Water Facts

[Jann]

.·:*¨¨* WATER Facts *¨¨*:·.

• 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. This likely applies to half of the world population.
  
• In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often mistaken for hunger.
  
• Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as much as 3%
  
• One glass of water shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters in a University of Washington study.
  
• Lack of water is the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.
  
• Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.
  
• A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.
  
• Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, the risk of breast cancer by 79% and a person is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer.
  

Weight Loss Benefits of Drinking Water

Drinking water and losing weight!

"Drink 8 glasses of water each day" is what we hear all the time but what weight loss benefits do we get from drinking water?

All functions within the body require the presence of water. A well hydrated body enables these functions to occur quickly and efficiently. All chemical processes involve energy metabolism and drinking plenty of water will make us feel more energetic and boost our metabolic rate.

Water makes your metabolism burn calories 3% faster.

Drinking water is important if you're trying to lose weight, some studies have shown that thirst and hunger sensations are triggered together. If there is a slight dehydration the thirst mechanism may be mistaken for hunger and one may eat when the body is actually craving fluid. As most food contains some water, if one doesn't drink much they may be subconsciously driven to eat more to gain the necessary water supply however, you also gain the undesired effects of increased calorie consumption. Drinking more water can help to prevent overeating and benefit weight loss.

Importance of drinking water in the modern diet

So many new food product created today not only contain high amounts of energy from added sugar and fats, they also contain very little water. Foods today need to be stored for longer periods and foods with a high water content tend to spoil much faster, think about milk, yogurt, eggs, fruits and vegetables. It may be great to think that we can stock our cupboards full of all these tasty foods that last for months, trouble is, it means less water consumption from foods.

If a weight loss diet doesn't allow much food or if food consumption is mainly in the form of processed, TV dinners it may be necessary to drink even more water to help stop strong cravings for food.

The Most Under-Rated Aspect of Weight Loss

By Kim Beardsmore

If I were asked, "what is the most difficult thing many people find to do when they start a weight-loss program?", I would have to say right near the top of the list is this - they don't drink enough water!

Few people realise at first just how essential water is to the success of their weight-loss program. In fact, the essential place of water in our diet extends to everyone - whether they want to lose weight, gain weight or stay the same weight! We all know we can't live without water, but just why is it so important? Well there are many reasons. Read on and discover why water can help your loss weight and why it is your essential life-force.

Apart from 60-70% of your body being composed of water, water has an extensive range of functions essential to life.

1. Assists digestion, absorption and assimilation of food. If you don't drink enough water you can't get the full benefit of nutrients in the food you eat.
   
2. Assists excretion of waste from bowel and kidneys. If you don't drink enough water you get constipated and put your kidneys under stress.
   
3. Regulates body temperature. If you don't drink enough water you compromise the evaporation process you skin uses to keep you cool.
   
4. Your blood is 92% water. This is your body's transport system distributing nutrients around the body.
   
5. Body secretions and digestive juices are almost entirely water.
   

Why should you drink water when you want to lose weight?

Water is a natural appetite suppressant . Do NOT underestimate the power of this statement. Lack of water can lead to over eating. You brain does not differentiate between hunger and thirst. So, when you think you are feeling hungry, your body may in fact be signalling to you that you are thirsty! If you are not consuming enough water each day and you feel hunger pains, chances are, your body really is crying out for water. In many instances people will find what they thought were hunger pangs were in fact, satisfied by water. Try it! You have nothing to lose, except some weight.

How do you know whether you are drinking enough water each day? Well the answer is not difficult. The average person needs around 6-8 large glasses every day. Well then, how should you drink the 6-8 glasses per day? The aim is to drink water consistently. If you drink too much all at once or too fast, it will simply pass through you, with little or no benefit to your body.

If you are someone who enjoys the 'taste' of water, then perhaps you could fill a 1 litre empty soft drink container with water the drink through it twice during the day. Room temperature or cold water, even warm as some people like - whatever you prefer. Place it on the desk at work in front of you as a constant reminder to sip continuously throughout the day.

Other people find they need a water 'diet' to help them keep on track. So for you, here is a program easily followed to ensure you are well hydrated every single day.

• When you wake up you will often be thirsty because your body loses water while you are sleeping through breathing and perspiration. Drink a large glass of water with a slice of lemon for zing.
  
• Drink another glass of water with breakfast or a cup of herbal tea before setting off the day.
  
