skinny on water?

What is the deal with water intake? Everyone is saying we should drink 3 liters of water a day to lose weight. If we drink so much water how do we lose weight? ONe last thing, dont they say when u lose weight, first thing that comes off is your water weight? Confused PT member

Fri. May 18, 9:24am

I posted this in an older thread, but re-posted here because water is a fave topic of mine ;-)

I know this - almost every process in your body is a chemical reaction of some sort and that includes metabolizing fat. Guess what the limiting reagent is? Yep - water.

Every cell in your body needs water to function. Water flushes toxins, keeps your digestive system fuctioning smoothly, keeps your breath nice, keeps your organs working, delivers nutrients to your body, prevents fluids from building up, keeps your skin supple and helps you stay alert. Lose 10% of your body's water and you are dehydrated, however lose even just 2% and you will notice a decrease in athletic funtion and your critical thinking will be impaired. Your body will prioritize and pull water away from less critical areas in order to ensure core functionality.

I hate drinking water (so I read lots of facts to stay motivated), but as I've lost weight and come to be more focused on my health I realize that when I do not have enough water I am tired and sluggish and waaay more likely to make a bad food choice than when I do drink enough. I have fewer cravings as well. So I keep a water bottle handy and do my best. Since I have been working out regularly I have gotten so much better about drinking water because it is apparent after ~10 minutes on the treadmill whether or not I've had enough to drink. Also, I am hungry less than I think because often I confuse hunger for thirst (yeah we've all heard that, but seeing is believing).

Also, drinking water will not put on water weight - it will help flush excess sodium out of your system and thus help you lose any excess water. I do know that fluctuations in hormones and sodium intake can cause you to gain or lose 'water weight', but I've really come to ignore any temp weight gain or loss.

Friday, May 18, 2007, 10:07 AM

Great new think on the market is the flavored water. It has no caffeine and it's sweetened with Splenda. So it's the same 0 calorie water that is so good for us with a little flavor. It can be expensive but so is diet soda and it's much better for you :)

Friday, May 18, 2007, 10:27 AM

Watch the flavored water though - although many are sweetened with Splenda (and there's a whole other post on whether Splenda is good or bad; probably several others. That debate doesn't need to get to this board) - many of the flavored waters are flavored mainly with salt (sodium.) Excess sodium will cause you to retain water, and the number on the scale will go up.

Yes, this is a superficial weight gain, and will come off when you drink more water and flush out the sodium. However, if you are motivated by seeing the scale go down, you may not see it as much if you are taking in sodium along with your water.

Friday, May 18, 2007, 11:21 AM

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