Drinking clean water has been associated with helping weight loss. A study in the U.S showed that 30-59% of adults who tried to lose weight increase their water intake.
In this article, we will explain how clean drinking water can help you achieve your goal weight.
How Drinking Clean Water Can Help You Lose Weight
- Drinking clean water can help you burn calories
When you drink water, it increases the number of calories you burn in your body. This process is known as resting energy expenditure. The resting energy expenditure of adults increases by 24-30% within ten minutes of drinking water. It can last for at least 60 minutes.
To support this benefit, a study of overweight and obese children showed a 25% increase in resting energy expenditure after drinking cold water. There is also a study conducted on overweight women about the effects of increasing water intake to over 1 liter each day. It showed that in a one-year duration, it could result in an extra 2 kilograms of weight loss. Since these women did not change their lifestyles, except that they drink more water, these results are perfect.To learn more about water filtration, visit Berkey Filters.
Moreover, these studies reveal that drinking 0.5 liters of water results in an extra 23% calories burn. When you get the total sum in a year, it amounts to roughly 17,000 calories burned.
- Drinking clean water before eating a meal can reduce your appetite
Some people believed that drinking clean water before eating a meal reduces their appetite. There is some truth behind this belief. However, it works exclusively in middle-aged and older adults.
A study conducted revealed that older adults who have been drinking water before each meal can help in their weight loss. In another study, middle-aged, overweight people who drank water before each meal lost 44% more weight.
A separate study showed that drinking water before eating breakfast reduces 13% of the number of calories consumed during the meal. Although it can be very beneficial for this group of people, younger individuals have not shown the same impressive results.
- Drinking clean water reduces calorie intake and lowers the risk of weight gain
Water is naturally calorie-free. That’s why it is generally linked to lowering calorie intake. Drinking water instead of other beverages will cause you zero calories and sugar.
A study showed that people who drink more water resulted in a 9% lower calorie intake.
Furthermore, drinking clean water also helps to prevent long term weight gain. An average person gains about 1.45 kilos every four years.
You can reduce this amount by doing the following:
- Adding one extra cup of water
When you increase your daily water consumption by 1 cup, it can reduce this weight gain by 0.13 kilograms.
- Replace your other beverages with water
When you substitute a cup of sugar-sweetened beverage with a cup of water, it can reduce the 4-year weight gain by 0.5 kilos.
It is also essential to encourage your children to drink water. It can help prevent being overweight or obese.
How Much Water is Enough?
A lot of health authorities recommend drinking eight glasses of water every day. However, this number depends on the water requirement of an individual.
For instance, people who exercise regularly or who sweat a lot require more water compared to those who are not very active. Also, older adults and breast-feeding mothers need to monitor their water intake very well.
A good rule to follow is, you should drink water when you are feeling thirsty. Drink enough water to quench your thirst. If you are having a headache, in a bad mood, always hungry, or having concentrating issues, you may be suffering from mild dehydration. The solution to this problem is drinking more water.
Here is a list of how much water you should drink each day.
- One to two liters of water
- 34-67 ounces of water
- 4-8 glasses of water
However, too much drinking of water is not also recommended. It can cause water toxicity. In extreme cases, it has even caused untimely death, such as during a water-drinking contest.
Take Away
Water helps to lose weight. Water is 100% free from calories. It helps you burn more calories and can suppress your appetite.
You will even benefit more if you replace sugary beverages with water. It is one of the best ways to cut back on sugar and calories.
However, keep in mind that you need to do a lot more than drinking water if you want to lose a significant amount of weight.
