Your body relies on water and other fluids to function properly and to avoid dehydration and it is vital in supporting your weight loss journey too!
Most of the body’s processes that happen need water in order to take place.
Water is also extremely important so that blood can carry nutrients around the body and get rid of any waste.
Benefits of drinking water:
When it comes to helping with your weight loss, there are so many benefits to making sure you are well hydrated and drinking enough water.
- Water speeds up your metabolism and can help you burn fat more efficiently and quickly
- Water is a natural appetite suppressant – really! Next time you feel peckish, try drinking a glass of water and seeing if it fills you up enough to take away your cravings or hunger pangs.
- Water helps build muscle tone as it lubricates the joints in the body, meaning if you’re adding activity to your weight loss journey, being hydrated could see you achieving better results
- Drinking water nourished your skin as it hydrates skin cells and plumps them up making your face appear younger. Water also flushes out any impurities leaving your face clean, clear and glowing.
- Water speeds up digestion as it helps pass bowel motions and removes waste toxins from your liver, meaning you are healthier from the inside out!
How much water do we need to drink?
We lose fluid through breathing, sweating and urinating so to stay healthy it’s important to replace this.
The European Food Safety Authority recommends that women should drink about 1.6 litres of fluid and men should drink about 2.0 litres of fluid per day.
That’s about eight 200ml glasses for a woman and 10 200ml glasses for a man.
However, the amount a person needs to drink to avoid getting dehydrated will vary depending on a range of factors, including their size, the temperature and how active they are.
So, for example, if you’re exercising hard in hot weather you’ll need to drink more water.
What to drink to stay hydrated?
The best thing to drink to stay hydrated and keep your weight loss on track is…you guessed it…water!
You can have water in whichever form you want – hot, cold, fizzy, with lemon – but the important thing is to drink clear, sugar-less fluids, to ensure you stay hydrated.
Remember, where you can, try to avoid too much caffeine and alcohol as these are both diuretics (they make you wee more) and also make you more dehydrated.
Dehydration
Dehydration occurs when you aren’t drinking enough fluids. It can be hard to know you are dehydrated before it is too late – as often you don’t realise how much you need to add more fluids.
If you are feeling thirsty or feel you are not drinking enough, then it is highly likely you are dehydrated. Some common symptoms of dehydration are:
- dark urine and not passing much urine when you go to the toilet
- headaches
- lack of energy
- feeling lightheaded
If you are suffering from any of those symptoms, you must take on some water as soon as you can, to avoid becoming poorly. Try not to guzzle water down, but take sips often to rehydrate and increase your fluid levels in your body.
Becoming dehydrated often will also slow down you weight loss as your body will retain more fluids, making you appear heavier on the scales.
Are you drinking enough?
If you are finding that your weight loss is slowing, or stopping, try drinking more water.
You can buy brilliant water bottles that show you how much water you have drunk and how much to drink each day to stay hydrated.
If you need more help with any area of your weight loss diet, then remember to contact us at The Slimming Clinic.
Our programmes are lead by weight loss doctors who have help you tackle any weight-related health issues that have been holding back you reaching your goals.