Water for Weight Loss

Growing up in Midwest, I never really paid attention to water. I only drank it with a meal (if I wasn’t having Diet Coke! yuck!) or when I was hitting the gym. 

This all changed when I headed off the college at the University of Arizona. I arrived at the end of the summer to the middle of the desert. 100+ degree days, no big deal! I watched as these big guys carried around gallon milk jugs filled with water.

I started carrying my own water bottle too, and since leaving college a few years ago, never have stopped—despite moving back to the Midwest! I realized how desperately dehydrated my body had been for years.

And I’m not alone. 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated.

After getting into nutrition, I found out that water is the #1 most important nutrient you can put in your body. Simply drinking more water and changing nothing else will help you lose weight, because it boosts your metabolism and increases your energy tremendously.

Unfortunately, most of us are dehydrated, and this can cause some major problems because our bodies are more than 60% water. We can live without food for 3 weeks, but water is a totally different story. We can only live without water for a week at most! That is how important water is for our bodies to function properly.

How Much Water is Contained in Our Vital Organs!

• Brain & heart: 73% water
• Lungs: 83% water
• Skin: 64% water
• Muscles & Kidneys: 79% water
• Bones: 22% water

Every step you take, every breath you exhale, even blinking your eyes causes you to lose water. You can see this the most in the winter, when you breathe out and see a puff of breath. That is water! By just living we are constantly losing water, so replenishing is a MUST.

Why You NEED to Carry a Water Bottle at ALL Times!

Dehydration... or hunger? Water is essential to regulating many of the hormones that affect our hunger cues. If you feel hungry at weird and random times, you may just be dehydrated.

Water significantly boosts metabolism. Forget about those weird pills and powders that promise to speed up your metabolism. Tons of studies have proven that drinking enough water for your body can boost your metabolism in a big way - which equals weight loss. Even slight dehydration can cause your metabolism to screech to a halt—so drink up!

Fat is no longer fuel. If you are exercising and eating clean in hopes of losing stubborn fat, you must make sure you are hydrated. Your body’s natural ability to burn fat dwindles when when it craves water.

Beat the Bloat! When you are dehydrated, your body retains every ounce of water it can as a survival mechanism. If you’re bloated, try drinking more water.

Increase your energy. Dehydration is one of the main causes of fatigue. Water is necessary for your cells to absorb essential vitamins and nutrients to keep you alert and awake!

Decreased risk for heart disease and cancer. Harvard Medical School* did an amazing study and found that most heart attacks occur within hours of waking when blood is thickened from being dehydrated all night long. Just drinking more water reduced heart attacks by 41%.

Detoxing. Water is absolutely essential for detoxing. Two main ways we detox is through urine (95% water) and sweat (99% water). Drinking enough water is key in carrying toxins out of our bodies so that we can live a healthy life.

De-stress. Lack of water raises the stress hormone, cortisol, which is responsible for anxiety. Stress is the main reason why we feel a lack of control and will power when it comes to eating.

Glowing skin. Drinking more water hydrates your skin cells, making you look less puffy and dull.

Trace minerals. Our body needs small amounts of trace minerals, like magnesium to function properly. One of the best ways to get these trace minerals is through our water supply.

Toxins In Your Tap Water

-Toxins that are Allowed in our Tap Water: The sad truth is that just deciding to drink more tap water is not enough. Unfortunately, it gets a tad complicated because of major water contaminants.

We live in a highly toxic world, and the sources of water often have all sorts of junk in them:

• Agricultural fertilizer
• Municipal waste incineration
• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the air
• Lead
• Mercury
• Arsenic
• Radon
• Nitrates

The EPA is not always looking out. We rely on the EPA to keep us safe from environmental hazards. However, the EPA only monitors 100 of the 1,100+ chemical toxins that are found in our tap water. The caps on toxins are often arbitrary and levels can go unmonitored for long periods of time.

Industry standards trump public health interest. The money that is used by the EPA to regulate water is tarnished by companies that have a financial stake in using harmful chemicals in agriculture, manufacturing, etc.

