6 Benefits of Drinking More Water For Weight Loss

Drinking more water is very important and has numerous benefits not only for weight loss but your well-being also. Water is one of the most important elements in our bodies; the human body contains 50-70 % water and is vital for most of the bodily functions.

Unfortunately, most of us don’t drink enough water on a daily basis, and if your focus is losing weight you’re overlooking an important factor.

By the time you feel thirsty your body is already dehydrated. Studies show that even at 1% dehydration there is a decrease in cognitive performance, negatively affects your attention, mood and motor coordination. ( 1 )

When trying to lose weight your water intake can play a huge role. It can help you by accelerating your weight loss; you burn more calories, flushes toxins out and helps you feel fuller.

1.Drinking More Water For Boosting Your Metabolism

Drinking more water will help you boost your metabolism and fat burning rate.

Studies show that drinking 500 ml (2.25 cups) can boost your metabolism by 30% after only 10 minutes of drinking it and is going to last for around 60 min. ( 2 )

Your body is going to consume more energy to digest the water than the water itself provides.

Drinking iced water might help burn some extra calories because the body has to warm the water up to body temperature before using it.

The research is contradictory, some saying it helps others that it doesn’t. Anyways I see no harm in drinking cooled water no matter what.

2. Stay Hydrated For Best Muscle Performance

When you are not properly hydrated your athletic performances can decrease significantly. Optimal hydration will prevent you from being more challenging and having reduced endurance and motivation.

When your dehydrated your blood loses water and becomes thicker. This makes it harder for the heart to pomp it properly to your muscles and other organs.

3. Drink Fewer Calories

When you drink water which is naturally zero calories, your calorie intake is going to be reduced.  This is because other drinks are often high in calories and have high sugar content.

If you can’t give up the sodas in favor of plain water try to replace them with infused water. If you miss the sparkles just use sparkling water. You can make your own sparkling water with a SodaStream machine. Infusing your water with fruits or vegetable will add flavor sometimes even a little bit of sweetness to it.

Drinking more water can prevent long-term weight gain. ( 4 )

If constantly feel hungry you might actually be suffering from mild dehydration.

4.Drinking More Water Helps Curbs the Appetite

Have you ever had a glass of water before eating or when you’re feeling hungry? It drinking water at least half an hour before your meal will help you feel more satisfied and eat less.

Water is an appetite suppressant and studies show that people who drink water before their meals lose 44% more weight than the ones that don’t drink water. ( 3 )

These results are mainly seen in middle-aged and older people, in the younger people the results were not as impressive.

Next time you feel like snacking just grab a glass of water instead.

5. More Water May Help You Eat Healthier

High water consumption may help you have healthier eating patterns than the individuals who drink other beverages. ( 5 )

These healthier patterns were seen manly in higher-educated people, and it makes sense. Educated people understand better what role the diet plays in their overall health and they are more likely to take better decisions.

6. Flushes Out Toxins

Increased water intake will help your kidneys to flush out the toxins and prevent urinary stones. Kidneys need water in order to function properly. If you don’t drink enough water your kidneys will not be able to eliminate toxins and waste from your blood.

Studies have shown that people who increased their water intake had a lower risk of reoccurring urinary stones and it reoccurs at longer time intervals compared with individuals that didn’t increase their water intake. ( 6 )

Water will also help you with regular bowel movements; if you don’t drink enough water will lead to constipation and bloating. Through the bowel movements, we eliminate toxins from our digestive system.

How Much Water Should You Drink?

We talked about the benefits of drinking water in the weight loss but what is the correct amount you need to drink?

The most recommended quantity is about 2 liters (eight, 8-oz glasses) per day, but actually, the water requirement varies from individual to individual.

The water intake depends on the actual size of the individual, if they exercise on a daily basis how much they sweat, age etc.

Keep in mind that you also get water from the food in your diet and anything else that you drink. Soups, meat, fruits, vegetables, coffee, tea, milk all contain water that will help with the liquid balance in your body.

According to the studies, you should drink 4-8 8oz glasses of water (1-2 liters) per day.

You should listen to your body and always drink water when you are thirsty.

While we always hear that we don’t drink enough water and that we need to increase the water intake we also need to be careful and make sure that we don’t drink too much water either.

Drinking extreme amounts of water in a short amount of time can cause hyponatremia (diluted sodium levels in your body) and in extreme cases even death.

Drinking more water can help you lose weight but if you want to lose a significant amount of weight you will have to do way more than drinking water.