I know we all hear about how important it is to drink Water and I probably hear it more than most, as I get it drilled into me every morning at our Safety Meetings on the mine site. They are constantly telling us about hydration/dehydration and have a very high focus on it, because of the heat out on the mine. I thought I'd heard everything there was to hear about how good water was for you, but today they gave us some new information and a lot of it really made an impact and is particularly relevant to weight loss, so I thought I would share it with you all. I've underlined the really interesting bits.

WATER

How 8 glasses a day keeps fat away

Water is the

single most important catalyst

in losing weight and keeping it off. It is important to drink 8-10 glasses (approximately 2 litres) a day. You should also increase the amount if you exercise briskly or if the weather is hot and dry.

It should preferably be cold because it absorbs into the system quicker than warm water

. If you're not getting enough water, your body fluids will be thrown off balance and you may experience Fluid retention, unexplained weight gain and

loss of thirst

. Ultimately, when your body gets the water it needs to function at its best, its fluids are perfectly balanced.

Water supresses the appetite and helps the body metabolise fat

The kidneys need enough water to function properly. When they aren't receiving enough,

some of their workload is dumped onto the liver

. The liver's main function is to metabolise stored fat into energy for your body to use. Therefore, when the liver has to do some of the kidney's work, it will not function fully.

This results in the metabolism of less fat

, therefore more fat remains stored in the body and

weight loss stops

.

Drinking enough water is good for fluid retention

When your body is not getting enough water, it begins to hold on to every drop possible to survive. When this happens,

water starts to store itself outside cells and this can lead to swollen feet, legs and hands

. To prevent this from happening, you must drink plenty of water! By doing this, you will be releasing the stored water from cells.

An overweight person needs more water than a thin person

Larger people have large metabolic loads and since water is essential for fat metabolism, it is clear that an overweight person would need a large amount.

Water helps maintain proper muscle tone

Water helps to maintain proper muscle tone by giving them the ability to contract. It also

helps to prevent sagging skin that results from weight loss

. Water re-hydrates the skin and leaves it clear, healthy and supple.

Water helps to flush out waste

When losing weight, the body has a lot of waste or metabolised fat to get rid of and water aids in that process.

Water relieves constipation

When your body isn't getting enough water, it takes what it needs from other sources and the colon is a primary source. This results in constipation, however, by drinking enough water, normal bowel function will return.

Things to remember

• Your body will not function properly without enough water and can't metabolised stored fat efficiently
  
  
• Retained water shows up as excess weight
  
  
• To get rid of excess waste you must drink more water
  
  
• Drinking water is essential to weight loss

I know we all read and hear about how water helps in weight loss but often we don't really know why. I am the sort of person that needs to really understand a process before I can fully take it on board and this information helped me a lot. I hope it helps you too! DRINK UP!!!

Thanks for the post. I don't think water has hit my lips since summer...I'm just not a water drinker.

i usually have to doctor my Water. but i have found that if i just tough it out after a week, i really prefer my water by itself. i think all that crystal light i am drinking is toxic anyways.

thanks!!

Thanks for the article, Fanny.

Grace, I'm not a fan of Water, either. One trick I did learn that helped me was to make it as convenient as possible. A friend mentioned that her sister keeps a bottle of water in the bathroom and drinks 6-8 oz every time she goes to the potty. I tried it and found I drank more during the day.....which made me go more....and then I drank more....which .... you get the picture.

I found it much easier and started looking for other places. Instead of having one big jug of water to lug around all day -- cause I am all over the place! -- I buy it in 16 oz bottles and stash them all over the place.

I break up a 24 pack like this....

• Nightstand
  
• Magazine stand next to toilet
  
• End table next to TV watching chair
  
• On top of Dryer
  
• Computer armoire
  
• Both studio work tables
  
• Several in the cup holders in my car

That way I'm never out of arms reach of a bottle and a lot of times when I start thinking about wanting something to eat, I'll grab a bottle and drink several ounces of water. Its really made a difference.

Hope this helps someone else, too.

Water = fluid guys, that is the biggest misconception out there. There is NO difference to your body whether you take it in as tap water, protein water, bottled water, cordial, juice etc, as long as you get enough FLUID your hydration needs will be met. Even decaf coffee can count. OK, so your body will get a whole lot of EXTRA things that it doesnt need such as caffeine (diuretic), sugar, artificial sweetener etc so drinking plain water is a good habit to cultivate. But you dont need 8-10 glasses of plain water on top of an already adequate fluid intake. You just need to drink enough in total.

But you dont need 8-10 glasses of plain water on top of an already adequate fluid intake. You just need to drink enough in total.

Which means that it's even easier to get in all the fluid you need in a day! :clap2: