How much you need to drink to lose weight
They say that in order to lose weight, you need to drink water. This statement is true for at least three reasons: water does not contain calories, it maintains water-salt balance and, finally, it neutralizes the feeling of false hunger. How to use water in the fight against obesity and how much should you drink to lose weight?
Hunger or Thirst?
Many of us do not think about how much to drink to lose weight, on the contrary, we are rather looking for something to eat in order to lose weight. It turns out that for the human body the difference between hunger and thirst is so small that it reacts to a lack of fluid with an increase in appetite. Moreover, the ability to distinguish between these two sensations decreases with age. And when you think it's time to go on a diet, drinking water is what your body really needs.
The fact is that the centers of hunger and thirst in the brain are located nearby. Water for our body is a source of hydroelectric energy in cell membranes, against the background of which sodium and potassium metabolism takes place. When water is in short supply, cells are "retrained" to rely on energy from food that was previously obtained from water. This pathway leads to the active use of proteins and carbohydrates, as well as to the accumulation of fats. To obtain energy, the body equally needs food and water. Therefore, the body can respond to both signals in the same way.
How to distinguish between hunger and thirst? Nutritionists recommend drinking a glass of water when you feel mild hunger. If thirst is disguised as hunger, then 20 minutes after taking water, the unpleasant sensation will pass, so in order to lose weight, you need to drink water. If your stomach is still sucking, then your body really needs food. There is nothing wrong with taking water before meals. On the contrary, the water will prepare the esophagus for food intake and reduce the raging appetite. Therefore, it is considered the best diet to drink water.
Water-salt balance
Normally, blood contains 94% water, and inside cells the water content reaches 75%. This difference creates conditions for the penetration of water into the cells. But the main balance of intracellular and extracellular fluid is regulated by potassium and sodium ions. Scientists call this the sodium-potassium pump. Sodium helps to retain water in the body, while potassium, on the contrary, removes water. As long as this trio (potassium, sodium and water) is in balance, the weight is kept within the natural range. It is worth breaking the delicate balance, and we have water exhaustion or edema and weight gain.
To understand how much you need to drink in order to lose weight, it is worth understanding - water is necessary for the normal maintenance of potassium-sodium balance. Normally, excess water is easily excreted through the kidneys, lungs, sweat glands. Fluid retention in the body occurs due to imbalance, mainly due to food. For example, sausages, cheeses, smoked meats, salted fish and many other products contain an excess of table salt or, in the language of chemistry, sodium chloride. The use of these products provokes fluid retention at the cellular level. Potassium is found in dried apricots, beans, seaweed, peas, prunes, raisins, almonds, potatoes and many other foods, the use of which helps to remove excess fluid from the body.
To lose weight, you need to drink water
The desire for foods with increased energy value is in our genes. It is a survival mechanism, fine-tuned for millennia. But now that the lifestyle and calorie content of food have changed, the habit of quenching your thirst with energy-rich drinks has become one of the reasons for mass obesity. Knowing the calorie content of our favorite drinks, it is not difficult to calculate how many calories we drink when we are thirsty:
- Cocoa with milk - 102 kcal;
- Milk cocktail - 96 kcal;
- Cherry compote - 53 kcal;
- Coffee with milk - 64 kcal;
- Iced coffee (with ice cream) - 112 kcal;
- Lingonberry fruit drink - 41.4 kcal;
- Orange juice - 60 kcal;
- Grape juice - 70 kcal;
- Apple juice - 45 kcal;
- Bread kvass - 20 kcal;
- Cola - 42 kcal;
- Beer - 45 kcal;
- Dry champagne - 64 kcal;
- Vodka - 235 kcal;
- Tea with sugar - 41 kcal;
- Tea without sugar - 1 kcal;
- Water - 0 kcal.
The numbers that we give correspond to the calorie content of 100 grams of the product. But since an ordinary cup or glass holds at least 200 ml of liquid, then to estimate the real scale of the problem, the figures given must be multiplied by two or more. And only drinking pure water in unlimited quantities does not carry the risk of obesity.
Diet - how to drink water
Is there a "water diet"? Yes, but unlike most food systems, it does not require dietary restrictions. All you need to do is drink enough water. How much water should you drink per day to lose weight? Let's start with the fact that each person's daily requirement is individual - we need about 30-40 ml of fluid for each kilogram of weight. For example, with a weight of 60 kg, you will need 1.8-2.4 liters of water, and with a weight of 90 kg, 2.7-3.6 liters of water daily. This need can be met not only with liquid, but also with food. Almost all solid food is 50-60% water. So, in meat this figure reaches 58-67%, in fish - about 70%, in cereals - about 80% and even bread is 50% water. As a rule, about 40% of the body's daily need for water comes with food, the rest we "catch up" with drinks. Knowing this,you can easily determine for yourself how much water you need to drink per day in order to lose weight - with a normal diet and a weight of 60 kg, you need to drink in addition to food at least 1 liter of water daily, and even more in the heat.
These numbers are only valid for healthy people. With kidney and heart disease, the volume of fluid is usually reduced. And if you are overweight, a nutritionist, on the other hand, may recommend increasing the volume of drinking water by 500 ml.
To decide how much you need to drink in order to lose weight, you must also consider the compatibility of fluid intake with meals. If you drink room temperature water on an empty stomach, it will strengthen metabolic processes and will contribute to weight loss. Water can be taken 20 minutes before meals or in between meals. The main thing is not to get carried away with attempts to replace a full meal with water. Cold water slows down the digestion process, so after a hearty meal, you can only drink warm liquid.
When determining for yourself how much you need to drink in order to lose weight, it is worth remembering that the feeling of thirst always comes with a slight delay, when the body is already suffering from dehydration. To maintain an optimal water balance in your body, get into the habit of drinking 1-2 glasses of water right after waking up.
Water regulates body temperature, cleanses the body, delivers nutrients to the cells, moisturizes the skin, makes joints flexible and helps strengthen muscles, regulates digestion and helps maintain a healthy weight. And if you have already determined how much to drink to lose weight, make regular intake of pure water a daily practice. Always keep a container of water close at hand - let it "settle" on your desktop, in your bag, in your car. And then you can always maintain the perfect fluid balance for a healthy and active life.
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