Water and Weight Loss
June 30th, 2017
“A study conducted in 2010 reported that obese dieters already following a calorie controlled diet who also consumed two glass of water before each meal lost significantly more weight than non-water drinkers”.
With the colder weather approaching, it is easy for us to go in to ‘hibernation mode’. For me, this means; less exercise, more food and without realising, less water intake. When we are dehydrated, we tend to eat more. Diligent water consumption can curb snacking for the wrong reasons and boost energy.
Tips for drinking more water
As mentioned in my previous blog filtered drinking water: health benefits, below are some ideas on how to consume more water each day:
- Add flavour – In comparison to other beverages, water is a very boring and tasteless drink, which can often make it feel like drinking water is a chore. Infuse your water by adding fresh fruit such as lemon slices or strawberries, or keep your water cold with chunks of frozen watermelon or rasberries
- Drink sparkling water for a little more kick – Much like infusing your water, sparkling water provides water with a more exciting taste than regular water provides all while providing the same nutrients and zero calories that water provides.
- Establish water drinking routines – Be sure to drink a glass of water as soon as you wake up and before you go to bed. Additionally, setting visual cues to remind you when to drink water can also be handy when trying to consume more water. For example, drinking water in the same place at work everyday not only creates habit but also squeezes water intake into your daily routine.
- Eat more hydrating foods – Eating water-rich foods can be a great hack to incease your daily water consumption. Foods such as lettuce, tomatoes, broccoli and spinach all consist of at least 90% water content. While eating these foods cannot replace the water that you should be drinking, adding them into your diet can be a great way to sneak water into your body.
- Use a high quality, high volume water bottle – Drinking out of a large, high quality water bottle will make drinking water a lot more enjoyable. Good quality water bottles will keep your water cool for hours and by having a large bottle, it will force you to drink more water.
Water is 100% calorie free, which is a big incentive, when trying to keep the winter weight off. Next time you are feeling a little hungry in between meals, try having a drink of water or a cup of herbal tea instead of ‘snacking’.
