5 Ways Drinking Water Can Help in Weight Loss

Water is an essential part of our life. Water is required to carry out various day-to-day activities such as washing clothes, washing utensils, gardening, and cleaning. The food we eat is also made using water. There is no such activity which is complete without the involvement of water. Most importantly we need water to quench our thirst i.e. we need water to drink.

The water which is ideal for human consumption is known as potable water. It should be uncontaminated and pure so that we don’t contract any diseases after consuming the water.

Water is required for proper hydration of the body, proper blood circulation, effective removal of waste from the human body etc. Water also helps in maintaining blood pressure or helping in losing weight.

A person can’t survive without drinking water for more than 2 days as all our bodily processes get affected due to a lack of enough water in our body. The organs begin to fail when they are devoid of water.

A. Importance of drinking water

There are uncountable benefits of drinking water. The human body consists of at least 55-60 percent of water. It is advised to drink at least 3 litres of water on average as it is mandatory for the survival of human beings.

Water can be termed as the biological fuel as without water the human body won’t be able to work.

Following are a few reasons why drinking water is important for us:

1. Water is important to maintain body temperature. Enough water intake is important to keep the body temperature normal.
2. When you drink water it helps in removing toxins¹ from the body. Drinking water helps the body remove waste and be free from the accumulation of harmful elements in the body. These toxins can be removed from the human body in the form of sweat or via the urinary tract or anal passage. It also makes the skin glowing and shiny.
3. It is also important to drink water because it prevents dehydration. That’s why during the summer season it is advised to drink plenty of water and to consume water-rich foods. This prevents the risk of a person fainting or getting dizzy during summer.
4. Consuming water helps in weight loss. This has been proven that water helps in weight reduction both directly as well as indirectly. You should know how drinking water helps you lose weight.
5. Drinking water is also very good for patients suffering from high blood pressure as drinking lots and lots of water regulates blood pressure and keeps the blood thin and as a result, prevents the chances of a heart attack. It also prevents stroke and heart disease.
6. Increasing water intake also reduces the risk of the formation of kidney stones² as drinking plenty of water dilutes the stone-forming substances which are removed from the human body via the urinary tract. When we drink a lot of water then these salts are not able to group up together so they are not able to form a stone.
7. If a person drinks enough water then it also eliminates the risk of constipation.
8. Drinking water also keeps a person hydrated making him less prone to tiredness and keeping him active for the whole day.
9. If a person drinks a good amount of water then it also helps in preventing constipation as drinking water enables enough bowel movement to make it easy to pass stools.
10. Drinking water early in the water makes the passage of stools easy. So if you find it difficult to get fresh in the morning then, drinking 2 glasses of water empty stomach just after waking up can be helpful.

B. How does drinking water help you lose weight?

It has been scientifically proven that drinking water is beneficial for humans in diverse ways. From helping you to detoxify your body to maintaining your blood pressure, drinking water is always helpful.

But does it ever strike your mind how drinking water can help in losing weight? Well below given are a few reasons why drinking water helps you lose weight.

1. Water is a calorie-free liquid

Drinking water aids in weight loss since it is a calorie³-free liquid. Water helps in losing weight as it keeps the digestive system of the body active making it possible to lose weight.

Many studies have shown that drinking water has shown an effect on the weight of the person who drinks water. This might not be very huge but it is visible up to a certain extent.

The main reason behind this is the fact that drinking a lot of water keeps the digestive system active and the nutrients of the food that we eat get absorbed rather than accumulating as body fat.

2. Water affects weight loss indirectly

There is no direct proof on how drinking water can directly contribute to weight loss but yes it has an indirect effect on our weight as staying hydrated increases fat metabolism rate. You can only lose weight with a planned and balanced diet. Water can assist in weight loss but can’t solely help in weight loss.

For example, you can prefer to drink water in place of sugary beverages as sugar also increases body weight. Instead, if you drink water this will help you in decreasing your sugar intake helping you reduce your calorie intake.

You can also consider eating water-rich food to lose weight. However, for significant weight management and greater weight reduction, you should consult a dietician and follow the diet plan that is suggested by them.

3. It keeps the body hydrated thus increasing productivity

Another way on how does drinking water help you lose weight is by keeping you hydrated. This proves to be advantageous as when a person’s body is hydrated he can work out for a longer duration without getting tired.

Studies have shown that people who drink more water before doing any sort of physical activity get exhausted less as compared to the ones who drink less water. More water intake is directly proportional to the number of hours a person can work out. This is another indirect benefit of water consumption.

If you are a gym person then you should increase your water intake as this will help prevent you from being exhausted ensuring that you can work more in the gym and as a result burn more calories.

