Water as a Weight Loss Supplement
Hey, when it comes to exercise training everyone probably knows the old adage “no pain, no gain”. We recognize that hard work is necessary to get where we want to go. While exercise training is clearly important, when it comes to exercise training and weight loss, most people realize that just exercising isn’t enough. A change in a person’s diet is most likely necessary to achieve meaningful weight reduction because, on the whole, the average person’s diet is not as healthy as it can be. Often an exercise training program isn’t as effective for weight loss as it could be because of hidden calories.
On average, reports say that a typical American consumes around 400 calories daily from sodas and other calorie-laden drinks. So why not drink more water, and eliminate those empty calories? Removing non-fulfilling and unnecessary calories is the first step to eliminating unwanted weight. But more than that, being hydrated is important to proper organ function, to flexibility of the body, to good skin and to overall good health. Dehydration can have a negative effect on both your normal health as well as your efforts to lose weight. If you’re feeling thirsty, then you’re already moving into the area of dehydration. When trying to lose weight, and particularly when undertaking an exercise training regimen, ensure that you’re properly hydrating yourself with pure, clean, healthy water.
Is water the secret ingredient to helping you achieve meaningful weight loss? Here are the answers:
Yes — in many cases, water can be the missing piece of the weight loss puzzle.
We’ve always been told that we should drink about eight glasses of water a day. A “glass” of water consists of eight fluid ounces, so eight glasses works out to 64 ounces a day, or about two liters. The amount of water you actually need depends on many factors, such as the amount of activity you participate in, your weight, the temperature of your environment, and of course most importantly, your diet. Diet is a key factor here, since many fruits, vegetables and other foods can be water dense themselves. If you consume more water dense foods, then your need for drinking water could be less.
It is important for you to know that water is critical for the proper functioning of your kidneys. When the kidneys aren’t functioning properly, your body may depend on your liver for assistance. One of the liver’s most important functions is to metabolize fat. If your liver has to aid your kidneys due to lack of proper hydration, your liver is unable to efficiently metabolize your body fats and thus fat burning becomes far less effective. It is important when attempting to lose weight that we undertake a sensible exercise training program, but we must also ensure that our body is functioning properly in order to ensure that we produce the desired result from our work, and to ensure that our bodies burn fat effectively.
On top of that, the added water you drink can act as a natural appetite suppressant. If you fill your stomach with water prior to eating, you tend to eat less because you already feel full. The fewer calories you intake, the fewer you will need to burn to reach your weight loss goals.