Weight Loss Myth? You Should Drink Eight Glasses of Water a Day

Lots of diet plans are saying that drinking water can help with weight loss. But is this actually true? A quick look at how water works in the body will help you answer the question of whether or not gulping down glasses of H20 will help or hinder a weight loss plan.

General Health Benefits of Drinking Water

In general, it's a good idea to drink a lot of water each day. One of the main reasons for this is that dehydration leads to many health problems. Going without water can exacerbate existing health concerns and even cause new ones. The body is made up mainly of water, and needs this natural element to thrive. On the other hand, a body starved for water just won't work as well, and your metabolism can be affected by a parched throat.

Weight Loss and Drinking Water

Recently, some established and trusted health venues have focused on scientific reports that indicate that drinking a lot of water each day could indeed help with weight loss efforts. Articles in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, a respected medical periodical, suggest that drinking water burns calories and therefore, can aid in long term efforts to shed pounds. When it comes to overall health and fitness, the positive impact of drinking water is not just a myth.

How Water Aids Weight Loss

The scientists who are finding that drinking water promotes weight loss by burning calories have a fairly simple explanation for the process. Researchers explain that a lot of the energy involved in drinking water relates to heating up that water inside the body. Since water is generally far below the body's temperature, efforts to heat it require the expending of energy and a change in metabolism. That means drinking ice water could be healthy as well as more refreshing. The bottom line is that drinking water makes the body expend energy, which is a vital part of the equation when you want to lose weight. And with 0 calories, water won't add a thing to your waistline, at least not in the long term.

When you're building the perfect diet plan, think about adding in a "drinking schedule." Perhaps keep a bottle of water at your desk at work. The mere sight of it may encourage you to take sips throughout the day.

Scientists have shown that a need for liquids often gets incorrectly translated into a desire for food. So if you don't drink enough water, you might end up munching on high-calorie snacks.

The bottom line is that if you only drink when you're thirsty, you're likely to be shortchanging your body and not get the water you need to stay healthy. Doctors who treat dehydrated patients can testify that drinking a lot of water each day is a good way to ward off some pretty bad conditions, and many will agree that it can also help you to keep in shape.

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