Water, Water, Everywhere

What is the first thing people tell you when you say you want to lose weight? “Drink more water”. Seems so simple, yet for so many of us, it is so much to put away that juice, energy drink, or soda and fill up a tall glass of cold, refreshing water. This is a vice I have struggled with for years, even though I have seen the benefits of drinking water.

In my college days, I was a lot more active, and quite poor. Like most college students, all of my money went to books, housing, and ramen noodles. My room mate and I kept an old milk jug that we had washed several times and we filled it daily. Between the two of us, we were drinking a gallon to a gallon and a half per day. On top of that, our favorite hang out was a park about three miles from where we lived, so at least four times per week, we were taking a six mile hike, there and back. Half of that hike was uphill. We even lived on the second floor of the residence hall so we had to climb stairs multiple times per day.

All that added up to some very thirsty girls. I notice a drop in my waist line by two sizes in a two month span. I am not sure how much of that was the water, but I certainly know it didn’t hurt any. Cleansing my body of junk and allowing myself one or two cokes per day, I was unintentionally watching my calories, and filling myself up more.

There is very little recent evidence that I could find that connects drinking plenty of water with any kind of weight loss, but those that have studied it have contributed the effects with the process of thermogenesis. This is the process through which the body regulates heat, in this case, by warming up cold water in your system. The studies that I recently read about this, say that it has very little effect on a person’s initial weight, but combined with proper diet and exercise, could help in maintaining a healthy weight.

I myself have picked up drinking three liters per day. While it has not yet shown on the scale, I am feeling it in my overall alertness and physical well being. Go ahead, little fishies. Drink up. Bon Appetit!