When I was in my late teens I read something about water and weight loss. Like most 18 year olds I wanted my body to look different to the way it did so at that age I started drinking my 2L of water every day. I carted a water bottle with me where ever I went.
I remember sitting through many a uni lecture absolutely busting for a wee. Oh the pain. However, it stood me in good stead because drinking plenty of water is second nature to me. I still tote a water bottle with me wherever I go and usually have two or three pint glasses dotted around the house.
Water is essential for life. Our cells are composed mostly of water so as we become dehydrated and the cells are depleted of water our body functions are impaired. At full hydration our body function is more optimal and we will generally feel better than if we are partly dehydrated.
This morning, on the Eat.Move.Explore Facebook page I asked how much water people drink each day. One lady talked about her recent experience with increasing her daily water intake significantly and described it as a ‘wonder drug’. She has a greater feeling of internal wellbeing plus her eyes are brighter and hair seems to need less additional moisture.
Each day our body loses 2.5-3L of water through urine and faeces, sweat and respiration. If we are exercising, unwell or spending time in a dry environment then we will lose more. From that it is easy to see where that daily guideline of drinking 2L of water per day has come from.
At a guess I would say that I drink closer to an average of 3L and it varies from day to day depending on how much exercise I’ve done and whether I am at work. My office is air-conditioned so the air is quite drying so I feel like I need to drink more even though I am moving around less.
The truth is that not all of the water we lose needs to be replaced with straight water. Water is just seen as the best choice because it contains 0 calories and, fortunately for us, is easily accessible and free. The food that we eat contains up to 80% water and everything that we drink contains water.
Fruit juice, sweetened drinks, alcohol and caffeinated drinks are not ideal for hydration because of the high sugar content and/or diuretic effect. A diuretic will cause you to lose more water as urine than it is providing.
In its early stages dehydration will cause a range of symptoms including headache, nausea and dizziness. Another typical symptom from not drinking enough water is constipation as it is required to help move food through the digestive system.
In short the statement that 'drinking plenty of water helps you lose weight' is a bit misleading. Increasing your water consumption without making any other changes to your nutrition or activity levels is unlikely to cause weightloss on it's own. By increasing your water consumption you enabling your body to do a better job of it's necessary functions, one of those being digestion.
Improved digestive function, as a result of improved hydration, will help facilitate weight loss in conjunction with other positive changes to nutrition and activity levels.
Water is free so get on it.
Tatum xx
