If there is one «holy grail» secret to keeping your body healthy, it’s drinking plenty of water. In addition to keeping you alive by helping your bodily systems function, water can also help you achieve a healthy weight. Here’s what you need to know about how water may help with weight loss or maintenance.
Science suggests that water can help with weight loss in a variety of ways. It may suppress your appetite, boost your metabolism, and make exercise easier and more efficient, all of which could contribute to results on the scale.
What Does Science Say About Hydration and Weight Loss?
Do emphasize that it is «not clear» that drinking water directly leads to weight loss, saying the two may be indirectly related. Cynthia Sass, MPH, RDN, a board-certified specialist in sports dietetics based in Los Angeles, points out that water is just one piece of the weight loss puzzle, and she doesn’t recommend counting on it as a sole weight loss solution.
Water Consumption May Result in Less Food Consumption
One small study, published in October 2018 in Clinical Nutrition Research, found that drinking water before meals helped naturally reduce calorie intake, which may in turn support healthy weight management.
Upping Water Intake May Help Speed Up Metabolism
«Research shows that water can help rev metabolism, and while the effect may be slight, it can snowball to create a greater impact over time,» adds Sass.
How Much Water Should You Drink to Lose Weight?
Do say there is no specific amount of water that’s recommended for weight loss because the relationship between the two hasn’t been scientifically proven.
How Can You Boost Your Water Intake?
«This could mean linking water intake to current habits or setting up reminders to do so». Another approach may be to add water-containing foods to your diet. The Mayo Clinic points out that many fruits and vegetables have a high water content, and highlights watermelon and spinach as two foods that are nearly 100 percent water. Sass suggests keeping a water bottle with you, and setting reminders on your device to prompt yourself to drink.
Finally, Sass suggests motivating yourself to drink water by infusing it with flavor.
What Is Water Weight?
«Water weight is the fluid weight your body hangs onto,» explains Sass. And if you’ve ever started a diet and noticed the numbers on the scale dropping almost immediately, that’s likely due to the loss of water weight. Water weight is often due to a higher than usual intake of sodium because excess sodium triggers fluid retention, Sass continues. If the water weight is due to excess sodium, ironically, «the best way to lose it is to drink more water, and up your intake of potassium, which triggers the release of excess sodium and fluid,» she explains.
Rather, weight from fatty tissue is of health concern. «Fat mass quantity directly causes metabolic health issues such as elevated cholesterol, insulin resistance, diabetes, cardiovascular and fatty liver diseases».
Yet, it can be hard to calculate water intake from food sources. «There is water in all foods, so it can be difficult to measure exactly how much water one is drinking on a day-to-day basis, Do says.
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