The Golden Rules for Successful Long Term Weight Loss
We all know water is extremely essential to our body. Water is life and we’ve all heard and been told we should be drinking at least 2 liters of water a day. (some even recommend drinking 3 liters daily)!
Water keeps us all-round healthy; it gives us good-looking good-feeling skin, removes toxins from the body and helps ease bowel movement. Staying well-hydrated throughout the day promotes weight loss and drinking water at the right time may also be the key to hunger control, and again, weight loss. We are not kidding! Drinking plenty of water, and drinking at the right time will help you lose weight and even go down a waist size or two.
Drinking Rituals for weight loss.
- Drink at least 2 liters of water every day.
- Have a cup of water in the morning on an empty stomach.
- Drink throughout the day.
- Replace juices, smoothies, sodas with water.
- Whenever you begin to feel hungry, drink a cup of water before eating any food.
- Stop drinking water 30 mins before and resume drinking 30 mins after any meal.
There is a theory that suggests that half the time you feel hungry, you are probably, actually, just thirsty. That’s why we suggest that the next time you begin to feel hungry, drink a glass of water before grabbing that KitKat bar.
Water is 100% calorie-free and because water is an appetite suppressant, drinking water throughout the day and before your meals can actually make you feel fuller and in effect reduce the amount of food you eat at a meal and altogether in a day.
In our previous blogs we discussed the intricate communication system between the gut and the brain and that when the stomach begins to sense that it is getting full it sends signals to the brain informing you to stop eating. Although liquids aren’t registered by the gut as quickly as solid foods, drinking a cup of water every 30 minutes or so for example, can help fill up space in your stomach and kill off those hunger pangs. Therefore drinking water throughout the day can help you to control your hunger and curb unnecessary snacking.
Water is so important and can be so helpful for anyone looking to slim down a waist size and lose weight because unlike any other liquid (or solid for that matter), water is truly the only calorie-free ‘food’ that we consume. We don’t believe there is such a thing as drinking too much water. In fact the more water you drink throughout the day the more you can help yourself lose weight. Try it! For 14 days or so, ditch the juices, the smoothies, the sodas, the protein drinks and definitely those energy drinks and replace them with water. Every and anytime you want to drink or order a drink, make it water. At the end of those 14 days or so see the difference! (If you don’t like the taste of water, add a slice of lemon to make the experience less boring.) The importance of replacing calorie-liquids with water for weight loss and an overall healthier youcan not be emphasized enough.
Water burns fat and removes toxins from the body.
The body functions on water. When the body is dehydrated it cannot function properly. We’ve all experienced this. We go a few hours or more with no food or we skip a meal and we feel tired, less focused and easily irritated! We think we need a sandwich or a latte but really what the body really needs first is water. Dehydration not only affects our cognition, mood and energy levels but dehydration can also result in constipation and bloating.
When the body is dehydrated, the kidneys cannot effectively filter and remove toxins and waste from the body. Dehydration causes the kidneys to retain fluid. A build up of this fluid (waste) in the body causes bloating and people often feel like their stomach is swollen (adding inches onto their waist.) Water keeps toxins moving out from the body as urine and feces and prevents waste building up. That’s why those that have constipation are often advised to drink plenty of water because water softens hard stools (which cause constipation and bloating.)So staying well-hydrated helps your body get rid of toxins and avoid waste build up, which may temporarily be adding a few inches on the waist. Furthermore, dehydration disrupts a process called lipolysis.
Lipolysis is a metabolic pathway that breaks down stored fat to energy. When the body is in a fasting state, lipolysis is initiated. Water plays a pivotal role in this pathway as lipolysis occurs when water molecules interact with fats to create fatty acids that generate energy. Without water, the body cannot metabolize stored fat effectively. In other words, drinking enough water is absolutely essential for burning stored fat. That’s why those that perform intermittent fasting notice significant changes in their waste size and body weight.
