Natural Weight Loss: Lose Weight Drinking Water

Everywhere you turn, it seems like some new health expert or another is telling you yet again to drink water – but why?

Water is one of the most critical steps to health and especially natural weightloss. In terms of survival, it is second only to oxygen when it comes to our body’s needs. If you are wondering how to lose weight with water and why water is just so vital to weight loss, here are some reasons:

1. Drinking water replaces water lost.

You lose more water any time your diet or exercise routines change. When you are working on losing weight, you also lose more water. Water is calorie, fat, and carbohydrate free. That's one reason why we recommend people drink so much of it! There are several other reasons:

• water helps regulate the body temperature
• water carries oxygen, hormones, and nutrients to the cells
• water helps with electrolyte balance
• water cushions joints to protect inner organs
• water aids in the elimination of waste products

You lose water a number of ways throughout the day including through perspiration, exhaled water vapor from the lungs, and urine. Each day you need to replace around four percent of your body weight in water. Drinking six to eight glasses of water a day is recommended for health maintenance. Individual needs vary according to dietary factors, age, weight, climate and humidity, exercise, and the effectiveness of your body's systems.

2. Drink water to detoxify and cleanse your body.

Healthy weight loss programs must include a detoxification because your body actually stores toxins in your fat. In order to get those toxins out of your body you need lots of water to flush your system. Remember it is best to have guidance when doing a detoxification program, like that from the experts at Enlita.

3. Drink water, feel full.

There are nerve endings in the stomach that respond to expansion, even if the expansion is caused by water. Filling the stomach with water triggers the hormones that tell your body it’s full and doesn’t need to eat more.

4. Drink water to produce greater water loss.

The kidneys are like a machine that runs better when mildly overloaded. By increasing the water your kidneys have to filter, they actually work more efficiently. Not only do you process the water you take in, but you also dump some of the "free water" involved with swelling and water retention.

Your total body weight is 60-70% water.

How Much Water a Day to Lose Weight

In order to lose weight with water, the amount of water you will need to drink increases. The key to how to lose weight is keeping your body working efficiently and meeting your personal exercise needs by taking in as much water as you specifically need.

Some research studies have determined that the number of ounces of water you need to lose weight with water equals your weight divided by two. If you weigh 180 pounds, you need to drink about 90 ounces or 11 cups of water daily.

You will notice that this is much more water than the average person drinks. However, this does not account for the water you can obtain from eating a high amount of fruits and vegetables, so you can adjust this rule accordingly.

One simple method of determining if you are getting enough water is to observe the color of your urine; it should be a pale, clear yellow. Weigh yourself before and immediately after exercise. Any weight loss is due to loss of water through perspiration. It is important to drink one to two cups of water for each pound lost during the activity, and to drink at least that amount every time you exercise.

It may seem hard to believe, but you really can lose weight with water and achieve your ideal weight just by making simple, natural lifestyle changes like drinking water in greater amounts.

by: Dr. Kendra Pearsall