Water and Weight Loss

A Great Dietary Supplement

Jul 19, 2009 Christopher Pascale

Water is not only the elixir of life. Without it, the body would not metabolize as much fat or burn as many calories.

It is safe to say that someone reading an article on health and fitness knows that drinking water has many values. But for those that need extra motivation to imbibe a regular regimen of H2O, there are several diet-related reasons to do so.

The reasons that health-conscious people would want to be encouraged to drink more water deal with weight loss and liver and kidney health.

Drinking Water Keeps the Kidneys and Liver Healthy

When the body is deprived of water, the kidneys are not as able to filter as effectively as they should. The result is that the liver assists the kidneys so that everything can be properly passed.

The direct effect on the body is that during this time when the kidneys need assistance from the liver, the liver cannot perform its duties, and there is no organ to pick up the slack. For those not familiar, the liver is the part of the body that metabolizes fat. If the liver does not metabolize fat, then the body's metabolism slows down, and for any time that the body is deprived of water it will make up for it with the liver aiding the kidneys while excess fats are stored in the body.

Drinking Cold Water Burns Calories

For those who have heard of burning calories by drinking water, the tale is true, though not in dramatic fashion. A study conducted by Michael Boschman, MD on 14 healthy men and women found that following the consumption of a 17 oz glass of water, metabolic rates temporarily increased by 30% within 10-40 minutes.

Typically, the men burned more fat while the women broke down carbohydrates. Based on the findings of this study, the researchers at the Franz-Volhard Clinical Research Center in Berlin, Germany estimated that an extra 50 oz (1.5 liters) of water in a person's daily diet would lead to the burning of more than 17,000 calories, or a weight loss of five pounds.

Two scientific reasons for the weight loss occurring are that

The body burns calories as it warms the water to an appropriate temperature
The kidneys are working without the assistance of the liver

With these two points the effects can be somewhat noticeable, but not nearly as much as water's ability to prevent a person from overeating.

A Pre-meal Glass of Water Will Fill up the Stomach and Prevent Overeating

The stomach can only hold so much before its owner feels uncomfortable.

Those who indulge in large portions, or multiple deserts, should consider a 16 oz glass of water as an appetizer. While those who wish to save money will fill up on bread, those who wish to save on calories, fat, and carbohydrates should fill up on water.

What it really comes down to with water is that it is simply good for a person's health. It is not the ultimate weight loss ingredient, just one of many. It will aid weight loss by replacing calorie-rich beverages, space within the stomach, and by allowing the liver to function as it should by metabolizing the fat in the meal that is at hand.

Sources

Appleby, Maia. "Why Drinking Water Really is the Key to Weight Loss". inch-aweigh.com

Boyles, Salynn. "Drinking Water May Speed Weight Loss". webmd.com

The copyright of the article Water and Weight Loss in Weight Loss is owned by Christopher Pascale. Permission to republish Water and Weight Loss in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Without Enough Water, Fats Will Not be Metabolized