• Mid morning - snack on a piece of juicy fruit such as orange, rockmelon, watermelon, cantaloupe, honey dew. Have a glass of water and perhaps try a dash of herbal aloe juice which is wonderfully soothing to the digestive system.
  
• Lunch - think of soup or have a glass of water before your meal, or perhaps a herbal tea.
  
• Mid afternoon - While you are preparing your evening meal, drink a glass of water and snack on some crunchy fresh vegetables.
  
• Evening - Sip a glass of water before your meal with a dash of your favourite fruit juice for flavour.
  
• After dinner - before bedtime drink your final glass of water and sleep well!
  

A few changes will happen when you start out with your water program. Obviously you may find that you need to 'spend a penny' more often. Why? Because you body isn't used to being well hydrated.

There is absolutely is no doubt about it. When you start drinking enough water regularly, there are great benefits. You may notice your skin significantly improve and even tired muscles will thank you. Many people find their energy is increased and constipation and headaches are reduced, as well as hunger pains.

Now here's the really exciting part...many people notice a reduction in weight and centimetres, as their body's water store become redundant and so decrease. If your diet has been one that did not provide you with adequate water, your body will have developed a pattern of storing water. It's part of the body's in-built survival mechanism - to store up the essential nutrients in short supply...just in case they aren't available in the future. So if you don't drink enough water, you are 'conditioning' your body to store water. And water is bulk and unwanted centimetres.

It's so simple...drink water! 6-8 large glasses a day.

How do you know if you are not getting enough water each day? This is a really important question because so many of us have deprived ourselves of water for years that we have become accustomed to doing without the full amount of water our body requires and we don't recognise the symptoms of thirst.

1. The most common symptom is headaches. A major function of water is to flush toxins from the body. Your brain is 75% water, so even being slightly dehydrated can cause headaches.
   
2. Poor concentration/fatigue. If you body can't get rid of the toxins it will struggle and you will feel less energetic as your body diverts energy to deal with the toxins.
   
3. Constipation. Your body will divert water to more essential functions and as a result your stools will be harder and more difficult to expel.
   
4. Reduced urine output or dark urine. Did you know that up to 200 litres of water is passed through your kidneys daily? Without a fresh supply of water for the kidneys to filter waste products out of the blood, your urine will become darker.
   
5. Furry tongue or bad breath. If you don't have enough water passing through the mouth to wash away food particles, bacteria can proliferate and result in that 'furry' feeling or bad breath.
   
6. Skin. Your skin should feel elastic. When you pinch the skin on the back of your hand it should snap back instantly.
   

Q. Can You Drink Too Much Water?

From Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.,Your Guide to Chemistry.

A. You've probably heard that it's important to 'drink plenty of fluids' or simply 'drink lots of water'. There are excellent reasons for drinking water, but have you ever wondered if it's possible to drink too much water. Here's what you need to know:

Can You Really Drink Too Much Water?

In a word, yes. Drinking too much water can lead to a condition known as water intoxication and to a related problem resulting from the dilution of sodium in the body, hyponatremia. Water intoxication is most commonly seen in infants under six months of age and sometimes in athletes. A baby can get water intoxication as a result of drinking several bottles of water a day or from drinking infant formula that has been diluted too much. Athletes can also suffer from water intoxication. Athletes sweat heavily, losing both water and electrolytes. Water intoxication and hyponatremia result when a dehydrated person drinks too much water without the accompanying electrolytes.

What Happens During Water Intoxication?

When too much water enters the body's cells, the tissues swell with the excess fluid. Your cells maintain a specific concentration gradient, so excess water outside the cells (the serum) draws sodium from within the cells out into the serum in an attempt to re-establish the necessary concentration. As more water accumulates, the serum sodium concentration drops -- a condition known as hyponatremia. The other way cells try to regain the electrolyte balance is for water outside the cells to rush into the cells via osmosis. The movement of water across a semipermeable membrane from higher to lower concentration is called osmosis. Although electrolytes are more concentrated inside the cells than outside, the water outside the cells is 'more concentrated' or 'less dilute' since it contains fewer electrolytes. Both electrolytes and water move across the cell membrane in an effort to balance concentration. Theoretically, cells could swell to the point of bursting.

From the cell's point of view, water intoxication produces the same effects as would result from drowning in fresh water. Electrolyte imbalance and tissue swelling can cause an irregular heartbeat, allow fluid to enter the lungs, and may cause fluttering eyelids. Swelling puts pressure on the brain and nerves, which can cause behaviors resembling alcohol intoxication. Swelling of brain tissues can cause seizures, coma and ultimately death unless water intake is restricted and a hypertonic saline (salt) solution is administered. If treatment is given before tissue swelling causes too much cellular damage, then a complete recovery can be expected within a few days.

