Every new diet program, book or weight-loss guru eventually mentions water, but only after touting their program, book or own personal fabulousness. They have the order backwards, I am afraid. Water is important to your weight-loss efforts, no matter what you are using, eating or doing. In fact, water should be mentioned at the start, middle and end of every diet book and program, regardless of who wrote them or what they are suggesting. Yes, water is that important.
Quick! What is the difference between feeling thirsty and feeling hungry? It may be harder to tell than you think and you may be reaching for a snack when all you need is a nice, big glass of water. The feelings of thirst and hunger may be similar because they are similar signals; they are both ways for the body to tell the brain that there is a need. If you cannot tell the difference between the two, stop and ask yourself a few questions. When was the last time that I ate something? Did I eat enough then? Have I been exceptionally active between that meal and now? Should I really be hungry? If you cannot say yes to most of those questions, start with some water and see if you still feel the same way.
Not drinking enough water will slow the digestion. In turn, the slower digestion will slow down the metabolism, which leads to stalled weight loss efforts. The body is in a constant state of searching for a very delicate balance called homeostasis. One thing thrown off kilter could put an entire system out of whack.
Digestion starts in the mouth. We chew our food, moistening it with saliva as we do. If you are not drinking enough water, you will not make enough saliva to lubricate your food and the result will be more work for the stomach to do. The stomach receives the food and churns up the stomach acid to further break down the food. The more work it must do, the more stomach acid must be produced and the longer it will stay in the stomach which could lead to heart burn and acid reflux. Not drinking enough water could lead to heartburn? Who knew?
If you are trying any kind of weight loss program, you do not want to do anything that will slow or stall your metabolism. Your body will take longer to digest the foods that you have already eaten. Your brain will not receive a signal for new food (hunger) for a while, so the fat burning furnace known as metabolism will be shut down. You will not lose weight at all, and in fact, you may gain as your body strives to hold onto every single calorie that comes through. A slowed metabolism is a dieter’s worst enemy, far worse than that chocolate cake you feared.
Drinking water keeps the body’s systems working in proper rhythm, including digestion and metabolism. In fact, consider this: you burn calories just by drinking water. Not a lot of calories mind you, but you do get the action started as your body works to use the water. If you drink ice cold water, you increase this calorie burn because your body must first work to warm the water before it can use it. The more you rev up your metabolism, the more efficiently your body will burn those calories, regardless of where they came from.
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Hello. Thanks for this great article! On the advice of my sister, I have been trying to drink more water as I know that I’m not getting enough. However, I am suspect of my city water because of all the chemicals, and I don’t want to buy bottled water because of the environment. What are your thoughts on filters or filtered pitchers? What about distilled water? Thank you. Jill F.
I wouldn’t worry too much about what kind of water you drink, just get plenty of it. Distilled and purified water is said to be the purest but it is so pure that it has no essential minerals for the body. It can actually be great for detoxification but only for a short amount of time because it will also rob the body of many of the beneficial electrolytes and minerals and pass them through your urine.
I drink water from the tap when I am home, bottle when I’m out. My city sends out a bi-monthly report on the quality of our water and I see nothing to fear. I don’t see a need to spend money on something perfectly fine that I get for free.
I concur with the previous poster. Distilled water is completely free of essential minerals (due to the distillation/filtration process) that are commonly found in tap-water. besides dental health, trace minerals have been found to be protective against certain cardiovascular disease as well as other health concerns. If you’re going to supplement with essential minerals distilled water *should* not pose a health risk, but in general I tell most people to stick to mineral-laden water.
Re: the filters, it depends on the size of the filter, but in general they only remove larger, particulate matter – whilst minerals are allowed to pass through unchanged. Get the filter that fits in your fridge best!
Thanks for the quick answer. I have been working on my water intake for about three weeks (at about 64 oz per day), and I have actually noticed that my hair and skin do not seem to be as dry, and I might be imagining this, but I seem to have more energy. However, I have just recently stepped up my running from twelve miles per week to about twenty. Should I be drinking more water to accomodate this, and if so, how much? JF
I drink water all day long when I am at work and a lot of times while I am at home. I do not drink in large consumption though. I drink in little cups, but it is all throughout the day. My hands are a little bit dry, so I keep Johnson’s lotion at my desk! Is there something I am doing wrong with the way I drink water? I am wondering if it just doesn’t add up to the 64 oz that I am supposed to drink, and that is why my hands and elbows are dry. Any suggestions?
I have dry skin, and I have noticed that I need to really keep a close track on how much water I drink. If I am not drinking at least eight glasses a day or 64 ounces (especially in the winter when the air is really dry) my skin really shows the signs. My hair also is brittle when I am not monitoring my water consumption and not getting enough. Another thing is, it might be your brand of lotion. I have noticed that some lotions affect my skin differently than others. I use lotion alot, and some types seem to make my skin drier (especially if they have lanolin as one of the ingredients).
Isn’t there something that you can put on your hands and arms that feels kind of like there are balls in there? You are supposed to wash it off afterwards, and it leaves your skin feeling so smooth. I just can not remember what it is for the life of me, but I have used it once before. Thanks for all of the advice. It is much appreciated!
I have not heard of that, but if you remember it, I would love to know what it is.
You must be talking about exfoliating lotion of some kind. Exfoliating is a great way to smooth your skin because it sloughs off all of the dead dry skin leaving new smooth skin. There are also disinfectants that have little moisturizing balls in it but you don’t wash that off. Do you remember what color it was jrbud08?
I believe you may be right. It must have been an exfoliating lotion because the purpose of using the product was to remove all the dry skin. In the process, it makes your skin feel so silky smooth. I believe it was a clear gel color with micro beads in it that dissolve when it is completely rubbed in. During and after the process, it feels like you have sand grits all over your hands, and that is why it is supposed to be washed off.