Drinking Water Really is the key to Weight Loss

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 right intensity, frequency and duration proper to 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 ponds than they would be if they drank enough water. If you can’t seem to get that weight off try drowning your sorrows in natures in nature’s natural 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 different answers. It has been defined 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 is the metabolism of fat. This is something 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 their work along with its own, lowering its total productivity. It then can’t metabolise fat as quickly or efficiently as it could when the kidneys are 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. Do you want to be a fat storer?

The problem is that, though many people decide to increase their water intake, very few stick with it. It’s understandable. During the first few days of drinking more water than you’re body is accustomed to, you’re running to the bathroom constantly. This can be very discouraging it can interfere with an otherwise normal day at work. It seems 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 holding onto your ankles, hips and thighs, maybe even around your belly. You are excreting much more than you realise. Your body figures it doesn’t need to save those stores anymore; it 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, 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 might 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 favours 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 altogether. 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 wonder 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 a re 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 2 quarts of water. This is ok for the average person, but if you’re overweight, you should drink another 8 ounces for every 25 pounds of 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 throughout the day. It’s nor 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, then sip in between. Don’t let yourself get thirsty. If you feel thirsty, you’re already becoming dehydrated. Drink when you’re not yet thirsty.

Do you think water is yukky? 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 hate water, try a flavoured water. Just make sure you read the labels. Remember 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 towards 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 with out even realising it. Do whatever suits you. 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 be the missing link.