We’ve all heard how important it is to have our eight glasses of water each day. Especially during the warm season, it’s essential that we keep ourselves hydrated. It’s actually a popular dieting secret: Drink more water, and you’ll shed more pounds. But have you ever wondered why is it so important to have plenty of water when we’re struggling to lose weight?
Drinking water before your meals: According to a research published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, drinking two cups of water before all three meals helpes dieters lose weight and keep it off. The reason this is occurring could be physical. According to some research, water consumption might spark the body to produce more heat, boosting metabolism and burning more calories. Or, a simpler explanation could be that drinking more water makes people less likely to drink a lot of high-calorie sugar-filled beverages.
The link between drinking water and weight loss: The fact is, your body can’t always tell the difference between hunger and thirst and this can easily lead to you consuming more calories than you need. That’s because you might misread your thirst cues as hunger and end up eating, even though all you really need is a a tall glass of water (which also happens to be calorie free). Plus, staying hydrated has multiple health benefits: it helps you maintain a healthy immune system, joints, muscles and digestion, and aids in concentration and energy levels.
Making great drink choices: If you want your diet to be successful, you need to pay attention to what you’re drinking, along with what and how much you are eating. You can easily lose track of the calories in your drinks, because a drink isn’t usually as satisfying as solid food. On average, Americans drink about 200 calories per day of sweetened beverages – this alone can lead to a weight gain of 20 pounds per year! You should remove all sodas from your diet along with the rest of your processed foods in the first two weeks of the diet. If the diet-wrecking drinks are starting to sneak back in, try unsweetened, flavored carbonated water instead.
