Importance of Water Intake for Weight Loss

Water, Weight & Fluid Retention
Our body is made up of about 60 to 70 percent water. Blood is mostly water, and so are our muscles, lungs, and brain. Water is needed to regulate our body temperature and to provide the means for nutrients to be carried through our blood stream and be supplied to our body organs and tissues for energy. Water also transports oxygen to our cells, removes waste, and provides lubrication to our joints and organs.
Water Intake and Weight Management
Water plays a major role in weight loss and also in weight maintenance. Water suppresses the appetite and helps the body metabolize stored fat. As we know, the role of the kidneys in the body is to flush out extra water along with toxic urea in the form of urine. However, the kidneys cannot function properly without enough water in the body. In that situation, the function of the kidneys is passed on to liver. In the event when liver gets busy playing some of kidneys' roles, it cannot complete its own primary function, which is to burn fat. Thereby, the fat metabolism goes down and the body tends to gain extra weight. Ample amount of daily water intake keeps kidneys and liver to function to their fullest and thereby helps with weight management.
Water Intake and Fluid Retention
Often times, people correlate water intake with fluid retention. That is, they avoid drinking water for the fear of fluid retention in their body. But the fact of the matter is that more water you drink, more weight you lose and it also helps the body get rid of extra fluid retained. In the lack of water intake, body tends to store every single drop perceiving it as a threat to survival. Water is stored in the extra cellular spaces (the space between cells). This extra storage of water outside the body cells shows up a signs of swelling that is reflected in legs, feet and hands. On the other hand, when the water intake in the body is appropriate, the water handling process (utilization and excretion) is normalized leading to a loss of fluid retention.
How much water we need to drink?
In general, a water intake of about 72 ounces per day is recommended for adults. To determine the amount of water you should be drinking every day, you can go with this simple rule: half of your body weight in ounces. That is, for a person weight 150 pounds, he/she should drink at least 75 ounce of water every day. In general, 75 ounce is equal to 6-7 big glasses.
Good Sources of Water
The best source of water is the real water, as Mother Nature designed it for us. You can drink water directly from the faucet or use bottled water sold in the stores. Bottled mineral waters are fine as well, but be careful as they can contribute a significant amount of sodium in your daily intake
Bad Sources of Water
Soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, and other caffeinated drinks are not ideal replacement of the real water that your body needs on a daily basis. They are loaded with high amounts of sugar that converts into fat in the body leading to weight gain.
Call to Action
1. Based on your current body weight, determine how much water you need to drink on a daily basis, based on the formula given above.
2. Stop or at least limit your consumption of soft drinks and alcoholic beverages.
Download your Free 10-Step Weight Loss eCourse. Visit Dr. PJ Prakash's site to find advice on best nutrition to lose weight

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