Is it good to drink water while losing weight? How much liquid does a person need? Drinking regime normalization rules and schedule. Which water to choose?
How to drink water for weight loss is the first question that anyone who wants to normalize weight should ask himself. After all, even knowing about the undeniable benefits of clean water, many people prefer to drink coffee, tea or juices. Having established a drinking regimen, you will take an important step towards slimness and lightness. A sufficient amount of fluid in the body helps to normalize metabolism, detoxify, and improve mood. As with any health issue, slimming water should only be used after a thorough study of the issue.
Why does water help you lose weight?
Drinking water for weight loss is not just possible, but necessary. How much and what kind of fluid do you drink are the key questions a professional nutritionist will ask when meeting. After all, a person is 70% water, and dehydration (its deficiency) leads to impaired functionality of the body. And this is manifested not only by poor test results, even with small deviations, a person feels quite uncomfortable signs - dry mouth, general weakness. With a decrease in the water content in the body by 10% or more, a deterioration in the functionality of individual organs occurs, since cell death begins, water-electrolyte metabolism is disrupted.
The importance of the correct water-salt balance for those who decided to normalize their weight is even higher. An insufficient amount of fluid not only significantly impairs well-being, but also leads to a slowdown in metabolism and the accumulation of excess in the body. By the way, its delay also indicates deviations from the normal functioning of the body and contributes to high indicators on the arrows of the scales.
Reviews about water for weight loss speak of the effectiveness of controlling water consumption. But for skeptics, individual impressions alone are not enough. The facts should speak in favor of the methodology. And these facts become visible if we analyze the main functions of water for the body:
- In its pure form, it is a universal solvent for nutrients, that is, by controlling the quality of consumed products and the amount of liquid, one can be sure of the complete assimilation of the supplied elements. For example, water with lemon for weight loss is not only a means of fighting thirst, but also activating the body and stimulating the immune system with vitamin C.
- Water performs key tasks in digestion. Having enough fluid can increase your metabolic rate, while controlling the amount of food you eat can create a calorie deficit and lose weight.
- This is an important element of the transport system: a normal water-salt balance allows the supply of nutrients to the cells, thereby supporting their functioning. For people with weight control, it is imperative that all foods consumed are absorbed for maximum benefit to the body.
- This is an environment for the elimination of waste products: without water, normal detoxification of the body is impossible, which means an effective fight against excess weight.
- Water is essential for the transmission of nerve impulses and effective muscle control. When losing weight in combination with physical exercise, it will allow you to achieve maximum results.
Studies have not confirmed a direct relationship between how much water you need to consume for weight loss and the number of pounds lost. However, it has been established that in people who consume a sufficient amount of fluids, antidiuretic hormone levels are normal. This substance is responsible for the water-electrolyte balance. If a person consumes less than necessary, then his blood level rises. In turn, a chronic increase in antidiuretic in the blood contributes to weight gain. Only a correction of the drinking regime reduces the risk of overweight by 31%. The complex mechanism of this influence is still being studied.
The evidence in favor of taking water by the hour for weight loss is the following data:
- 10 minutes after drinking 500 ml of pure water, the rate of metabolic processes in the body increases by 30% and will hold at this level for at least an hour.
- When cold water is consumed, the body spends energy to warm it up to body temperature, which means that calorie consumption increases, that is, cold water for weight loss helps to increase calorie consumption.
- Pure water reduces the daily caloric intake by 200 kcal. Approximately this number of calories is contained in lemonades, juices and other drinks with which a person can quench their thirst. Therefore, if you are planning to normalize your weight, switch to lemon water for weight loss instead of high-calorie drinks.
- Water reduces appetite. To consume fewer calories, it is enough to drink 1-2 glasses of liquid before meals (within 30 minutes).
The data collected is more than enough to understand that fluid intake control is important for normal functioning. If a person is overweight, then the normalization of the drinking regime will help to get rid of several kilograms.
How much water to drink for weight loss?
A person's drinking regime is regulated by behavioral mechanisms, when, for one reason or another, the body loses fluid, and the amount of electrolytes in the blood remains unchanged. Due to the increased viscosity of the blood, salivation in the mouth decreases, and the brain receives a signal of potential dehydration and feels thirsty. The complexity of this mechanism lies in the fact that uncomfortable sensations appear with the loss of up to 5% of water, and changes in the body begin as early as 1%.
If you drink water by the hour for weight loss, the likelihood of feeling thirsty will be minimal, since a person consciously controls the water balance and focuses on the needs of the body. The liquid enters the body before the manifestation of uncomfortable symptoms of lack of water - dry mouth, headache and others.
Of course, such a mechanism is triggered when a sufficient amount of fluid is supplied. And here the main difficulties begin, since there is no single figure for how much water to drink for weight loss. It turned out that the general recommendations for consumption of at least 8 glasses a day are not supported by any research. Back in 1945, the US National Council published data that differed from the advertised 2 liters, and recommended using up to 2.5 liters per day.
To date, scientists have found that the need for water for humans is even higher. It turns out that the amount of fluid consumed, sufficient for the normal functioning of the body, is individual and depends on gender, age, physical health, expected activity and other factors. For example, on the day of training, a person can lose up to 1.5 liters of additional fluid that needs to be restored.
