Thursday, December 4, 2014
Incredible as it may seem, water is quite possibly the single most important catalyst in losing weight and keeping it off. Although most of us take it for granted, water may be the only true "magic potion" for permanent weight loss! Why is it so important?
The body will not function properly without enough water and can't metabolize stored fat efficiently.
Retained water shows up as excess weight.
To get rid of excess water you must drink more water.
Drinking water is essential to weight loss. How much water is enough??
On the average, a person should drink eight 8-ounce glasses every day. That's about 2 quarts. However, the overweight person needs one additional glass for every 25 pounds of excess weight. The amount you drink also should be increased if you exercise briskly or if the weather is hot and dry. Water should preferably be cold - it's absorbed into the system more quickly than warm water. When the body gets the water it needs to function optimally, its fluids are perfectly balanced. Once this happens you have reached the "breakthrough point". What does this mean?
Endocrine-gland function improves.
Fluid retention is alleviated as stored water is lost.
More fat is used as fuel because the liver is free to metabolize stored fat.
Natural thirst returns.
There is loss of hunger almost overnight.
If you stop drinking enough water, your body fluids will be thrown out of balance again, and you may experience fluid retention, unexplained weight gain and loss of thirst. To remedy the situation you'll have to go back and force another "breakthrough". By Donald S. Robertson, M.D., M. Sc
Tips For Getting Your 8 Glasses of Water Daily
Sometimes drinking our eight glasses of water a day can be a real challenge. Here are some tips to help you accomplish that feat! It is said by many beauty experts that drinking your water is the cheapest, quickest way to look better! That should motivate us!
1. Make a bet with a co-worker to see who can drink more water in the course of a day.
2. Have a big glass of water at every transitional point of the day: when you first get up, just before leaving the house, when you sit down to work, etc.
3. Make it convenient - keep a big, plastic, insulated water bottle full on your desk and reach for it all day.
4. When you have a junk-food craving, down a glass of water immediately. You feel full quickly and avoid the calories, and it lets time pass till the craving fades.
5. Have one glass every hour on the hour while at work. When the work day is done your water quota is met.
6. While at work, get a 20 ounce cup of ice and keep filling it up from the office water cooler. The key is drinking with a straw - you take bigger gulps and drink much more.
7. Use an infuser water bottle. They contain a cylinder to hold your favorite fruit, vegetable or herb and naturally flavor your water. This is an excellent way to turn boring water into an explosion of flavor! Check out TNT's Infuser Waterbottle here.
8. After each trip to the restroom, guzzle an eight-ounce glass to replenish your system.
9. Don't allow yourself a diet soda until you've had two to four glasses of water. You will find that you won't want the soda anymore or that just half a can is enough.
10. Drink two full glasses at each meal, one before and one after. Also, drink one glass before each snack so you don't eat as much.
11. Carry a small refillable water bottle at all times and drink during downtime; while waiting in a bank line, sitting on the train, etc.
12. Drink two glasses of water immediately after waking up.
13. Bring a two-liter bottle of water to work and try to drink it all before you leave work. If you don't finish, drink it in traffic on the way home - it's like a race.
14. Always keep a 24-ounce bottle of water handy while watching TV, doing laundry, making dinner, etc.
15. Add drinking two glasses of water to your daily skincare regimen. Drink, cleanse, moisturize, etc., then drink again.
Do you have a trick that helps you get in your 8 glasses of water a day? Please share!
