The Most Under-Rated Aspect of Weight Loss

If I were asked, “what is the most difficult thing many people
find to do when they start a weight-loss program?”, I would have
to say right near the top of the list is this – they don’t drink
enough water!

Few people realise at first just how essential water is to the
success of their weight-loss program. In fact, the essential
place of water in our diet extends to everyone – whether they
want to lose weight, gain weight or stay the same weight! We all
know we can’t live without water, but just why is it so
important? Well there are many reasons. Read on and discover why
water can help your loss weight and why it is your essential
life-force.

Apart from 60-70% of your body being composed of water, water
has an extensive range of functions essential to life.

·Assists digestion, absorption and assimilation of food. If you
don’t drink enough water you can’t get the full benefit of
nutrients in the food you eat.

·Assists excretion of waste from bowel and kidneys. If you don’t
drink enough water you get constipated and put your kidneys
under stress.

·Regulates body temperature. If you don’t drink enough water you
compromise the evaporation process you skin uses to keep you
cool.

·Your blood is 92% water. This is your body’s transport system
distributing nutrients around the body.

·Body secretions and digestive juices are almost entirely water.

Why should you drink water when you want to lose weight?

Water is a natural appetite suppressant . Do NOT underestimate
the power of this statement. Lack of water can lead to over
eating. You brain does not differentiate between hunger and
thirst. So, when you think you are feeling hungry, your body may
in fact be signalling to you that you are thirsty! If you are
not consuming enough water each day and you feel hunger pains,
chances are, your body really is crying out for water. In many
instances people will find what they thought were hunger pangs
were in fact, satisfied by water. Try it! You have nothing to
lose, except some weight.

How do you know whether you are drinking enough water each day?
Well the answer is not difficult. The average person needs
around 6-8 large glasses every day.

Well then, how should you drink the 6-8 glasses per day? The aim
is to drink water consistently. If you drink too much all at
once or too fast, it will simply pass through you, with little
or no benefit to your body.

If you are someone who enjoys the ‘taste’ of water, then perhaps
you could fill a 1 litre empty soft drink container with water
the drink through it twice during the day. Room temperature or
cold water, even warm as some people like – whatever you prefer.
Place it on the desk at work in front of you as a constant
reminder to sip continuously throughout the day.

Other people find they need a water ‘diet’ to help them keep on
track. So for you, here is a program easily followed to ensure
you are well hydrated every single day.

·When you wake up you will often be thirsty because your body
loses water while you are sleeping through breathing and
perspiration. Drink a large glass of water with a slice of lemon
for zing.

·Drink another glass of water with breakfast or a cup of herbal
tea before setting off the day.

·Mid morning – snack on a piece of juicy fruit such as orange,
rockmelon, watermelon, cantaloupe, honey dew. Have a glass of
water and perhaps try a dash of herbal aloe juice which is
wonderfully soothing to the digestive system.

·Lunch – think of soup or have a glass of water before your
meal, or perhaps a herbal tea.

·Mid afternoon – While you are preparing your evening meal,
drink a glass of water and snack on some crunchy fresh
vegetables.

·Evening – Sip a glass of water before your meal with a dash of
your favourite fruit juice for flavour.

·After dinner – before bedtime drink your final glass of water
and sleep well!

A few changes will happen when you start out with your water
program. Obviously you may find that you need to ‘spend a penny’
more often. Why? Because you body isn’t used to being well
hydrated.

There is absolutely is no doubt about it. When you start
drinking enough water regularly, there are great benefits. You
may notice your skin significantly improve and even tired
muscles will thank you. Many people find their energy is
increased and constipation and headaches are reduced, as well as
hunger pains.

Now here’s the really exciting part…many people notice a
reduction in weight and centimetres, as their body’s water store
become redundant and so decrease. If your diet has been one that
did not provide you with adequate water, your body will have
developed a pattern of storing water. It’s part of the body’s
in-built survival mechanism – to store up the essential
nutrients in short supply…just in case they aren’t available in
the future. So if you don’t drink enough water, you are
‘conditioning’ your body to store water. And water is bulk and
unwanted centimetres.

It’s so simple…drink water! 6-8 large glasses a day.

How do you know if you are not getting enough water each day?
This is a really important question because so many of us have
deprived ourselves of water for years that we have become
accustomed to doing without the full amount of water our body
requires and we don’t recognise the symptoms of thirst.

·The most common symptom is headaches. A major function of water
is to flush toxins from the body. Your brain is 75% water, so
even being slightly dehydrated can cause headaches.

·Poor concentration/fatigue. If you body can’t get rid of the
toxins it will struggle and you will feel less energetic as your
body diverts energy to deal with the toxins.

·Constipation. Your body will divert water to more essential
functions and as a result your stools will be harder and more
difficult to expel.

·Reduced urine output or dark urine. Did you know that up to 200
litres of water is passed through your kidneys daily? Without a
fresh supply of water for the kidneys to filter waste products
out of the blood, your urine will become darker.

·Furry tongue or bad breath. If you don’t have enough water
passing through the mouth to wash away food particles, bacteria
can proliferate and result in that ‘furry’ feeling or bad breath.

·Skin. Your skin should feel elastic. When you pinch the skin on
the back of your hand it should snap back instantly.

Final thoughts. Caffeinated drinks cause the body to lose water.
They are what’s known as diuretics as they cause your body to
dehydrate. You will do your body an enormous favour by cutting
back. For every cup of coffee you drink you will need to drink
another TWO glasses of water to counter the diuretic effect.
Explore the world of herbal teas instead, you may be pleasantly
surprised!

(c) Kim Beardsmore

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