The average fluid intake is considered to be 35 ml for every 1 kg of body weight. That is, for an adult man weighing 100 kg, only to cover the basic needs of the body, it is necessary to consume 3.5 liters per day. And if scientists have already figured out the calculations of the daily norm, then how much water is needed for losing weight has not yet been clarified. Calculations are impossible due to the complex correlation of the processes of its assimilation and normalization of weight. At the same time, it was found that most people drink liquids less than their norm. Only the normalization of the drinking regime can improve a person's condition and establish the work of individual functional systems, which in turn will help fight obesity.
There is a small long-term study in the United States on the benefits of normalizing drinking. After it became clear that most people do not receive the necessary portion of liquid, 50 women were asked to consume an additional 500 ml per day. During the first 8 weeks of this regimen, they lost an average of 1.5 kg of excess weight. At the same time, nutritional correction in other aspects was not carried out.
Other studies also debunk the myth of the exceptional ability of clean water to quench thirst. It turns out that it is only necessary for dehydration. In other cases, the body can replenish the water-salt balance not only with the help of spring sources, but also with the help of juices and soups. On average, a person consumes up to 1.5 liters of liquid in the form of various types of drinks, up to 1 liter along with solid food. Another 300 ml can be produced in the body during metabolic processes.
In the process of calculating how much water to drink per day for weight loss, it is also important to understand the daily fluid consumption. Per day, up to 1.4 liters of liquid with urine leaves the human body, and another 150 ml with hard stools, up to 0.9 liters evaporate through the skin, up to 350 ml is exhaled with air. With increased sweating, more fluid is lost. Therefore, if, to combat excess weight, you decided not only to adjust your diet, but also to add physical activity, then take this fact into account when calculating drinking water for weight loss.
Note! To date, many mobile applications have been developed to help calculate daily water consumption. The programs even take into account the liquid that enters the body with coffee, tea, soups and other foods, and help calculate how much water to consume per day for weight loss.
Rules for drinking water for weight loss
Having established the individual daily requirement of the body and adjusting it as necessary, you should also pay attention to the fluid intake regimen.
The weight loss schedule by the hour is also compiled individually based on the following recommendations:
- 15 minutes after waking up, drink one glass on an empty stomach;
- 30 minutes before a full meal, drink another 1 glass;
- after a meal, it is allowed to consume liquid after 2-2, 5 hours;
- 1 hour before going to bed, you need to drink another glass of liquid;
- the remaining volumes of liquid are consumed in uniform portions within acceptable hours.
Do not be afraid to drink water at night for weight loss - this is another opportunity to support the body during a prolonged period of sleep. By itself, it cannot provoke puffiness. Morning swelling occurs with excessive salt and sugar intake or is a symptom of serious abnormalities in the body and should be the reason for a visit to the doctor.
Fluid intake is a basic human need, but not everyone knows that such a seemingly simple question also has its own rules:
- You should not consume liquids while eating. Drinking it down will not only not improve the digestion process, but may even increase the portion consumed. During meals, water is absorbed much better in liquid soups than in a stand-alone drink.
- Although consuming cold liquids requires more energy, drinking warm water is recommended for weight loss. Cold drinks reduce immunity and can make you drowsy. Both conditions are unacceptable in the fight against excess weight.
- The individual daily allowance should be consumed during the most active 15 hours of the day.
- Consume your amount in small portions, starting with water in the morning for weight loss and ending with a glass one hour before bed. This will avoid unwanted stress on the kidneys and other organs of the excretory system.
- Always keep a water bottle with you. A few sips will help you avoid the discomfort associated with feeling thirsty and muffle the first signs of a growing appetite.
Recommendations on how to properly drink water for weight loss would be incomplete without the advice of strict control of consumption. Excessiveness is fraught with the human body. And in this case, we are talking not only about dehydration with low fluid intake, but also about intoxication with an excessive amount of it. Several deaths have been recorded in history due to the large amount of water consumed. Experts argue that evolutionarily the human body has adapted much better to the deficiency of life-giving moisture than to its excess.
What kind of water to drink for weight loss?
Having dealt with the amount and frequency of consumption, you should also pay attention to the quality of the fluid consumed. Shop counters are filled with various drinks, but not all of them will be useful for fighting excess weight. There are often questions about the type of whether carbonated water can be used for weight loss, juices or caffeinated cocktails, because the availability of each of the proposed drinks undermines a person's self-control. Interestingly, in developed countries, most people drink not to quench their thirst, but to get a pleasant taste.
To normalize weight, what kind of water to drink for weight loss is of great importance. In this case, soda and commercial juices will not work. These drinks contain a lot of hidden calories and sugar. For the same reason, experts do not recommend using special sports drinks. But in fresh juices there are no preservatives and additional sugar added during industrial production. But it contains the pulp of fruit, which allows you not only to quench your thirst, but also to somewhat muffle your appetite.
The best choice for a person will be mineral water for weight loss. Preference should be given to brands with low minerality (up to 2.5 g in one liter). Otherwise, urinary processes are enhanced. It is allowed to use weak tea and drinks with additives like water with ginger for weight loss. They will not only quench your thirst, but also supply the body with a huge amount of nutrients found in ginger. Dill water has a similar effect.
How to drink water for weight loss - watch the video:
Thus, it is necessary to control fluid intake. Water is a key source of human health and wellness. And although there is no direct connection between the dropped kilograms and the amount drunk, experts still recommend normalizing the drinking regime, since it is aimed not only at fighting excess weight, but at normalizing the water-salt balance and metabolic mechanisms in the body. Conscious consumption of base fluids can be a smooth transition to nutritional correction and weight normalization.