It's Not How Much You Drink, It's How Fast You Drink It!

The kidneys of a healthy adult can process fifteen liters of water a day! You are unlikely to suffer from water intoxication, even if you drink a lot of water, as long as you drink over time as opposed to intaking an enormous volume at one time. As a general guideline, most adults need about three quarts of fluid each day. Much of that water comes from food, so 8-12 eight ounce glasses a day is a common recommended intake. You may need more water if the weather is very warm or very dry, if you are exercising, or if you are taking certain medications. The bottom line is this: it's possible to drink too much water, but unless you are running a marathon or an infant, water intoxication is a very uncommon condition.

Final thoughts. Caffeinated drinks cause the body to lose water. They are what's known as diuretics as they cause your body to dehydrate. You will do your body an enormous favour by cutting back. For every cup of coffee you drink you will need to drink another TWO glasses of water to counter the diuretic effect. Explore the world of herbal teas instead, you may be pleasantly surprised!

[Kittycat]

Great post Jann, alot info I did not know.

I only drink water..nothing else...not sure if I get in 8 glasses per day, but I am trying hard to increase my intake.

[karenlynn79]

Thanks Jann! As I was reading this I was drinking another glass of water anyway!

[Iluvmyboyz]

Excellent Post Jann,

Great info.

Thanks for taking the time to post that.

Also, wanted to say thanks for the nice words you sent the other day when I was feeling like crap.

But most importantly I want tell you that your weight loss picture is probably one of the most drastic

changes I have ever seen. You look like a different person. Not only are you thinner, I swear you

look 15 years younger. WOW!!! That is amazing!!!

You are one smokin' hot babe!!!

You look happier & healthier.

An absolutely extreme transformation. Keep up the great work!!!

Natalie

[Jann]

Excellent Post Jann,

Great info.

Thanks for taking the time to post that.

Also, wanted to say thanks for the nice words you sent the other day when I was feeling like crap.

But most importantly I want tell you that your weight loss picture is probably one of the most drastic

changes I have ever seen. You look like a different person. Not only are you thinner, I swear you

look 15 years younger. WOW!!! That is amazing!!!

You are one smokin' hot babe!!!

You look happier & healthier.

An absolutely extreme transformation. Keep up the great work!!!

Natalie

I am so glad you are feeling better! Aw, thanks so much for that. I really appreciate it. I am happier and I honestly do feel healthier. I even made a date with a really good friend to go hiking on Friday. She's been trying to get me to go for two years! She went into shock when I didn't make an excuse to avoid going this time. WOOT!

Hugs!

Jann

[UTdigiMOM]

Great post and so timely. I was just telling some fellow bandsters today that the hardest part for me is getting all my water in throughout the day. I printed this out and put it up prominently in my kitchen. Thanks for posting this!

[OICU812]

Very interesting. Something we really need to remember. I know I have days where I don't get enough water intake. One more interesting fact about water. W. C. Fields once said that he never drank water because fish make love in it.

[doinitagann]

great post jann,

I have noticed a huge difference in this weight loss compared to my weight loss in other diets. I relied on diet soda for my liquids. I would try to drink water but the diet pepsi tasted so much better. Now on the lapband, I can't have diet pepsi so I am drinking water constantly. The funny thing is....I love it!!!! I have lost my cravings for diet pepsi. I read on a post before I had surgery that someone lost their cravings for soda and i thought to myself, that will never be me. But it is. I am losing a little easier on the this. A lot to do with the protein and a lot to do with the lack of soda.

BTW- I read that pepsi had something like a 3 billion dollar loss in the 3 rd quarter---I had no idea I actually used to drink that much pepsi.

[Willi333]

... GOTTA GO ... GET SOME WATER ......

Thank you Jann for that post >

That was a great reminder and a kick in my butt. I am guilty of not always getting enough water in. As long as I can think, I had trouble with that big time and I am sure that is the reason for not losing weight since 2 weeks now ....

[JazzyJude]

Excellent post Jann! I've printed this up for my binder as well. yes, it is long but very informative! Thanks for sharing this!

[cckcsharp]

This is soooooooo true. Drinking water has made a great deal of difference in weight loss for me. And I noticed that I stopped feeling that water retention bloated feeling when I was well hydrated. And yes, my skin started to feel better too. I can't agree with this more.