Since water is a calorie-free diet switching to water instead of diet beverages. This is favourable if you want to reduce weight. You can avoid the consumption of caffeine as caffeine consumption increases body weight. Caffeine consumption is also harmful to the heart so it would be better if a person starts drinking water instead.

4. It decreases the appetite

In addition to this, a study shows that when a person drinks water before any meal then he/she consumes less from their actual diet. In fact, it is advised to drink water before eating a meal rather than drinking water after the meal. But how does drinking water help you lose weight if it decreases your appetite?

The reason behind this is that when we drink water before eating then it is natural that due to drinking water our appetite reduces so we feel less hungry and ultimately our food intake gets reduced and thus resulting in consuming fewer calories.

This fact has been proved by the study conducted by Clinical Nutrition Research as they have mentioned that in the studies conducted by them, they found that the people who drank water before taking their meal were found to eat less food from their regular diet thus decreasing their calorie intake.

5. Water increases metabolism

Water is also proven to burn calories as it increases metabolism. Though there is a small decrease in calories just like small savings end up into something big after a period of time similarly even little calories burned on a regular basis when added up on a monthly or annual basis show a great reduction in calories.

C. What happens if a person drinks less water?

As we are aware of the fact that how drinking water help in losing weight, we know that drinking water is very important for us so we should drink enough water.

On average, a person should drink at least 8-9 glasses of water a day. This is required for the efficient working of the human body. If a person doesn’t drink enough water in a day then he/she might suffer from the following problems:

a) Fatigue: This is the major problem suffered by people due to lack of proper hydration. Therefore it is advised to drink an adequate amount of water to stay active the whole day and work efficiently without getting tired.

b) Skin issues: Water is very important for healthy skin as it keeps the skin hydrated. If a person drinks less water then it has an adverse effect on the skin. The person can get wrinkles and look aged if he/she drinks less water than required. So, you must drink an adequate amount of water for good skin.

c) Headache: Our brain also needs water for its proper functioning. If there is a deficiency of water in the human body then the person can get headaches and heatstroke. Therefore when you go out in the sun you should drink enough water to prevent heat strokes or headaches.

d) Constipation: When there is a deficiency of water in the body then a person can also suffer from constipation as water is required for bowel movements. Water facilitates peristaltic movements hence making the passage of stools easy so one should drink enough amount of water.

e) Decreased metabolism: When a person doesn’t drink sufficient water then the metabolism rate⁴ is affected so the recommended fluid intake should be taken.

D. How to increase water intake?

As we know water is important for humans in all aspects thus one should increase water consumption to avail maximum health benefits. And for the people who are looking to lose weight and know about how drinking water help in losing weight, they should try to increase their water intake as much as possible.

A few ways in which we can increase water intake are:

1) Replacing diet beverages with water. Water is a good and healthy replacement for almost all beverages.

2) Drinking not less than one glass of water just after waking up. Drinking fresh water empty stomach has got a lot of benefits.

3) If possible one should eat food and fruits like watermelon, melon, cucumber, gourd etc. which contain a good amount of water, especially during the summer season. This will also replenish the water content in the human body.

4) Instead of drinking sugary beverages, people can consider herbal tea as an alternative as not only will it maintain the water level in the body but will also aid weight loss.

Conclusion

Water is one of the most important things we need to survive. There are a lot of ways in which we need water.

Nothing can quench our thirst better than water. If we drink water in the right amount then our body functions well. Water is required for the proper functioning of the human body. If the water level in a person’s body is below the average level then the person is prone to various diseases.

One such benefit of drinking water is that helps in weight loss. These are just a few examples of how drinking water is good for us but the exact health benefits are much more than our expectations.

FAQs:

1. Heckel, David G. “How do toxins from Bacillus thuringiensis kill insects? An evolutionary perspective.” Archives of insect biochemistry and physiology 104.2 (2020): e21673. ↩︎
2. Thongprayoon, Charat, Amy E. Krambeck, and Andrew D. Rule. “Determining the true burden of kidney stone disease.” Nature Reviews Nephrology 16.12 (2020): 736-746. ↩︎
3. Flanagan, Emily W., et al. “Calorie restriction and aging in humans.” Annual review of nutrition 40 (2020): 105-133. ↩︎
4. Hannon, Marcus P., et al. “Cross-sectional comparison of body composition and resting metabolic rate in Premier League academy soccer players: Implications for growth and maturation.” Journal of Sports Sciences 38.11-12 (2020): 1326-1334. ↩︎

Last Updated on July 24, 2024 by Sathi Chakraborty, MSc Biology