4 WAYS WATER HELPS WITH WEIGHT LOSS
Water is generally never considered by people to be a food, much less an important tool in losing weight and becoming healthy. But drinking a lot of water has many benefits, some of which do help you lose those extra pounds. In this article, we tell you why and how.
Of all the weight loss tips out there, ‘Drink more water than you think you need’ is perhaps the most important. This might come across as surprising, because water is not a food. It does not have calorie-burning properties on its own. Then why is it such an important weapon in your fight against weight?
Here are a few surprising ways in which water helps you lose pounds and inches.
- We mistake thirst for hunger
Remember those hunger pangs that keep gnawing at you every couple of hours through the day? Yeah, they’re most likely thirst pangs, but your brain interprets them as hunger, sending you to the nearest vending machine or the nearest unhealthy snack. Instead, if you keep sipping on water throughout the day, you will keep the thirst pangs away, which means you will feel less hungry, and therefore less likely to eat when you don’t need to.
- Water makes us feel full
Though water does not have nutritional value, it does have the advantage of taking up volume, and our stomachs do fill up like balloons even when they’re filled with water. By no means should you use water as a substitute for food, but if you’re trying to cut back and you’ve built a balanced diet for yourself, drinking a lot of water will keep you feeling full for longer.
- Water is calorie-free
Water is perhaps the only completely calorie-free drink in the world. Even the so-called calorie-free drinks that are on the market will have some calories in them, and each calorie will add on to your daily diet. Since water is completely free of calories, and since excess water is just passed out as urine, you can safely drink as much as you want without fear that it will show up around your waist someday.
- Water keeps us hydrated
If you can combine water with a little bit of salt and sugar, and make it your staple drink, then you can rest assured that you will not be dehydrated. If adding salt and sugar is too much work, purchase sachets of electrolytic salts that are available in all chemist shops. This will have a triple benefit: your body will get water, it will get its salts, and it will also get a tiny sugar rush each time you take a sip. However, make sure that you go easy on the sugar because that is packed with calories.
So all in all, water is something to be embraced in your weight loss journey. Staying hydrated and feeling fresh are some of the side benefits, but it is an integral part of any weight loss plan. You can experiment with cold water, warm water, room temperature water, flavoured water and sparkling water, but bottom line: have plenty of it!
