WEIGHT LOSS TIP # 7 DRINK PLENTY OF WATER

I disagree that the world's most valuable commodity is oil.
It is water.

I won't give a rat's @$$ if I can drive my car if there is no potable (drinkable) water. I will be dead without it. Drinking plenty of water is always a great weight loss or general health tip. There is no truth to the rumour that it "removes fat from the body" but:

What water does for you

• Makes you feel full
• Assists the digestion, absorption and assimilation of food
• Helps regulate body temperature naturally through evaporation
• Acts as a natural appetite suppressant
• Hydrates skin
• Helps the kidneys and other organs and systems work better
• Reduces muscle fatigue
• Reduces headache
• Improves eyesight
• Reduces water retention

The body survival system causes us to store water for the coming drought because we rarely drink enough of it so, after drinking adequate water over time, your body will stop holding on to so much of it - that is likely why we have that sudden weight loss initially when we begin a plan that includes lots of veggies, fruits and water - we are dumping water weight. The body is starting to catch on that we have changed our habits and is letting go of the survival mode.

Our body apparently is not too bright and sometimes mistakes hunger for thirst so drinking several glasses of water before heading for food can serve several purposes, feed our body the liquids we need, help us feel fuller, perhaps defer the need to eat particularly if we are having our 6 snacks/meals per day already. Thirst is a late warning sign - you are already dry by the time you are thirsty. I think if we were a basic animal with low level brain we would hear earlier warning signs but we are so distracted with input/output and when busy with other things ignore any subtle warnings until too late. We need to be proactive.

There are some promising but preliminary studies which report that drinking plenty of water may assist increase the metobolism or the rate of burning calories by as much as 30%.

Signs of poor water intake/dehydration

• Headache
• Blurred vision
• Poor concentration
• Constipation
• Dark/concentrated urine output
• Poor skin turgor (poor elasticity)
• Furry tongue
• Bad breath

I am not sure of contraindications to drinking lots of water. I imagine they are very few - perhaps people with early kidney failure, congestive heart failure or hypertension. If you have a health condition of concern, see you doctor.

The situation in the news a while back, where someone died participating in a radio station water drinking contest was an extreme case involving many gallons which would likely cause a severe electrolyte disturbance.

What kind of water?

At home I have a double filtering system one in-line in my basement and one in-line in my fridge. However my tap water is perfectly drinkable. I drink whatever type of plain bottled water I can get when on the road - mainly because I find restaurant tap water highly chlorinated and I do not like the taste of bleach.

You can do you own research of your own area water. You can drink your own tap water, filter it, purchase bottled water system, buy bottled water - it is a personal choice and a personal taste. For goodness sake don't buy the stuff with fruit flavours added vitamins and minerals etc. JUST PLAIN WATER.

How Much is Enough?

The usual recommendation is to drink 8 - eight ounce glasses per day. However, this will depend on how much sweating you do with weather and exercise. You may need to add more. Check with your trainer.

The recommended intake does not include coffee, tea, pop, fruit juice etc we are talking JUST water so you may want to cut down on the other stuff - coffee particularly is a diuretic and causes you to lose water.

At first you may find it difficult and you may feel a bit nauseated. Sip at it and be persistent. Soon you will be able to drink it all without a problem. I found nothing sat well in my stomach first thing in the a.m. Now I have two glasses of water while putting on my makeup and getting ready. I am able to eat first thing as well.

Don't guestimate how much you drink - that is, keep filling up a glass over and over. Fill up a large container with the daily requirement and have it right in front of you. I am lucky to have good tasting filtered water at work. As soon as I arrive at work I fill up my container and have it on my desk right in front of me.

Should it be Hot or Cold?

I read somewhere that drinking ice water burns more calories because your body has to heat it. I would doubt it makes a significant enough difference to worry about it. I read somewhere else that cold water is bad for the digestion. I drink both. In the a.m. I have a hot glass with fresh squeezed lemon (ok - the only exception to fruit juice) and other times I liked it iced. I have had no problems with my digestion. So best to have it how you like it so that you get it into you.

When to drink it

A good way to get in the habit is to drink two glasses on getting up - I get at least one glass the night before and leave it on the bathroom counter for drinking first thing and then get my hot version when I reach the kitchen. Take two glasses before your workout, one during, one to two after. I have a glass or two while prepping meals. It prevents me from nibbling. Try to have water intake throughout the day instead of loading up all at once. If you commute you have to plan properly rather than trying to make up for lack of water near bedtime. You will be up all night and you won't get your beauty sleep.

One teeny problem. Ok. You are saying "I can't do this or I will have to pee all the time." Well, let me tell you what happened to me. I used to ration the water I drank because embarassingly I had stress incontinence. I later found it was a very common female complaint. I attributed it to remote childbirth and abdominal surgery, never to my fitness level. It was so restricting that I had considered a very painful and not particularly successful surgery. Glad I didn't. Several months into my fitness journey - it disappeared.

I noticed how religiously I drink water the other evening when I was dining with friends. I went to the powder room 3 times during our several hours there - no one else ever left the table. So who do you think was drinking the recommended water amount?

I commute a long way - I make sure I go before I leave the house - I dont drink anything further until I am about 30 minutes away from work. Same on the way home. At work drinking plenty gets me out of my chair for frequent stretch breaks. It may take planning on your part but your health, your weight loss and your skin among other things will thank you.

DRINK UP