Does Drinking More Water Help You Lose Weight?

The short answer is yes, drinking more water can help you lose weight! Staying properly hydrated is essential to your overall well-being for a myriad of reasons, one of which is to help you maintain a healthy weight. But how does water help you lose weight? Let’s find out.

Water Helps Burn More Calories

Drinking more water has been linked to an increase in the amount of calories that you burn during a non-active period, which is called your resting energy expenditure.

Research found that over the span of 12 months, out of women who were aiming to lose weight, the ones who drank more water lost significantly more body weight and fat than women in the study who drank less water, regardless of activity levels and diet.

Drinking cold water may also contribute to increased energy expenditure due to the energy spent heating up water in the digestion process.

Water Acts as an Appetite Suppressant

Particularly in older adults, many studies have indicated that water consumption before a meal decreases the amount of calories ingested.

Water takes up space in the stomach, leading the stomach to send signals to the brain to stop eating. Since people are eating less food, the decrease in calorie intake results in weight loss.

Water Serves as a Natural Detox

The kidney’s function is to remove waste and toxins from your bloodstream to maintain a healthy balance of minerals in your body. Without an adequate amount of water in the body, the kidneys will not be able to do their job properly, meaning your nerves, muscles and other tissues may not function correctly

Drinking more water is a simple way to support the kidney’s natural detoxification abilities, eliminating the body of harmful substances.

Water Reduces Liquid Calorie Intake

Today, there are more sugary drinks available to consumers than ever before. Sugary drinks, also considered sugar-sweetened or “soft” drinks, are the leading source of calories and added sugar in our diets.

By replacing your sugary drinks with water, it can have a monumental impact on your weight and overall health. Sugary drinks do not allow you to feel full, meaning its calories add on to your normal calorie intake. These drinks also provide virtually no nutrients to your body because they are loaded with chemicals and highly processed ingredients like high fructose corn syrup, aspartame, artificial coloring, and phosphoric acid.

Water Is Necessary to Burn Fat

The presence of sufficient water in the body is actually necessary to burn fat. The reason for this is because of lipolysis, which is the process of metabolizing fat and other lipids by hydrolysis to release fatty acids. Hydrolysis occurs when water molecules interact with fats to release fatty acids.

Increased water intake thereby leads to increased lipolysis, allowing for greater weight loss since more fat is burned in the body.

Water Helps You Exercise Effectively

Water serves a variety of functions in the body, including body temperature regulation, joint lubrication, and nutrient transport. Without proper hydration, your body will not be able to reach peak performance, meaning you will not burn maximum calories.

Drink water before, after, and during exercise to avoid dehydration, cramps, and fatigue so that you can maximize your workout benefits.

Contact Garcia Weight Loss

At Garcia Weight Loss, we are 100% committed to optimizing your overall health. Drinking more water is one of the simplest and most affordable ways to take the right step towards a healthier life. Contact us today to learn more about how Garcia can help you on your weight loss journey.