Does water help you lose weight?
Does water help you lose weight? We found out what scientists think about this.
Should You Drink Water to Lose Weight?
Yes, many scientific experiments have proven the connection between the amount of water consumed and weight loss.
Consider, for example, a Stanford study that involved more than a hundred overweight women.
Scientists selected those who drank less than a liter of water per day and simply changed their drinking regimen, increasing the amount of liquid consumed to approximately 2 liters. The observation lasted exactly one year. During this time, the subjects’ weight and waist circumference were regularly measured. In the end, the researchers discovered that each woman, without changing her lifestyle, lost up to 2 kg of weight and up to 2 cm in the waist.
Another study was conducted in German schools. 32 educational institutions installed drinking fountains so that children could quench their thirst at the earliest opportunity. And schoolchildren were given several lectures on how useful water can be. At the end of the school year, it turned out that regular drinking reduces the risk of excess weight by 31%. Almost 3,000 primary school children took part in the experiment.
Why do you lose weight from water?
Water, as studies show, has a whole range of properties that can speed up weight loss or maintain your shape if you are not overweight.
1. Water increases calorie expenditure
It is enough to drink 500 ml (about two glasses) of water – and in 10 minutes the metabolic rate will increase by 30%, and the effect will last at least an hour. If you drink 2 liters per day, this will be equivalent to a loss of approximately 100 kcal. This is approximately how much you would spend in half an hour of swimming at a leisurely pace, 40 minutes of walking, or a little more than half an hour of washing floors. If you drink cold water, the calorie expenditure will be even greater, since the body has to spend energy on heating the incoming moisture to body temperature.
2. Water reduces calorie intake
If you quench your thirst with water, it means you do not quench it with other drinks. This can be much more caloric: lemonade, sweet tea, juices , fruit drinks, milk. It seems like a small thing, but in fact the difference is quite significant: on average, as studies show , a water lover consumes almost 200 kcal less per day than someone who does not control what exactly he drinks.
3. Water reduces appetite and the amount of fat deposits
To prove this, scientists selected 50 overweight women and asked them to drink 500 ml (2 glasses) of water three times a day: half an hour before breakfast, lunch and dinner. The subjects were not restricted in any other way.
After eight weeks , it turned out that the women’s appetite had decreased : they needed less food to feel full than before. That is, they consumed fewer calories and lost extra pounds. On average, weight loss over 8 weeks was about 1.5 kg.
How much water should you drink to lose weight
The fact that water does help you lose weight or stay in shape does not mean that the more you drink, the better the results will be.
Conclusion
It is advisable to consume approximately 3.7 liters per day for men and 2.7 liters for women. Moreover, all the moisture you receive is taken into account, including from soups and juicy fruits. It is not recommended to exceed these norms, so as not to encounter such a phenomenon as water intoxication .