Water and Diet

Water is vital for every aspect of your body’s function, and it plays a key role in weight loss. We need water for everything from chewing and swallowing to digestion to elimination. If you’re carrying extra weight, water can literally help wash it away. Adding more water to your diet has other health benefits, too. Chances are if you have a big cup of water that you’re drinking out of and refilling all day, you won’t be drinking other liquids that don’t have the same health benefits.

Increasing water consumption usually leads to a decrease in caffeine and calorie intake, which can both have positive health benefits. Caffeine is a diuretic, which means is pulls water out of your cells. (That’s why your morning coffee sends you to the restroom so quickly.) In high quantities, caffeine leads to dehydration, unless that water is replaced in adequate amounts. Our rule of thumb, for every cup of coffee (or any other caffeinated drink), is to balance it with twice as much water. And that’s over and above your 6-8 glasses a day. And if you’re replacing soda with water, you’re even further along the weight loss track, because soda accounts for 10% of the average American’s daily calorie intake.

Worried you’re going to be spending the entire day in the restroom if you drink more water? You may feel like you’re constantly running to the john for a few days, but once your body realizes that the water will keep coming, it will stop hording the water is has been retaining due to moderate dehydration and your bladder will adjust to the new levels. Keep a refillable water bottle with you and drink out of it. Your body and waist line will thank you.