Lemon Water?

Question
Laurie
I have a female friend that slimmed down quite a bit. Besides eating better and being more active, one of the things she said she did, as instructed by a trainer, was to drink more water, especially water with a bit of lemon juice in it.
Is there any merit in this?
I am old school and never did drink much water-I am a coffee and tea guy with beer on the weekends. I will drink water on a hot day. I tried the eight glasses of water a day thing once and all I did was go to the bathroom every ten minutes.
However, a few years ago I noticed a lot of the young people I emply were always lugging water bottles around(I am a landscaper).All these kids were healthy and skinny.
Thinking back to this I am wondering if there is some merit in drinking more water?
One of my issues is a big bloated belly-although the rest of me is skinny.
Its hard to understand but apparently if I drink more water I will be less bloated?
Thanks for your thoughts!


Answer
Dear Terry,

Water is good and necessary, but has no magical weight loss powers, even with lemon added!

If you drink lots of tea, coffee, and beer you are probably dehydrated.  You may be walking around constantly in a state of dehydration and not realize it... just feel a little sluggish or headache-y at times.

People you see lugging water around may be those who drink water instead of soda, and they will probably weigh less because water has no calories.  But those who look like they're at a healthy weight are there because of the "eating better and being more active" part!

I would suggest you try, say, three glasses of water a day and see how you feel.  It's certainly not an all-or-nothing venture.  More than zero glasses will be helpful, even if it's not eight! Adding something flavorful to the water (a bit of fruit juice, a quick steep of an herbal tea bag, or even a bit of low-calorie powdered drink mix) will make the water tastier and easier to drink.  You don't have to chug it; you don't have to swallow a whole 16 oz bottle.... just have a few sips when you pass by a fountain or carry a bottle with you to work on in between meals.

As for the belly-bloat I would venture to say that is from over-eating and not from over-drinking ;)

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