Can Drinking Water Really Help Me Lose Weight?

Water makes up roughly 60 percent of our bodies. It's very important to stay hydrated, regardless [...]

Water makes up roughly 60 percent of our bodies. It's very important to stay hydrated, regardless of your weight loss efforts. That's because our bodies count on water to digest food, carry waste out of our bodies and provide a place for our biochemical reactions to occur (like get our metabolism moving, build tissues, produce energy and more). The water in our bodies is also crucial to keeping our muscles lubricated, regulating body temperature (think sweat) and passing along signals for your body to move, eyes to blink, etc.

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So, can water help you to lose weight? Yes, there are several ways you can use water to aid your weight loss.

1. Use water as an appetite suppressant. Studies show that by drinking water before a meal, you feel more full. That will keep you from eating as much at meal time and therefore decrease your calorie intake. In a 12-week study conducted with obese participants, one group was asked to envision a full stomach before eating a meal. The other group was asked to drink 2-3 glasses of water before a meal. Water intake, diet and exercise were monitored for all participants and those who drank water before their meals lost on average 3 more pounds after 12 weeks than those who did not.

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2. Use water to swap out unhealthy drinks. If you swap out two cans of Coca Cola every day for water, you are saving yourself 1,960 calories per week, 7,840 calories a month and 23,520 calories in a year. Yearly, you would save yourself 6,552 grams of sugar, which is equivalent to roughly 14.5 pounds of sugar. Now think about if you swapped out every drink for water. No more sugary sodas, sports drinks or juices. Stop drinking your calories and start drinking water!

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3. Drink water at the gym. You probably have a bottle of something at the gym, but is it something filled with additives and sugars? By drinking water at the gym, you keep your muscles lubricated and prevent cramping. That allows you to work out more efficiently so you can have a better workout and burn more calories. After all, the best way to lose weight is to burn more calories then you take in.

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Don't love drinking water? These simple recipes can give your water a BIG flavor boost.

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