Weight Loss and Hydration

True or False?  Drinking more water makes you lose weight faster?

True!  Here’s why water is nature’s magical weight-loss mineral and the best thing we can do to speed weight loss.    It’s all about metabolism.  One of the main jobs of our liver is to metabolize or convert stored fat to energy.  Another of its jobs is to pick up the slack for the kidneys, which need plenty of water to work properly.   If the kidneys do not get enough water, then the liver has to work doubly hard lowering its productivity.  If the liver cannot metabolize fat as quickly or efficiently not only does our liver suffer, but we are setting ourselves up to store fat.

During the first few days of increasing our water intake, we end up running to the bathroom frequently.  This is a good thing – it means our bodies are flushing itself of all the water we’ve been storing in “survival mode” – that water holding onto our ankles, hips and thighs, maybe even around our bellies.  We are excreting more than we realize as our bodies figure we don’t need the excess water, as it now has a new, continuing supply.  Be patient as eventually the flushing will stop and, surprise – you’ll begin to notice other improvements as well – your skin will look better as the impurities will have been flushed out, your muscle tone will improve, as muscles contract more easily when properly hydrated making your workouts more effective and, when you drink all the water you need, you should very quickly notice a decrease in your appetite.

If you are serious about losing weight and becoming healthier, drinking water is an absolute must.  If you’re doing everything else right and still not seeing results, water may be just what you are missing.