If you are looking to lose weight, one of the things you should absolutely focus on is your daily water intake. In fact, according to a study done by PubMed.gov in 2001, 30–59% of US adults who try to lose weight increase their water intake. Many studies show that drinking more water may benefit weight loss and weight maintenance.
Why is Water key? Here are a few reasons why increasing your water intake can help with your weight loss:
– Drinking water can make you burn more calories
– Drinking water before meals can reduce appetite
– Drinking More Water is thought to reduced calorie intake and a lower risk of weight gain
So How Much Water Should You Drink?
A good general rule of thumb is to consume 1 oz of water for every pound you weight, up to half of your body weight. As an example, if you weight 230 lbs, you should target 115 oz of water daily. This should NOT exceed more than 200 oz a day, which is just under 2 gallons. Ideally, 128 oz or right around a gallon a day is ideal.
Therefore, now that we know why water is important and how much water we should be drinking, what are some tips for hitting those targeted goals?
– Quit drinking carbonated beverages. They contain little water, little nutritional value, and they do not hydrate you.
– Buy three water bottles. I prefer 24 oz bottles. Much larger than that and they can be too heavy, too bulky, and difficult to carry around.
– Always have one of those water bottles in your hand or at your desk. As soon as the water bottle is empty, instantly get up, refill the empty bottle and replace it with a cold one.
– Keep the water cold. I find that if the water is cold, it is much easier for me to consume it. Yes, warm or room temperature water can aid in digestion, but if your not going to drink warm water, whats the point? If you like cold water, make sure you have cold water on hand to be successful.
– Do not use a larger water dispenser your fridge. This can work for some but I find that once it is empty I now have a gallon or more of warm water in the fridge that will not be ready for several hours. Three smaller water bottles works so much better.
– Flavor your water. Use fruit to infuse or flavor your water. They actually sell special water bottles to assist with this if you like fruit infused water. You can also use add-ins like crystal light or water flavor packets to make it taste better. I use these daily. There is no rule that says water needs to remain bland.
– Experiment with other water products. There are great products on the market today like Vitamin Water, Protein Water, or even Bai. They are excellent sources of water that bring flavor to the table as well as other nutrients or protein supplements. The only down side is they can be a tad pricey.
In Summary:
Increasing your daily water intake is a great way to see immediate weight loss progress. It’s simple to do, requires very little effort, and can become a very healthy habit to pick up. Like all new habits, practice makes perfect. Keep tweaking how you consume water until you find a method that works for you.
Have more tips on how to get your daily water in?
Comment below and we will incorporate them into this blog!