Drink Up! Water and Weight Loss Go Hand In Hand
Without a doubt, folks, drinking water and weight loss go hand in hand. Water is the most fundamental component our body needs next to air, yet its role in health, wellness and weight management are understood so little. We read all the information about what the body needs to survive, yet fail to recognize common symptoms in our own bodies that tell us we are not getting enough water.
Adequate water intake is the essential key to all body functions. Imagine yourself, for a moment, as a finely tuned sports car. For ‘your engine’ to burn fuel and ‘your parts’ to move smoothly, you are dependant on the ‘fuel’ and ‘lubricants’ that have a liquid component to them. That component is water. 60% to 70% of your body is made of water. Water has a huge range of essential functions that keep your ‘motor’ running efficiently. Water:
Assists in digestion, absorption and assimilation of food
Helps with excretion of waste from the bowel and kidneys
Flushes out toxins and impurities
Transports nutrients to all parts of your body
Regulates your body temperature
You might ask, ‘Why is it so important to Drink Enough Water?’ One problem is our current food supply. So many of the food products on the supermarket shelf contain not only high amounts of extra calories from added sugar and fats, they also contain very little water. Foods with high water content tend to spoil much faster. In order to allow food to be stored for longer periods of time, much of the water is removed.
Many people are also consuming large amounts of caffeinated drinks instead of water. Caffeine acts as a diuretic, causing your body to lose even more water.
Water is easily lost through perspiration, urine and breathing. If we don’t replace what we lose on a daily basis, we become dehydrated. When you become dehydrated you lose not only water but essential body salts, such as sodium, potassium and magnesium. Your body cannot function normally without them. When you become dehydrated, you lose energy and your body’s ability to cool itself could lead to heat exhaustion or worse in severe cases. The symptoms of dehydration vary from mild to severe.
Signs of mild dehydration are:
Headaches
Constipation and/or bloating
Dry skin, mucous membranes and lips
Furry tongue, bad breath
Reduced urine output or dark urine
Signs of moderate dehydration are:
Fatigue
Skin that doesn’t bounce back when pinched
Dizziness/vertigo/lightheadedness
Muscle cramps
Cold hands and feet
Problems concentrating
Drowsiness
Impatience or irritability
Signs of severe dehydration are:
Weak irregular heart beat (often racing)
Low blood pressure
Rapid breathing
Failure of the body’s heat regulation systems (sweating, for example)
Confusion
Vomiting and/or diarrhea
Shock, collapse or unconsciousness
Seizures
Coma
Death
Drinking adequate amounts of water daily is essential to weight loss. Water increases your body’s metabolism by 3%. Proper hydration allows body systems, including muscle contractions to operate at peak efficiency. Water boosts energy by allowing nutrients to be better circulated throughout the body, especially the cells, where metabolic functions occur.
Adequate hydration actually contributes to less water retention. When the body does not get adequate hydration, it goes into ‘protection mode’ and holds onto what it needs to survive. This means it holds onto water. People who have problems with water retention and bloating are actually in need of more water. When their bodies get all the water they need, they will release the extra water. However, if you have a specific medical problem such as kidney disease, it is always advisible to check with your physician regarding your own hydration needs.
Water eases joint pain. Cartilage, which provides padding between the joints, requires adequate water in its cells to absorb the body shocks on joints that occur daily.
Water flushes out toxins and waste products and contributes to a decreased chance of developing kidney stones, some skin problems and the risk of some cancers.
Experts suggest the average person should get at least 64 ounces of water daily or eight 8 oz. glasses. If you are trying to lose weight it is important to drink more water and to keep drinking water throughout the day, unless you have a specific medical condition that limits water intake. A good guide, for drinking water when losing weight, is to drink 1 ounce of water for every 2 pounds of body weight. A 200 pound person should be drinking around 100 ounces of water daily in order to gain the benefits of increased energy and metabolism.
If exercise is part of your weight loss program a bit more water should be added to account for the water you lose sweating. Drinking water before, during and after exercise will keep your energy level high and help with recovery after the workout.
If you don’t like the taste of drinking plain water, add a little lemon juice to flavor the water. You can also get water from eating fruit high in water content but remember, if you’re trying to lose weight you need to count all the calories you take in, including those from the fruit.
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