Drinking water: How it can help you lose weight and its other benefits

One of the frequently asked questions in losing weight is “can drinking water make you lose weight?”

The answer is drinking more water, especially if it is cold, can “help” you lose weight. That does not mean though that as soon as you drink water, the pounds will start melting.

According to science, drinking water can help you lose weight in many ways.

Drinking water will give you the feeling of being full, thus, if you drink it before meals, you will eat less. In fact, according to a study, people who drank two glasses of water before eating their meal, ate 22 percent lesser than those who did not drink water before eating.

Also, when you feel hungry pangs, drink water first because thirst is often mistaken as hunger.

Secondly, it is possible that drinking water can stimulate your metabolism. In another study, the drinking water appears to stimulate heat production in the body, particularly when it's chilled. Thus your body will expend energy to warm the fluid to body temperature translating to a faster metabolism. This may not mean though that a significant amount of calories are burned.

Also, if you choose to quench your thirst with water, it will lessen your intake of sugar-sweetened drinks and will save you some calories.

Another way that drinking water can help you lose weight is that your exercise will have a better effect if you are hydrated. It dissolves electrolytes that get distributed throughout the body. The electrolytes’ electrical energy triggers muscle contractions required for movement, making your workout more effective.

Another way that it can improve your workout is that being properly hydrated will decrease fatigue thus allowing you to exercise longer and burn more calories.

Also, another study suggests that your body will need water to burn fat. Drinking more water will allow your body to burn more fat for energy.

Aside from aiding in losing weight, other health benefits of drinking water are it helps in removing waste from your body, keeps your skin bright, boosts your brainpower, and regulates blood pressure.