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Reminder to drink water
article from http://www.shapeupshop.com/weightloss/water-weight-loss.html
Drinking Water and Weight Loss
by Maia ApplebyDon’t roll your eyes! The potion for losing that excess body fat is all around you. It covers two thirds of the planet. If you eat right and exercise at the intensity, frequency and duration proper for you, but still can’t get rid of a little paunch here and there, you’re probably just not drinking enough water.
No need to get defensive. You’re actually quite normal. Most people don’t drink enough water. Most people are also carrying around a few more pounds than they would be if they did drink enough water. If you can’t seem to get that weight off, try drowning your sorrows in nature’s magical weight-loss mineral. It works, and here’s why:
“What on Earth is ‘metabolism’, anyway?” People use the term all the time, but ask them what it means and you’ll get all kinds of answers. Merriam Webster defines it as, “The process by which a substance is handled in the body.” A little vague, but that’s really all it means.
There are many forms of metabolism going on in your body right now, but the one everyone is talking about it the metabolism of fat. This is actually something that the liver does when it converts stored fat to energy. The liver has other functions, but this is one of its main jobs.
Unfortunately, another of the liver’s duties is to pick up the slack for the kidneys, which need plenty of water to work properly. If the kidneys are water-deprived, the liver has to do their work along with its own, lowering its total productivity. It then can’t metabolize fat as quickly or efficiently as it could when the kidneys were pulling their own weight. If you allow this to happen, not only are you being unfair to your liver, but you’re also setting yourself up to store fat.
“I’ve tried it and I couldn’t stand it!” The problem is that, though many decide to increase their water intake, very few stick with it. It’s understandable. During the first few days of drinking more water than your body is accustomed to, you’re running to the bathroom constantly. This can be very discouraging, and it can certainly interfere with an otherwise normal day at work. It seems that the water is coming out just as fast as it’s going in, and many people decide that their new hydration habit is fruitless.
Do take heed , though. What is really happening is that your body is flushing itself of the water it has been storing throughout all those years of “survival mode”. It takes a while, but this is a beautiful thing happening to you. As you continue to give your body all the water it could ask for, it gets rid of what it doesn’t need. It gets rid of the water it was holding onto in your ankles and your hips and thighs, maybe even around your belly. You are excreting much more than you realize. Your body figures it doesn’t need to save these stores anymore; it’s trusting that the water will keep coming, and if it does, eventually, the flushing (of both the body and the potty) will cease, allowing the human to return to a normal life. It’s true. This is called the “breakthrough point.”
One recent finding, as irresponsible as it may be, that caffeine increases the body’s fat-burning potential has many people loading up on coffee before going to the gym. This finding may hold some degree of truth in it, but caffeine is, in essence, a diuretic, and diuretics dehydrate. Caffeine may increase the heart rate, causing a few more calories to be burned, but this is at the expense of the muscles, which need water to function properly. This isn’t doing your heart any favors, either. It’s already working hard enough during your workout. Never mix caffeine and exercise. In fact, your best bet is to stay away from caffeine all together. It’s a big bully that pushes your friend water out of your system.
Water is the best beauty treatment. You’ve heard this since high school, and it’s true. Water will do wonders for your looks! It flushes out impurities in your skin, leaving you with a clear, glowing complexion. It also makes your skin look younger. Skin that is becoming saggy, either due to aging or weight loss, plumps up very nicely when the skin cells are hydrated.
In addition, it improves muscle tone. You can lift weights until you’re blue in the face, but if your muscles are suffering from a drought, you won’t notice a pleasant difference in your appearance. Muscles that have all the water they need contract more easily, making your workout more effective, and you’ll look much nicer than if you had flabby muscles under sagging skin.
“Eight glasses a day? Are you kidding?!” It’s really not that much. Eight 8-ounce glasses amount to about two quarts of water. This is okay for the average person, but if you’re overweight, you should drink another eight ounces for every 25 pounds of excess weight you carry. You should also up this if you live in a hot climate or exercise very intensely.
This water consumption should be spread out throughout the day. It’s not healthy at all to drink too much water at one time. Try to pick three or four times a day when you can have a big glass of water, and then sip in between. Don’t let yourself get thirsty. If you feel thirsty, you’re already becoming dehydrated. Drink when you’re not thirsty yet.
Do you think water is yucky? Drinking other fluids will certainly help hydrate your body, but the extra calories, sugar, additives and whatever else aren’t what you need. Try a slice of lemon or lime in the glass, or if you really think you hate water, try a flavored water. Just make sure you read the labels. Remember that you’re going to be consuming a lot of this fluid.
It’s probably a good idea to stop drinking water a good three hours before you go to bed. You know why.
“How cold should it be?” This is debatable. Most experts lean toward cold water, because the stomach absorbs it more quickly. There is also some evidence that cold water might enhance fat burning.On the other hand, warmer water is easier to drink in large quantities, and you might drink more of it without even realizing it. Do whatever suits you, here. Just drink it!
When you drink all the water you need, you will very quickly notice a decrease in your appetite, possibly even on the first day! If you’re serious about becoming leaner and healthier, drinking water is an absolute must. If you’re doing everything else right and still not seeing results, this might just be what’s missing.
