The Importance of Water for Weight Loss (Fatty Friday)
We all know that drinking water is important, but not all of us are great water drinkers. I try my best on some days and other days, I just simply forget to get in even the recommended amount for daily consumption. I’ve mentioned before that I drink a lot of caffeine throughout the day and I need to be drinking water to counteract that ON TOP OF the recommended amounts. Let’s talk a little about the importance of water for weight loss, specifically, and then I’ll tell you how it affected me this week in my weekly weigh-in.
Apparently, there is a misconception about water and weight loss out there that the water itself actually has these magical powers to make weight loss go quicker. In fact, there is no scientific evidence that the power of water is any more than just a necessary substance that our body needs. Our bodies are made up of 60% water and we have to refresh it daily to keep things functioning properly.
Here’s the deal…
Water and water-rich foods are filling and healthy. The more we drink water and eat these foods (such as fruit and broth-based foods) the quicker we are to “fill up” and then we don’t eat as many calories. This triggers the weight loss.
Substituting water for calorie-rich drinks (like sodas with sugar and high calories) reduces the number of calories we take in. Have you ever heard someone say they drank their calories for the day? Drinking water instead reduces calories and triggers weight loss.
Drinks high in caffeine dehydrate our bodies and slows down normal functions like bowel health, which in turn will slow down weight loss.
The less water we drink, the more our bodies retain the water we have (like storage because your body doesn’t know when it will get water again) and we weigh more. By drinking water, your body will get rid of the excess more frequently, hence the drop on the scale.
Besides the fact that there are tons of health benefits of drinking water, it is not magical with regards to weight loss. It’s just plain essential for a healthy life.
My experience with water and weight loss
As I mentioned, I’m not great with my water. According to our current plan, Howard and I should be drinking at least a gallon of water (or water-based beverages) per day. That’s a lot of water for someone who loves soda and energy drinks…and has a “small bladder”. When I’m on my game and drinking my water, I’m up and down from my desk all day long and I sometimes feel like I could just move my office into the restroom!
However, when I do that I experience a great weekly weight loss. I feel better. I have more energy. I’m more (ahem) “regular” and I don’t get run down and tired as easily. Seems counter-productive to drinking energy drinks, right?
But, it’s a hard habit to maintain and this week I failed. I didn’t drink water for over half of my days this week and it showed on the scale.
I gained 0.4 lbs this week.
Howard did better and lost 1.2 lbs and Benjamin gained a pound (we want him to continue growing or maintaining rather than losing).
I’m not letting this discourage me because I know what I did “wrong” this week and I’m going to fix it in the coming week. It’s just a reminder that even though I’m feeding my body the right foods, I also have to remember to give it the right tools to continue functioning properly as well.
I saw this post at the perfect time. I haven’t been drinking water as much as I should. Even though I have decreased my coffee consumption by 50 percent I have not been good about my water. This can be a frustrating journey towards better health but I am determined. Thank you for this post!
I am so bad at drinking water daily. I am lucky if I get 20 ounces of liquid a day and 16 of that is coffee
I’m not always good about drinking water either, but after reading this, I am going to ry to be better! Pinning this too!
I am so glad that you’re not letting this discourage you. I don’t think I’ve had one drop of water today. Normally, I’m good at drinking it (it’s just about all I drink, so it’s that or nothing), but today, apparently, is a different story.