Lose Weight with Water.
The human body is mostly water trapped inside
the fragile walls of
cells. We drink water to maintain the optimum level of hydration in our
bodies,
to flush the toxins out and cleanse the body, to cool off, to keep the
joints
working and to help the food digestion process.
Without
replenishing lost water,
the body goes into dehydration and all functions start to suffer, which
is why
dieting professionals recommend abstaining from food, but never from
water.
Water
also plays an important part in the process of digestion and
elimination of residues. Poor digestion means that you will not get
enough
energy from the food you’re eating. This will
prompt the body to ask for more
food and this is how the weight loss process stops and the weight gain
process
begins. A dehydrated body sends out fake hunger pangs, thus tempting
you to
forget about the diet and eat more food than you should.
Water
is also good filler. If you want to eat
less food, drink a tall glass of water half an hour before every meal.
The
water will fill a large part of your stomach and the body will be
content to
feel that the stomach is not empty. This is not idle speculation, but a
sound
advice whose effectiveness can be confirmed by many dietitians and
weight loss experts.
Most people have no
idea how much water they should
be drinking, and most Americans
live from day to day in a dehydrated
state.
They don't drink enough water -so
,they forget about ideal weight forever.
Without
water,
we would be poisoned to death by our own
waste
products and toxins resulting from
metabolism. Water is vital to digestion and metabolism, acting
as a
medium for various enzymatic and chemical reactions in the body.
It carries nutrients and oxygen
to the cells through the blood, regulates body temperature and
lubricates our
joints (which is particularly important if you're arthritic, have
chronic
muscular-skeletal problems or are athletically active).
We need water to breathe; we
lose approximately one pint of liquid
every day just by exhaling.
If you are not in "fluid balance" you can impair every aspect of your
body's physiological functioning.
Dr. Howard Flaks, Beverly Hills:
"As a result of not drinking enough water, many people encounter such
problems as excess
body fat, poor muscle tone and size, decreased digestive
efficiency and organ function, increased toxicity in the body, joint
and muscle
soreness (particularly after exercise) and water retention."
Proper
water intake is the key to weight loss,"
says Dr. Donald
Robertson, Scottsdale,
Arizona.
"If people who are trying to
lose weight don't drink enough water, the body can't metabolize the
fat, they
retain fluid, which keeps their weight up, and the whole procedure
we're trying
to set up falls apart."
"I'd say the minimum
amount of water a healthy person should drink is 10
eight-ounce glasses a day," he continues, "and you
need to
drink more if you are overweight, exercise a lot, or live in a hot
climate.
Overweight people should drink an extra eight ounces of water for each
25
pounds that exceeds their ideal weight."
Your water
intake should be spread judiciously throughout the day, including
the evening. Dr. Flaks cautions against drinking more than
four glasses in any
given hour. Always check with your physician before embarking on a
water intake
increase program.
You may ask, "If I drink this much water, won't I constantly be running
to
the bathroom?" Initially, yes, because of the hypersensitivity of the
bladder to increased fluids. But after a few weeks, your bladder calms
down,
and you urinate less frequently, but in larger amounts.
There is a
difference between pure water and other beverages that contain
water.
Water is
water. Obviously you can get it by consuming fruit juice, soft drinks,
beer, coffee or tea. Unfortunately, while such drinks contain water,
they also
may contain substances that are not healthy and actually contradict
some of the
positive effects of the added water.
Dr. Jerzy Meduski, Los Angeles, California:
"Beer contains
water, but it also contains alcohol, which is a toxic substance.
Beverages that
contain caffeine, such as coffee, stimulate the adrenal glands..."
Another problem with these beverages is that you lose your taste for
water.
The way to interpret all of this, therefore, is that the recommended
daily
water intake means just that -WATER!
*excerpts from Parade Magazine, Salt Lake
Tribune,
October 22, 1989.
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