If I don’t drink my usual 64oz of water everyday I don’t lose weight and feel bloated. I buy crystal light and fill up a pitcher and pour it into 2 32oz powerade bottles and sip on those all day. That way if I go somewhere I can just bring my bottle with me so I don’t have an excuse not to drink water. I also find that drinking water helps me feel full all day. Usually I eat 1200 calories everyday, well the other day I felt so hungry I ate all my preplanned meals in the first 3 hours of being awake, I thought it was so odd!!! Well after a couple more hours of still being hungry, I realized I forgot to drink water! So I made my crystal light and poured into my bottles and sipped on those the rest of the day and wa-la no more hunger. Water is also important to stay regular if you know what I mean. If you don’t like plain water or crystal light there’s zero calorie powerade in lots of flavors. When I first started drinking so much water I had to constantly go to the bathroom but now that my body is used to it I go about as often as I did before I started drinking extra water.
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14 Replies
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I knew most of the stuff posted on here, but a great reminder all the same! Thanks for posting this https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif
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I am a camel… I am never thirsty. I hardly drink anything and half time I steal sips from husbands drink. If its not in front of me, it never occurs to me I should drink something. I average maybe a tall glass of water a day. I tried drinking 4oz bottles and set alarm to drink a bottle to get a total amount, but I only stuck with that for a few weeks. I only drink juice, water, and ice tea.
Anybody know a good way to get yourself to drink things? I cant "chug" for the life of me, I sip. Writing this makes me feel silly, but its true. I KNOW I need to drink more. Suggestions?
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That was a fantastic article thank you! a light bulb went on in my head that maybe that is why I am breaking out so badly lately I do not drink anything other than liters of pepsi everyday I know shame shame on me! I am breaking the habit and this is my first day of going without and IT IS HARD! I am going to try hard to get in the water my body needs.
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Hey, VV! If you’re a sipper, try a straw–you can take in lots more water without chugging. Also try those Crystal Lite single serving thingies in your water. They taste good and will encourage you to drink more~
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poleophile- That’s a great idea! I think your right about the straw. In restaurants I seem to drink more, now that I think about it. Now to remember to get the drink…I’ll probably have to go back to the alarm idea on my cell. lol
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This is sooo true, thanks for posting!!!! I know if I don’t drink enough water I can see it right away in my extra baby belly skin, it always looks much better when I’m hydrated. I love my water! https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_cheers.gif
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Ive become a hardcore water drinker within the past few weeks. Im working on eating clean and I knew water was something I needed to get back. I was awesome w/it towards the end of my last pregnancy (mostly due to have severe swelling and borderline preclampsa). Im at a minium of 2l a day.
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https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_cheers.gif Thanks so much for posting this. HOW AMAZING! I have been looking for a way to lose that stupid last bit. JUST DRINK WATER, who’d a tunk. ha ha I’m glad that you shared, just really helped show and remind that you need water. Yay first day on drinking water.
How much should you normaly get in a day?
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How much should you normaly get in a day?
That really depends on the types of food you eat, how much you lose through sweat (or tears if you have a really stressful day), and who you are. If you eat a lot of water based foods, then you need less water. If you work out or live in a hot environment where you lose lots of h20 then you need to drink enough to replace what you lost. And just like each person has slightly different caloric needs, people have different water needs. I am one of those people that needs tons of h20 and will get really cranky, headachey, my eyes get dry, and I will start to get dizzy and/or my vision will start to go black if I get over a little dehydrated. So I’m on a pretty exteme end of the spectrum where as some of my friends barely need any water intake at all. (http://www.snopes.com/medical/myths/8glasses.asp)
Also other liquids (tea, juice, etc) also count but some have other sugars or calories which would hurt you if your goal is weight loss.
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@FreeTheSun – Thanks so much! That was helpful. I am going to start watching what I drink. This article was an eye opener for me https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_eek.gif I really didnt know that water was that big. I mean I did know but it never actually clicked. My goal is to drink at least 3 of these arrowhead .5L as a starting and then moving up.
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one way to drink more water is to have a big bottle of water sitting in front of you at the computer, possibly with a straw in it if you’d like. If its big you don’t have to get up to refill it as many times. When I have my bottled water in front of me when I am playing around on the computer next thing I know its empty!
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I try to drink lots of water, but I end up chronically dehydrated anyways.I have tried using straws, bottles, big bottles, reminders, having my husband nagg me…*chuckles* and nothing works. I am the same way with any liquids. To be honest if I have a glass of anything besides red bull its…well its a very rare occasion (think once a month if that). I really dont know why, but I just never get thirsty EVER. The only reason I know I am dehydrated all the time is because my lips are cracked almost all the time. I dont even drink anything with my meals! Any tips on how to fix this?
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one way to drink more water is to have a big bottle of water sitting in front of you at the computer, possibly with a straw in it if you’d like. If its big you don’t have to get up to refill it as many times. When I have my bottled water in front of me when I am playing around on the computer next thing I know its empty!
I have my 32fl oz water bottle in front of me as I type this. I always make sure I bring my water bottle w/me to work every day.
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Thank you for sharing these points.
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