Whether it’s summer and you need to get ready for the beach, or whether it’s New Year’s Eve and you need a New Year’s Resolution, there always seems to be pressure to lose weight. Of course, losing weight is often much more of a chore than we would like it to be, which is probably why it’ still on the to-do list in the first place.
It’s no secret that effective weight loss is a very difficult task. That is why people are constantly being sold different ideas and diets, all of which claiming to have a secret tip to losing weight quickly and more effectively. While there are no secret weapons to weight loss and no substitutes to decreasing your caloric intake and exercising, there are things you can do that will help you lose weight.
Fortunately for anyone interested in cutting a few pounds, not every weight loss supplement involves some costly diet subscription. Instead, one of the easiest diet aids is free, and it’s already in your home. Water might be the extra boost you need to actually meet your weight loss goals this year. While water and weight loss have always had somewhat of a connection to each other, examining their relations can help ensure that you integrate a boost from water weight loss boost into your weight loss plan. Here are some of the direct and indirect relations between water and weight loss:
1. Drinking water can increase the amount of calories that you burn.
Drinking water has always been considered a healthy habit, and it is usually recommended in diet plans, but studies from this past decade have shown that water actually increases your body’s metabolic rate. Within 10 minutes of drinking water, your body’s metabolic rate increases for about an hour at least. Studies have shown that people generally burn calories 25-30% faster after drinking water, and possibly even faster if the water is cold as the body expends caloric energy to warm the water.
So, even without a single change in your life, besides drinking an additional half a liter of water per day, you can lose an extra 5 pounds within 12 months. For only drinking one large glass of water every day, those are an easy 5 pounds.
2. Drinking water prior to a meal can help to suppress your appetite.
This is one of the more classic reasons for why you should drink more water when you are trying to lose weight. Drinking 1-2 cups of water 30 minutes before a meal has been known to suppress appetite. Reducing your appetite before meals is a great way to lose extra weight during a diet.
Studies have shown that drinking water before a meal does reduce the amount of calories people consume during that meal, which has been shown to increase weight loss by 40% during diets or an additional 4-6 pounds over a 12-week diet. These effects are increasingly more evident for individuals as they get older, but even a modest increase to weight loss makes a diet more effective at a very low cost.
3. Drinking water can decrease your caloric intake.
Drinking more water has been linked to decreases in caloric intake, especially during weight loss programs. While the link may be indirect, there are many reasons for why this happens. As explained above, drinking water before a meal can act as a very effective appetite suppressant, which will certainly decrease the amount of calories you consume. Additionally, drinking water often can, and should, take place of another drink that usually contributes to the number of calories and sugars you consume throughout the day. As a 0-calorie drink, replacing your normal drink of choice with water can certainly decrease the number of calories you consume.
Moral of the Story: Drink more water! Not only is it cheap, and probably free most of the time, but it definitely helps in some way or another with weight loss. An additional 5 pounds here and another 5 pounds there to your weight loss plan can make the difference between another diet that almost worked and the diet that all your friends will notice. Literally the only thing you need to do is drink a glass of water every time you’re thirsty, especially between 30-40 minutes before every meal.