Water for Weight Loss!

Water, water everywhere!!

Your body needs it because it’s literally made of 50-70% water. Wild, right?

Every day, you lose water through means you probably haven’t realized – daily perspiration (even if not exercising), urine, bowel movements, and – yup - even breathing.

So, what are my tips and tricks for how to use water to improve your weight loss journey?

After reviewing the available researched evidence, here are the three things I’ve concluded can help you shed those pounds:

#1) Drink 2 cups of water 30 minutes before each meal. This will help to increase your satiety as well so you will be less-prone to over-eat.

#2) Swap at least two calorie/diet beverages a day with water. This helps to reduce wasted calories that your weight-loss journey.

#3) Meet the recommended daily intake for water intake.

This is thought to improve weight loss due to changes in metabolism, increased break-down of fats (lipolysis) and lowering total energy intake. Per The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, an adequate daily fluid intake is:

· About 15.5 cups (3.7 liters) of fluids a day for men

· About 11.5 cups (2.7 liters) of fluids a day for women

One way to estimate if you are getting enough fluid is the color of your urine - which should be either colorless or light yellow.

Lastly, please talk to your provider before following these suggestions if you have any chronic conditions such as congestive heart failure or kidney disease.

And, as always, reach out with any questions, comments, or to schedule an appointment.

References

1. Handbook of Non Drug Intervention (HANDI) Project Team (2013). Pre-meal water consumption for weight loss. Australian family physician, 42(7), 478.

2. Mayo Clinic Staff. (October 12, 2022). “Water: How much should you drink every day?”. Healthy Lifestyle. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/water/art-20044256#:~:text=The%20U.S.%20National%20Academies%20of,fluids%20a%20day%20for%20women

3. Perry, D., & Chan, K. (2022). Water for weight loss. Canadian family physician Medecin de famille canadien, 68(7), 519. https://doi.org/10.46747/cfp.6807519

4. Stookey, J. D., Constant, F., Popkin, B. M., & Gardner, C. D. (2008). Drinking water is associated with weight loss in overweight dieting women independent of diet and activity. Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.), 16(11), 2481–2488. https://doi.org/10.1038/oby.2008.409

5. Thornton S. N. (2016). Increased Hydration Can Be Associated with Weight Loss. Frontiers in nutrition, 3, 18. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2016.00018