You wouldn't think that drinking more water could actually contribute to weight loss, but it can.
Your body needs water to operate efficiently, and starving the body of valuable H2O can prevent healthy weight loss and even cause a person to gain additional weight. A significant amount of research has been conducted on the topic of water consumption and weight loss, and the majority of data leads health researchers to believe that a higher water intake is directly correlated with increased weight loss. So how does it work?
Whether you're going low on carbs, protein, or fat, water is a key element of the weight loss process. Many researchers have discovered that increasing water consumption allows the body to increase the rate at which it burns calories, causing a person to lose more weight. In a recent study, Dr. Michael Boschmann and his colleagues from Berlin's Franz-Volhard Clinical Research Center tracked calories burned in seven male and seven female study participants.
Upon consuming at least 17 ounces of water, the study participants' metabolic rates increased by 30 percent for both genders. Most surprising is the fact that the increase in metabolic rate in both genders only took 10 minutes materialize, and a maximum level was reached within only 30-40 minutes. The study results gave the researchers room to believe that a person who increases water consumption by approximately 1.5 liters a day could potentially burn an extra 17,000 calories over the course of a year. Burning an additional 17,000 only equates to about five pounds of fat, but if you continue to add up five pounds for several years you could be losing a significant amount of weight just by drinking a little more water.
More research needs to be conducted to generalize the results of the study to a broader population, but for now the researchers seem to be on to something. Some of the research experts believe that increasing water consumption may lead a person to feel more full, which could lead to a decrease in regular calorie consumption and contribute to weight loss. Other people feel like flooding the body with water naturally makes a person lose weight. Whatever the reason, there are significant findings that prove water is an essential part of healthy weight loss.
If you're committed to weight loss, take a bottle of water with you everywhere you go. If you're a college student in Utah, take a bottle with you while you walk through your Utah college campus. Utah can be a dry state, so make sure you bring a water bottle with you to remain hydrated. College students are often tempted to drink soda or fruit juice, but always substitute water to maintain a healthy weight. Enjoy the Utah college experience and drink something healthy like water for a change.
