Drinking water can help you lose weight, as water contains no calories and can help to curb your appetite as well as boost your metabolism and calorie burning.
Water is also essential for many weight loss-related mechanisms in your body, like regular bowel movements, optimal digestion and adequate hydration.
Drinking more water can be a great weight loss tip, keeping in mind that tea and flavored water can also contribute to your overall fluid intake. Ideally, you should incorporate your water intake outside of your main meal times.
Why drinking water can help you lose weight
Drinking more water can lead to weight loss due to the following effects:
1. Reduces appetite
Water can take up physical volume in the stomach, helping to reduce appetite and cravings within a few minutes of drinking it.
In addition, it is common for many people to confuse feeling thirsty for being hungry. By addressing your thirst levels throughout the day, you can also help to reduce your overall daily snack and calorie intake.
2. Increases calorie burning
Drinking 500 ml of cold or room temperature water appears to boost your metabolism by 2 to 3% for 90 minutes. This can help to burn more calories at the end of the day.
3. Improves bowel function
Adequate hydration can help to hydrate your stool, which can promote optimal bowel movements and prevent constipation.
4. Boosts physical performance
Drinking water also help to hydrate the muscles, which can reduce the risk for sports injuries and ensure optimal post-workout recovery.
Increasing your water intake can also help to boost your performance when working out, facilitating the weight loss process.
To achieve weight loss from drinking water for weight loss, it is important to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle, ideally guided by a registered dietitian and personal trainer.
Read more about other benefits of drinking water.
How to drink water to lose weight
To help you lose weight, water should be consumed without any added substances, as mixing it with other juices, sugars or sweeteners can increase its calorie content.
Therefore, you are advised to opt for pure water, flavored water or unsweetened teas whenever possible.
Eating foods rich in water, such as sugar-free gelatin, watermelon, melon, lettuce or tomatoes can also be a great, low-calorie option.
How much water should I drink per day?
You should aim to drink between 1.5 and 3 liters of water per day. You should try to time your fluid intake to a maximum of 30 minutes before meals and 40 minutes after. Drinking fluids during your main meals can contribute to bloating and impact digestion.
The amount of water that one should drink per day may vary from person to person. Speak to a doctor or registered dieitian if you have any questions about your daily fluid intake.
Flavored water recipes
A great option for those who have difficulty drinking water throughout the day is to add some flavor to the water without adding sugar.
Check-out some ingredients below that you can add to your water.
- Juice squeezed from one lemon;
- 1 cinnamon stick and a handful of mint leaves;
- Cucumber slices and sliced strawberries
- Small pieces of ginger and orange slices, with the peel;
- Pineapple slices and a handful of mint leaves;
- 5 cloves and 3 star-anise;
- A pinch of cayenne pepper.
You just need these ingredients to one liter of water and let it sit for a few hours. The longer these ingredients infuse for, the more intense the flavor will be. There is no need to blend these ingredients with water in a blender. Check-out other infused-water recipes that you can prepare at home.