You know that guzzling water can help take the edge off your hunger and nix the urge to snack in between meals. But guess what? The benefits of drinking water far exceeds that. That’s not the only way that having plenty of water can help you reach your weight loss goals.
You shouldn’t just be sipping the stuff when your stomach starts to rumble an hour before dinner. You should be drinking water all the time. (Okay, that’s a little bit of an exaggeration. You don’t literally need to gulp water 24/7. And your individual hydration depends on your size, activity level and the climate where you live.)
1. Drinking Water Can Help You Eat Less at Mealtime
Downing a big glass of water won’t just help you cut back on the snacks. It’s also an effortless way to feel satisfied for fewer calories at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Overweight adults who chugged about two glasses of water half an hour before mealtime for 12 weeks lost just over one kilogram more than those who were told to simply imagine that their stomachs were full before mealtime, found research published in Obesity. The likely reason? Your stomach can only hold so much stuff at once. If it’s already partly filled with water, there’s less room for food.
READ MORE: This Is How Much Water You Need To Drink While You Exercise
2. Water Gives Your Metabolism an Instant Jolt
A couple glasses of water are like a shot of espresso for your body’s fat-burning system. It kicks that thing into high gear—pronto. Subjects who swigged two full glasses of room temperature water experienced a 30 percent spike in their metabolic rate in just half an hour, found one German study. Much of the jolt came from the subject’s bodies having to expend energy to warm the water to body temperature.
3. Ice Cold Water Is Even More Potent
Sip very cold water, and your body will have to work even harder to cope with the chilly influx. Warming a 250ml glass of ice-cold water to body temperature burns about 7 calories, according to research published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. Drink 10 chilly glasses a day for a week, and you’ll burn an extra 490 calories in a week. Over the course of a year, that adds up to more than three kilograms lost—just for staying hydrated. Now, that’s some advice that’s easy to swallow.