According to an investigation by the Huffington Post*, “More than 80% of studies on which the EPA relies have never been published. This means that they have not undergone rigorous “peer review” by independent scientists, a customary method to ensure studies are credible and scientifically sound before they can be published in major journals.”

Water contamination directly linked to deadly diseases. Chemical laden water has been proven to be the definitive cause in many scary diseases from cancer to infertility and Alzheimers Disease.  

Prescription drugs in your glass! You don’t need to go to the pharmacy to get a prescription drug, just drink tap water! According to Harvard Health Publications, tap water can contain antibiotics, antidepressants, blood thinners, heart medications, estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and painkillers.

It’s up to you to take your health into your own hands and drink the cleanest water you can—filtering to the rescue!

What Type of Water is Safe to Drink?

Luckily, there are many types of filters you can buy to filter out the yucky chemical contaminants that we don’t want in our bodies. The best options are well and spring water because they contain natural trace minerals. However, these springs can be contaminated, and also most people don’t have the time nor energy to make a regular trip to the local spring.

For that reason, filtered water systems are great. Here are the most popular options:

Activated carbon: This is the most popular type of filter and is sold everywhere (think Brita). It is efficient in getting out many of the major contaminants and retains essential trace minerals. However, this type of filter has large air spaces where microorganisms can thrive, so there are some better options.

Solid block carbon: The solid block carbon filter is an upgrade to the popular activated carbon filter because it is hard for harmful microorganisms to grow. It’s also great because none of the essential minerals are removed.

Reverse osmosis: Many health gurus are proponents of reverse osmosis water. However, it is on the pricey side because of the multi-filter process system it uses and it has to be installed by a professional. Additionally, it removes the trace minerals needed by our bodi

Distillation: This is a process where water is boiled, turned into steam, and captured into bottles. I would recommend staying away from this water because it changes that structure of the water compounds, it doesn’t get rid of contaminants, and it removes trace minerals.

My favorite filter is the solid block carbon, because it is affordable and doesn’t eliminate those essential trace minerals.

Stop what you are doing right now and put down the plastic water bottle! Plastic is a no-no when it comes to water bottles. Even water bottles than boast the BPA-free label still have tons of chemicals that can leech into your precious water. There are tons of glass water bottles on the market, but I love using a big VOSS water bottle, because if I lose it, no big deal!

Tips and Tricks on How to Drink More Water

Make water part of your morning ritual. The first thing I do when I wake up is reach for my glass bottle and drink a ton of water. While sleeping, your body becomes dehydrated and needs to be replenished. Try to have a goal of drinking at least 16 oz of water right when you wake up. It gives you a jumpstart to your day. If you want a gentle detox, you can add some lemon slices.

Carry a water bottle like you carry your purse! You know that feeling when you forget your purse somewhere and you feel naked. This is the same feeling you should have with your glass water bottle. Have it with you at all times.

Break the soda habit. A lot of people think that because soda is made of mostly water, it still hydrates despite the sugar (and chemical) content. Soda and other caffeinated beverages actually act as a diuretic and can cause you to be super dehydrated. If you must drink soda, make sure you drink an additional glass of water for every soda you have. I love having soda water with extra lime as a replacement for soda. The sensation of the bubbles is still there, and if you need a little sweetness you can add a few drops of stevia.

If you think water tastes bad... I’m just going to be blunt, this needs to change. Water is so important so you must not give up. Experiment with different flavorings like cut up fruit. Also try drinking water from different containers (maybe use a straw) and different temperatures. I used to hate room temperature water so I started off always having ice cold water. Then I eased into many different temperatures of water. Just keep experimenting and trying.

How Much Water You NEED to Drink?

Health professionals say that a good rule of thumb when it comes to drinking water is to drink at least half your bodyweight in ounces. So if you weigh 160 lbs, drink 80 ounces of water. I often need more water when I am active and exercising throughout the day. The goal is for your pee to be light yellow. If it is dark, you are dehydrated, and if it is clear, you may be be drinking too much water.

So what’s your relationship with water? Do you drink it a lot? What are your favorite tips? Let me know in the Comments Section below!

Sources:
* http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/heart-attack-triggers
* http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/08/weighing-safety-of-weed-k_n_639120.html