How Drinking More Water Can Help You With Fat Loss
Water is an essential element which makes the human body function optimally and efficiently. Considering that an average adult’s body is made up of around 70% water, it should come as no surprise that we can survive for approximately 3 to 4 days without drinking water. Water is the main transporter of oxygen and nutrients to cells, takes away all the waste products and toxins and lubricates the digestive system, our joints and the cartilage surrounding them.
The generally recommended daily amount is around 14 cups a day for men and 11 cups a day for women. It’s important to note that the amount varies depending on your physical activity level, your body size and the overall environment you find yourself in.
Besides being the foundation for the proper functioning of all bodily processes and functions, it’s worth mentioning that water contains no calories, which makes it excellent for fat loss. In this article we present to you 5 reasons why you should drink more water to speed up the fat loss process:
1. It can make you feel full and help curb hunger
The area in your brain in charge of regulating thirst, the hypothalamus, also controls your appetite. When you are dehydrated, the body can receive mixed signals, leading you to believe that you’re hungry when you’re actually thirsty. Research has shown that drinking two eight-ounce glasses of water before each meal helps people lose more fat. So, the next time you’re feeling hungry, try drinking a glass of water first. Keeping yourself hydrated will help you eliminate fake food cravings.
2. It helps you become more focused
Besides the fact that it has no calories, sugar or caffeine, water transports oxygen to your brain in order to make sure that it functions optimally. Even a moderate dehydration can have a negative impact on the cognitive functions, your mood and make you less energized. All these effects can make you binge eat out of stress, eat junk food and eat more calories than you really need. So, the next time you feel a bit lethargic, drink a glass of cold water to bring back the energy levels back up.
3. It helps you get through your workout
Drinking plenty of water can help boost your metabolism, but water also helps with preventing muscle cramps, which allows you to train longer and harder. It’s worth noting that the water needs rise sharply post-workout. When you do long endurance-oriented workouts, drink water with electrolytes and carbs to maintain proper fluid balance and prevent exhaustion.
4. It helps you stay regular
Water plays a crucial role in keeping the digestive system functioning smoothly. Saliva has water and digestive enzymes in it to further break down the food you’ve already chewed into tiny pieces. Then it goes into the stomach, where it balances the acidic environment, thus preventing indigestion, ulcers, and heartburn.
If your diet has lots of fiber, you should be even more diligent when it comes to drinking water, since fiber greatly depends on it. The soluble fiber will absorb the water and transform into a gel-like matter which will slow down the speed with which food leaves your stomach, and insoluble fiber will trap and retain water which will add more bulk and moisture to the stool, preventing constipation.
5. It helps consume fewer calories
Consuming calories in a liquid form like sodas and juices don’t fill you up, and the high amount of sugar in them cause insulin spikes in your bloodstream which eventually lead to crashes. This is why drinking water instead of a beverage sweetened with sugar results in less fat gain in the long-term. If plain water doesn’t refresh you as much, drink sparkling water, or some lightly-flavored version with a low sugar content.
The generally recommended daily amount is around 14 cups a day for men and 11 cups a day for women. It’s important to note that the amount varies depending on your physical activity level, your body size and the overall environment you find yourself in.
Besides being the foundation for the proper functioning of all bodily processes and functions, it’s worth mentioning that water contains no calories, which makes it excellent for fat loss. In this article we present to you 5 reasons why you should drink more water to speed up the fat loss process:
1. It can make you feel full and help curb hunger
The area in your brain in charge of regulating thirst, the hypothalamus, also controls your appetite. When you are dehydrated, the body can receive mixed signals, leading you to believe that you’re hungry when you’re actually thirsty. Research has shown that drinking two eight-ounce glasses of water before each meal helps people lose more fat. So, the next time you’re feeling hungry, try drinking a glass of water first. Keeping yourself hydrated will help you eliminate fake food cravings.
2. It helps you become more focused
Besides the fact that it has no calories, sugar or caffeine, water transports oxygen to your brain in order to make sure that it functions optimally. Even a moderate dehydration can have a negative impact on the cognitive functions, your mood and make you less energized. All these effects can make you binge eat out of stress, eat junk food and eat more calories than you really need. So, the next time you feel a bit lethargic, drink a glass of cold water to bring back the energy levels back up.
3. It helps you get through your workout
Drinking plenty of water can help boost your metabolism, but water also helps with preventing muscle cramps, which allows you to train longer and harder. It’s worth noting that the water needs rise sharply post-workout. When you do long endurance-oriented workouts, drink water with electrolytes and carbs to maintain proper fluid balance and prevent exhaustion.
4. It helps you stay regular
Water plays a crucial role in keeping the digestive system functioning smoothly. Saliva has water and digestive enzymes in it to further break down the food you’ve already chewed into tiny pieces. Then it goes into the stomach, where it balances the acidic environment, thus preventing indigestion, ulcers, and heartburn.
If your diet has lots of fiber, you should be even more diligent when it comes to drinking water, since fiber greatly depends on it. The soluble fiber will absorb the water and transform into a gel-like matter which will slow down the speed with which food leaves your stomach, and insoluble fiber will trap and retain water which will add more bulk and moisture to the stool, preventing constipation.
5. It helps consume fewer calories
Consuming calories in a liquid form like sodas and juices don’t fill you up, and the high amount of sugar in them cause insulin spikes in your bloodstream which eventually lead to crashes. This is why drinking water instead of a beverage sweetened with sugar results in less fat gain in the long-term. If plain water doesn’t refresh you as much, drink sparkling water, or some lightly-flavored version with a low sugar content.
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