Lose Weight by Drinking Water and
Avoid Sugary, High-Calorie Drinks

Does it help to lose weight by drinking water? If so, when and how much should you drink?

As a nutrition and weight management consultant, I have known that drinking enough water daily is the foundation any successful weight management program.

When my weight-loss clients faithfully measure their daily water intake and commit to drinking the recommended amount for their body weight and size, the good results are consistent.

I believe there are many reasons for this, including better digestion and thus better nutrient absorption and satisfaction from food.

In addition, drinking water helps optimize body detoxification. Since many toxins are stored in fat deposits, increased water intake enables the body to safely excrete toxins that could prevent healthy weight loss.

Weight-loss studies have shown that drinking water can also help:

• Suppress appetite naturally
• Speed metabolism and
• Increase calorie burning.
  

2010 Study Confirms You Can Lose Weight by Drinking Water

A clinical study conducted by Brenda Davy, PhD, associate professor of nutrition at Virginia Tech, shows that you can lose weight by drinking water.

According to WebMD, Davy says in a 2010 news release:

“We are presenting results of the first randomized controlled intervention trial demonstrating that increased water consumption is an effective weight loss strategy.

"We found in earlier studies that middle aged and older people who drank two cups of water right before eating a meal ate between 75 and 90 fewer calories before the meal.”

Thus, she confirms drinking water’s ability to suppress appetite naturally.

What is not mentioned is the fact that drinking 8 to 16 ounces of water before a meal will also improve the body’s ability to utilize nutrients from food, which helps to satisfy the appetite and minimize food cravings.

Other Beverages Do Not Replace the Need for Plain Water

In our culture, many people have substituted other beverages—including coffee, tea, soda pop, and other sweet, high-calorie drinks—in place of water.

By drinking more water, especially before meals, we naturally will drink less of these other beverages.

As I mention numerous times on this site, no other beverage takes the place of water!

Water is unique in its form and function in the body.

Study Results After 12 Weeks

Davy’s clinical study included 48 adults between the ages of 55 and 75.

These participants were divided into two groups—one group whose participants drank 16 ounces of water before meals and the other group did not.

Everyone ate a low-calorie diet throughout the study.

The results were the following:

• Those who drank water before meals lost about 15.5 pounds
• Those who did not drink water before meals lost only 11 pounds

What is perhaps even more important, however, is that the water drinkers not only lost more weight during the 12 weeks, but according to Davy, they kept “the weight off for a full year after the weight loss study.”

In addition, most of the water drinkers who were studied for an additional 12 months not only kept the weight off but lost an additional 1 to 2 pounds.

The message is clear. Davy concludes:

“People should drink more water and less sugary, high-calorie drinks."

You can read the full WebMD article below.

Further reading . . .

WebMD: Water May Be Secret Weapon in Weight Loss

Return from Lose Weight by Drinking Water to Drinking Water and Weight Loss