My Thoughts on Water
One hotly contested issue among dieters is the effects sufficient amounts of water have on weight loss. The standard for several years has been that we should drink eight 8 oz glasses of water daily plus an additional 8 oz glass for each 25 pounds we are overweight. Others say you should divide your weight (in pounds) by two and drink that many ounces of water daily. Whichever method you subscribe to, in all likelyhood you aren’t getting enough water. I don’t claim to be an expert on water and dieting, but I would like to offer my opinions on the issue.
First of all, I think the eight 8 oz glasses of water a day tends to put everyone into a box. With that being said, I believe this is probably an appropriate amount for most people. However, if you weigh 95 pounds, this may be more than your body can handle. On the flip side, if you are a large person who is not overweight (7 ft. tall), then you likely need more than the eight glasses a day. This all seems to support the second methodology of dividing your weight in half to determine how much water to drink; however, I think there are exceptions to that too. For example, if you are a heavy sweater, like me, you will need more water to replenish your fluids, especially when exercising. I don’t think the typical excuses are good enough to reduce the amount of water you drink though. Just because you can’t drink it, doesn’t mean your body can’t benefit from it. Your inability to drink the water is probably somewhat attributed to your habits. Continue to drink more water and you will be able to drink more water.
Second, I don’t believe water technically flushes fat from your system. This doesn’t mean that I don’t believe water can play a role in weight loss. According to Inch-Aweigh.com, drinking the proper amount of water can play a role in your metabolism. This is because your metabolism is largely regulated by your liver, yet your liver sometimes has to pull double duty when your kidneys need help. Your kidneys need plenty of water to function properly, thus an inadequate amount of water in your diet causes your liver to divert its attention to kidney functions and reduces your metabolism. All that being said, simply drinking a sufficient amount of water can increase your body’s metabolism and increase your ability to lose weight.
Third, according to a six-year study of 20,000 people, drinking water is heart healthy. According to this study, drinking more than five glasses of water daily decreases your chances of a heart attack by more than 40% compared to those who only drink two glasses of water. This is really substantial. I assume this is because proper hydration thins your blood.
This is not to say that you can’t get too much water. There is such a thing as water intoxication. I recall hearing about a lady who drank too much water because of a bet on a radio morning show (Hold your wee for a Wii). Most scientist do not set an upper limit on water intake, but caution that in rare instances overdrinking can be hazardous.
One last thought to leave you with, since this blog is dedicated to healthy living/weight loss. It stands to reason that drinking cold water will help you lose more weight. Why, you ask? Before your body excretes water as sweat or urine, it heats it to your body temperature. Heating this water burns calories, more calories than it takes to heat warmer water. If you are interested in more details on this topic, see The Cold Water Diet.
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