It’s Weightloss Wednesday again. Today, let’s talk about water.
Our bodies are mostly water. Hard to believe, right? It’s true. All of our systems need water to run more efficiently.
It’s also a great diet aid and fat reducer. Yes, water. It suppresses your appetite, reduces sodium buildup and helps maintain muscle tone. It reduces fat deposits by helping the body metabolize the fat stored within the body.
These are just a few great reasons for drinking water, but so many of us are dehydrated. Why is that?
Some say they don’t like the taste, they’d rather drink something else, they don’t want to go the bathroom a million times a day.
How much water do we really need? Most recommendations are 8 cups or 64 oz. per day. If you are a normal weight and don’t exercise or sweat much, this might be fine for you. It’s been said that the heavier you are, the more water your body needs. It goes without saying that if you sweat a lot or have an intense workout, you should up your intake.
In The Insulin Resistance Diet book, written by Cheryle R. Hart, MD and Mary Kay Grossman, RD, it’s recommended that for every 25 pounds you are overweight, add another cup up to a maximum of 12 8-oz cups daily.
That’s a lot of water. How to get it all in? There are lots of tips and tricks out that can help you meet your requirements. I’m going to list a few of mine.
1. I like sparkling mineral water. Something about those bubbles makes it fun and tasty for me to drink. I buy it in 1.5 liter bottles and aim to drink 2 per day.
2. Adding lemon or lime to water. This gives the water a zesty zing. It doesn’t add any calories and really jazzes up your water. Don’t want to cut up fruit every day? Try TrueLemon or TrueLime instead. It’s cold-pressed and crystallized fruit. You can buy it in packets or by the container. Tastes the same, I swear.
3. Crystal Light. You can add those drink on the go packets to your water. It does add a few calories (5), but totally fools you into thinking you’re not drinking water. They have several tasty flavors. I like the cherry pomegranate and the lemonade ones the best.
There are tons more tips. I did a Google search on “tips for drinking more water” and got a bunch of hits.
I know, this is all well and good, but what about the trips to the bathroom? They can be a pain. But I’ve noticed that once I’ve been drinking more water, my body gets used to the extra intake and I don’t have to go as often. Perhaps building up to your full requirement is a good way to alleviate some of the bathroom breaks.
The bottom line – water is good for you, especially if you’re trying to lose weight. Don’t forget about this great tool to help you on your quest.
While on Google, I came across this website that you might find useful. It’s a hydration calculator. You answer 9 questions relevant for that day and it tells you how much water you should drink.
Do you get enough water? Do you like it or do you employ tricks to meet your requirements? Share your thoughts, tips and tricks with us.
15 hours ago
6 comments:
I love the sparkling water with lemon too. I'm going to check out that hydration calculator. thanks.
great post! thanks! will be really making this a serious goal of mine this week! I have really let it slip!
I love water. It's been my favorite drink since 4th grade. Strange, I know!
I have noticed when I stop drinking water, for whatever reason, I don't sleep as well, I'm hungrier and I tend to gain weight. It's a free, easy diet-aid!
You also get water from munching on things like celery and watermelon!
Keep a glass or bottle of water by your desk, you'll sip on it without thinking. Also coffee is a diuretic, it robs your body of water. If you're a coffee drinker, like me, drink more water! I rinse my cup and drink a glass of water between cups of coffee!
Great post, Riley!
It's pretty cool, Gale. Let me know if you like it.
April, glad this post was helpful. I find it's easy to overlook but so important in our overall health.
Great tips, Lynne. I've heard that if you drink any caffeinated beverage, you should drink one glass of water per glass of beverage.
Thanks for the tips. I need to pay more attention. I do try because I don't drink sodas. Milk is my downfall.
Hey Riley,
Funny you should post about this because my daughter and I just watched that show on Food Network: Food Detectives I think. Anyway, they were showing how much water we actually get from the food we eat and how much we actually need. They proposed that because food has water, you don't need to actually drink all 64 oz a day. They weighed, then dehydrated three different "typical" meals to see how much water was present in each. Funny thing is, the typical high fat diet of pizza, fried chicken, cake, etc. had the most and the "healthy" diet of apples for dessert, whole grains, etc. had the least. The results from all three diets showed that most people get about half the water they need from their food, then you can add in non caffeine beverages because they count as water. It was kind of interesting. I never thought non-typical watery foods would have so much in them. Even after seeing their results I think drinking plain old water by the glass is best. I don't count on getting any from foods so if I do, they're a bonus. We have a water cooler and it is all that we drink outside of our hot tea.
Interesting fact though: did you see where the lady died from water intoxication after doing a how much can you drink in so many minutes stunt for a local radio station contest? Apparently, too much water throws your electrolytes off or something and she died! Imagine that!
Post a Comment