Most people do not need to lose weight, but there are many who struggle with their weight. Whether it’s a medical issue such as diabetes or high blood pressure, or you just want to live a healthier lifestyle, there are a variety of reasons why you might be seeking help with weight loss.
If you’re looking for an easy way to shed some pounds, you’ve probably considered drinking water after eating. While it’s true that drinking plenty of water can help you stay hydrated and avoid gaining weight, it’s not quite as simple as that. There are several factors at play here, and understanding what’s going on can help you achieve your desired results. Let’s take a closer look.
Drinking To Lose Weight?
As mentioned above, drinking water can help keep you hydrated and avoid gaining weight. It’s a well-known fact that staying hydrated can help with weight loss. However, drinking to lose weight is a strategy that often doesn’t work as intended because there are several factors that affect your weight. If you want to drink for weight loss, make sure that you’re aware of and prepared for the following points:
The Effect Of Thirst On Your Fat Loss
Thirst affects your weight in two ways. First, it tells your body that it’s time to eat. So, if you’re thirsty, it might mean that you’re already digesting your lunch or dinner. Second, it helps maintain a healthy body. If you drink enough water, it can help avoid a number of negative effects, such as the following:
- Heart disease
- Cancer
- Obesity
- Type 2 diabetes
- Liver disease
- Kidney disease
- Stroke
- Dental caries
- Mouth infections
- Gingivitis
- Tooth loss
- Muscular wasting
- Facial hair
- Diminished sex drive
- Slowed brain function
- Depressed mood
As you can see, drinking water can have several positive effects on your health, and it’s definitely worth considering if you’re serious about losing weight. But, if you want to get the most out of drinking water, you need to be aware of how it affects your weight in light of the above.
Energy Levels
If you drink enough fluids, especially water, you’ll likely experience an increase in energy levels. In fact, one study found that drinking 450ml of water increased the energy levels of participants by 28%, and feeling refreshed and re-energized even after four hours without sleep. While it might be tempting to get by on a small daily water intake and skip on sleep, this could potentially have negative effects on your health. To boost your mental wellbeing and energy levels, you might want to consider drinking water.
Stimulating Digestion
One major cause of weight gain is poor digestion. Drinking water after meals can help promote digestion and help you break down food into nutrients your body needs. In particular, water helps lubricate the small intestine, which prevents it from getting clogged up with food. If you’ve recently stopped drinking soda, you might experience digestive upset. Although this might take time to settle down, cutting out soda and drinking water can help with digestion and could potentially lead you to lose weight. If you experience frequent constipation, drinking sufficient amounts of water can help eliminate this too.
Maintaining Good Hydration
Drinking water helps maintain good hydration, which is essential for keeping a healthy body weight. In addition to preventing you from gaining weight, good hydration can help improve your mood. If you’re regularly dehydrated, you might find yourself experiencing low moods and occasional depression. To maintain good hydration, drink at least eight glasses of water each day, or as directed by your physician. Remember, you should not drink more than what is recommended to maintain healthy kidney function.
Does Eating Before Sleeping Help With Weight Loss?
If you’re looking for ways to shed some pounds, you might be tempted to consider eating before sleeping. This popular sleeping-eating technique often results in weight loss, and it’s not difficult to understand why. Eating small meals two or three hours before sleep can increase the body’s metabolic rate and help burn calories more effectively while you sleep. According to studies, consuming a small meal or snack before bedtime can result in weight loss. However, eating close to bedtime can cause disruption in your sleep pattern and result in daytime sleepiness and fatigue. If you want to lose weight, avoid eating within three hours of bedtime, especially snacks and sweets. In fact, according to some studies, these foods might even cause you to gain weight!
The Impact Of Temperature On Your Weight Loss
Although we typically think of weight as a measure of how much a person weighs, it is actually a combination of several factors, including muscle, fat, and bone. To lose weight, you need to reduce muscle and increase fat, and drinking water can help with both of these factors. However, the temperature at which you drink water can have an impact on how quickly and efficiently your body uses it. If you drink cold water, you will inhibit the body’s natural warming process, which may cause you to lose weight even if you consume the same amount of calories. In fact, one study found that drinking ice-tea caused weight loss in people who already had a healthy body-mass index. In this case, the effect of temperature was apparently greater than the effect of hydration. This is why drinking sufficiently cold water can help enhance your body’s fat-loss efforts and why you might experience significant weight loss when drinking cold beverages. When consuming food, your body heats up the food it consumes, and eventually the food is broken down into energy your body can use. The same goes for water; although it is usually taken for granted that drinking water will improve your health, it is in fact the case that drinking cold water can do this.
Reducing Bloating
Drinking water can reduce bloating, or the feeling of fullness that some people experience after eating. This is especially true for those who consume a lot of fluids, whether it’s soda or juice. The water in these drinks tends to dilute the concentrated fructose and glucose in the drink, reducing the amount of these sugars available for digestion. Instead of reaching your full capacity and feeling bloated, you might experience a subtle tingling or tightening, which might even feel good! In some cases, drinking water can even help with gas-related digestion issues and eliminate these too.
Does Water Affect Your Sweat Rate?
Your sweat rate can be an important factor in determining how much weight you lose. If you drink sufficient amounts of water, your body will be able to retain more heat while cooling down, which can help you lose weight. In one study, participants took a cold shower and then drank 600ml of water. They were then asked to take a shower without cooling off, and the researchers observed that their body temperature dropped by 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit. If you want to lose weight, drink sufficient amounts of water to reduce your body temperature by 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit or more during exercise and activity.
As you can see, drinking water can affect your weight in several ways. If you’re serious about losing weight, make sure you are aware of how drinking water can help. Although it might be tempting to just drink as much water as you can, you should not do this. The key is to drink according to your needs and take note of how much fluid you should be consuming. If you want to lose weight, it might be a good idea to cut out the fluids you know you shouldn’t be drinking and focus on drinking the right amount of water for your needs.