it and found this informtion......

    http://www.healthtalkbuzz.com/2010/12/never-drink-cold-water-after-meal.html

    and this was was awesome to read

    http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/diet-fitness/weight-loss/question447.htm

    Hope this helps! I drink over a gallon of cold water every day! :) Happy chugging!
  • krypt5
    krypt5 Posts: 243 Member
    Lets do a little math shall we.

    1 calorie (Note the letter "c" is not capital) is needed to raise the temperature of 1g of water, 1 degrees Celsius
    Lets say you drank 500g of ice water. Assume the temperature of the water is 0 degrees Celsius.
    A good estimation of body temperature is 37 degrees Celcius

    500X37=18500 calories

    This unit with the small letter "c" does not represent the amount of energy contained in foods. That is actually the capital "C" or kilo-calories.

    Therefore,

    18500/1000=18.5 Calories

    In the grand scheme of things. Does it really matter?
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Something I heard when I started on this journey is that drinking lots of COLD water. I heard that by drinking it really cold it helps burn extra calories. One day in a conversation with my sister, she claims she drinks "warm" water (yuck!!) I kind of blew it off because I knew as long as I was drinking water I would be ok. Then yesterday my brother (who is just a weirdo) posts something on facebook about the similar thing my sister had said. The article said that if you drink cold water during/after a meal, that it is bad for you. Anyone else ever heard this? If so, what are your thoughts on it? True or false??

    Never saw anything about cold water and food in the stomach.

    But drinking cold water does cause the body to lose heat to it, so it must slightly raise metabolism to stay warm.
    Same reason being slightly chilled raises metabolism. So better to sleep cooler than warmer. Sadly out of winter now, so that cheap method is gone.

    Now - you can't raise the metabolism safely if it's already being suppressed below where it would like to be. That means to stay warm for instance, energy is applied to that effort, and less is available for other functions that the body would really like to be able to do.

    So this whole principle of raising metabolism only applies if your metabolism has the energy it needs for all normal functions anyway. In plain language, that means NETting above your BMR daily.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,029 Member
    The results of caloric burn from both are VERY MINOR, so drink water whichever way you prefer.


    A.C.E. Certified Personal & Group FitnessTrainer
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    Been in fitness for 28+ years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • mdsjmom98
    mdsjmom98 Posts: 333 Member
    The post that my brother put on said that it is bad enough for you (drinking cold water after a meal) that you can get cancer from it. Guess I'll stick with cold water during my "non-meal" times, and drink some warmer water after my meal. Thanks everyone for the overwhelming responses!!!
  • CarrieAnne22
    CarrieAnne22 Posts: 231 Member
    I'm no expert by any means, but this is what I've heard so feel free to take it for what it's worth:

    Drinking cold water expends more calories because your body works to warm it up. I prefer ice cold water, I'm completely addicted to ice, so this suits me just fine....the colder, the better :drinker:

    Drinking water during a meal, at any temp, is not recommended because it helps to break down the foods too much & doesn't allow your body to work at full cpacity to digest it. Your body expends calories in digestion and by drinking too much during your meal, you are cheating yourself from that added benefit, too. I don't actually follow this one much simply because I am a big drinker anyway (I typically average 15-25 cups of water a day) & like something to drink with my meal. I do, however, try not to drink quite as much as or as quickly with my meals. Sometimes I succeed. A lot of times, I don't.

    Considering it's just one little thing, I'd say that as long as you are drinking the appropriate amount of water per day, do what works for you. :flowerforyou:
  • hartzd
    hartzd Posts: 1
    I have heard that drinking cold water burns more calories because your body has to expend energy to heat your body back up to the right temperature. That being said, colder temps make your digestive system not work as efficiently, so drinking COLD water after meals is probably not a good idea. Cold water may not be a good idea for women either, as the colder temps could have a negative impact on how our girly bits are functioning...not that you need to know that, just an FYI for all you ladies out there :)
  • jenniejengin
    jenniejengin Posts: 784 Member
    Bump
  • Kehlly
    Kehlly Posts: 1
    I drink 4 cups of water in the morning, afternoon and at night and I weight even less the next day.
  • LovingLisa2012
    LovingLisa2012 Posts: 775 Member
    The post that my brother put on said that it is bad enough for you (drinking cold water after a meal) that you can get cancer from it. Guess I'll stick with cold water during my "non-meal" times, and drink some warmer water after my meal. Thanks everyone for the overwhelming responses!!!

    about the cancer thing .. cancer runs high in my family and from what the drs have said ..
    everyone is born with a cancer gene .. its just a matter of, did we get the activating gene even then, its a matter of luck, whether or not you get it ( grandma, grandpa, newphew and cousin all had cancer in my more recent family history)

    so some may get cancer, some may not .. water has nothing to do with it
    ---

    i prefer my water so cold, it has ice forming (or i wont drink it)
  • helpmelose2011
    helpmelose2011 Posts: 125 Member
    I've heard drinking cold water flushes you and lukewarm water re-hydrates you. This came from my doctor when I asked the same question. Havent read the other comments yet so sorry if this was already mentioned. :)
  • RosieWest8
    RosieWest8 Posts: 185 Member
    There is a show called Food Detectives, on Cooking Channel... the host is the same host from Chopped (Ted Allen). They sort of modeled it after Mythbusters but it's all to do with food. They did test it and found that it would burn more calories if you drank ice cold water (because your body has to heat it up to body temp. to use it) They did however state that it's really not that many calories so it's not that significant. The only negative thing I've heard about drinking cold water is that it can cause saturated fat in your food/digestive tract to solidify.....but I figure your body is warming everything up to 98.6-ish anyway.
    This would be if you deem Food Detective as a reliable source. =D

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeRrTVVuSaU
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