Drink Water!!

If you are just joining this series, please start back at the beginning with a weight loss goal. Praying over a goal is the beginning of any weight loss journey and something I believe is necessary if you want to succeed at all. Now, on to the second week’s goal: drink water! Drinking water is key to weight loss, but that is so much easier said than down for this girl! Let me explain:

Back in 1998 I was a lowly private in the military just trying to survive Basic Training at Fort Jackson, SC. Mornings started earlier than I thought possible and I came to really dislike the winter rains of South Carolina. Basic Training also gave me a new depth of hatred for water. Not only was I forced to drink an entire canteen of water after each and every run, but I stood thigh deep in water during weapons qualifications thanks to that lovely winter rain. Coming home from that military training helped to solidify a fact I had known for a while already: I hate water!

That being said and understood, drinking water is one of my weight loss tactics. The first time I noticed immediate results in drinking more water was just before my first pregnancy. I was a heavy cola drinker and we found that my several-can-a-day habit was costly. We were cutting corners to pay off some bills and my pop had to go. Within the first couple weeks of cutting it out, I lost 5 pounds!! But it would be years later before I took to drinking water for weight loss. Experts can’t agree on whether drinking water is actually a good weight loss tactic or not, but it works for me, and here’s why.

• Your body needs water!
  • Your body is 60% water. Water aids with: digestion, absorption of nutrients, transporting those nutrients, circulation, creating saliva, and the maintenance of body temperature.
  • Your cells need water. Cells that don’t maintain their balance of fluids and electrolytes shrivel. Since your cells are the ‘chemical plants’ of your body, they need the fluids.
  • Your muscles need water. Muscle is simply a large gathering of cells. If cells shrivel without a good balance of fluids, then your muscles will lose 
  • Your skin uses water as the protective barrier that keeps excessive fluids from leaving (sweat). Skin that does not have adequate water content wrinkle.
  • Your kidneys need water. Fluids are the transport system for your cells. They transport waste out of your body through your kidneys. The kidneys need this fluid super highway to do their job properly.

They’re (sugary drinks are) toxic to your teeth and leaches calcium from your bones in addition to contributing heavily to obesity because of the sugar content. No ifs, ands, or buts, just avoid them.
Dr. Rohit Chandra

So water is extremely beneficial to your body. Recent studies have shown that 6-8oz. cups is a good goal to have. Doctors are also recommending that if you just don’t like drinking water (like me) then drinking liquids that are low in sugar are still beneficial. But beware the sugar content of those drinks!! That is where the real danger lies. 

Sodas, energy drinks, and juice should be consumed with extreme caution. Soda (or pop if you are from the Midwest) are simply liquid forms of candy. Just because the label says juice doesn’t guarantee it contains actual fruit juice. Many of the energy drinks aren’t any better since they contain excessive sugar and artificial colorings. Good old water has no sugars in it, so grab that and toss it back.

Some studies (show) that there is increased platelet aggregation along with heart problems. Caffeine is fine for bodies but excessive quantities are a problem.
Dr. Pacheco

My personal favorite form of water is either drip brewed through course ground coffee beans into my insulated carafe…or it is pushed with force through a dense ‘hockey puck’ of fresh ground espresso within my latte machine. Either way, I am a caffeine consumer of the excessive sort. My beloved coffee has also come under the radar recently. While regular amounts of caffeine do boost metabolism and brain function, inhaling as much as I do actually inhibits weight loss. When I say excessive caffeine intake is bad, I am talking about more than 5-8oz cups a day…that means me! Studies have shown that 2-3 cups of coffee a day will boost metabolism and can reduce the risk of type-2 diabetes. However, excessive amounts of coffee, even just 32oz of latte (what amounts to 6 shots of espresso) a day can inhibit weight loss and retard insulin production. That is bad, folks, real bad!!

So water drinking may need to be incorporated into your weight loss routine. It will help your body expel the bad stuff in it. Water will also help to hydrate your body to regulate it properly. Give your body a great ‘super highway’ at the cellular level as an aid to weight loss. It isn’t a magic pill to lose weight, but it is the first step in my plan!

A word of caution thought about bottled water. If you are an avid bottle water drinker, you may want to read the article concerning the 24,000 chemicals found in common, worldwide bottled water. At least read labels even on water bottles, ok?

For more information on the health benefits of water or other related articles, see the links below.

This is part of a blogging series: Scaling Back

More Resources:

Why drink more water?
Foods doctors won’t eat and why.
Caffeine facts.
Five plus cups of coffee a day?
24,000 chemicals in bottles water!