The Best Times to Drink Water to Lose Weight

With water making up between 65 to 75% of the human body, this essential nutrient can do much more than just quench your thirst. It is widely known that you can last for some time without food; your body however can only survive a few days without water. Water is the most abundant compound in your body; blood is roughly 92% water, the brain and muscles are 75% water, body fat is about 10% water and bones are roughly 22% water. All biochemical reactions occur in water, and water acts as an plays a role in all bodily functions, including digestion, metabolism, nutrient transport, toxin and waste elimination and lubricating the joints.   Many studies show that drinking more water can actually benefit your weight loss efforts. In fact, drinking water can increase the amount of calories you burn, also known as resting energy expenditure. One study found that in adults, resting energy expenditure has been shown to increase by 24–30% within 10 minutes of drinking water.   Drinking water can help boost your metabolism, cleanse your body of waste and even act as an appetite suppressant. Drinking water can help your body stop retaining water as well, which will help you drop those last few extra pounds of water weight before you hit the beach this swimsuit season!   -Drink Before you eat: Due to water’s appetite suppressing effects, drinking some before a meal can help make you feel fuller and potentially reducing your food intake. Drinking before meals can result in an average reduction in intake of 75 calories per meal; that might not seem like a lot but drink water before just one meal per day would cause you to ingest 27,000 fewer calories per year, you'd lose about eight pounds per year just from drinking water!   -Warm it up: Opt for warm water with lemon throughout the day or first thing in the morning. The warm water can help relax the GI tract and stimulate digestion. This can help release more digestive enzymes, helping to increase nutrient absorption and metabolic function.   -Save calories: Don’t drink away your calories, replace calorie and sugar filled drinks, such as soda or sports drinks, with water. Since water is naturally calorie-free, it is generally linked with reduced calorie intake. This is mainly because you then drink water instead of other beverages, which are often high in calories and sugar.   Replace bubbly soda cravings with flavored seltzer waters and save your calories for something worthwhile, like some delicious and nutritious food!   -Jazz it up: Jazz up your plain water by adding slices of lemon or fresh fruit to make your water more exciting. You can even try making large pitchers of iced-tea by using different flavored tea bags to create homemade iced-teas. Add some flavored stevia if you need an extra sweet boost.       How Much Water Should I Drink? The good news is that your total water intake doesn’t have to come from water alone; the bad news is there really isn’t a definitive answer to this question. The old school philosophy of “8 glasses a day” isn’t as accurate as we once thought.   Water consumption levels and requirements are quite individualized, with it being dependent on several factors, such as body weight, intensity of workouts, activity levels, and even how much you sweat.   A general rule of thumb is to drink half your body weight in ounces as a baseline.     Hydrate Now: -Drink one gallon of water per day or at least a minimum of half your body weight in ounces.   -Add unrefined sea salt to your water to replace electrolytes and minerals lost during exercise.   -Mix coconut water (contains potassium, magnesium, vitamins B & C) with your regular water to make a natural sports drink.   -Drink 16 oz of water 2 hours prior to exercise.   -During exercise drink 4-8 oz every 15-20 minutes.   -Add slices of lemon or fresh fruit to make your water more exciting (this will also help alkalize the body).   -Check the color of your urine to see if you are hydrated; it should be pale yellow or clear.