Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Fast Weight Loss, Drink Water and Lose Body Fat

By Ricardo d Argence

Did you know that sometimes when you think you are hungry it is your body asking for water? As a culture, we have become accustomed to not getting the recommended daily amount of water, and as such, we are in a constant state of dehydration. In some cases, this lack of water is hindering weight loss goals.

As stated above the body sees no difference between its need for water and need for food, therefore many high calorie snacks could be avoided by proper hydration. But this is not the only reason to drink water to lose weight. Water has many functions in the body, after all, you are made up of 60% water.

The main job of water in the body is to flush toxins through the kidneys. This removes all the harmful stuff from our bodies that we come in contact with everyday. When you don't get enough water the kidneys cannot function as they should, this leaves the bulk of their job to the liver.

The main function of the liver is to metabolize fat, but it has other jobs as well. When kidneys are not functioning properly it will help the body maintain health. You can see where this is headed, the lack of fluids depletes the effectiveness of the kidneys, which makes the liver step up limiting the amount of fat it can metabolize.

In addition to all these jobs, water has a host of other functions in the body like: Assist digestion, lack of water leads to poor nutrition; water regulates body temperature; it is a large part of the blood, 92%, which is the body's transport system for vitamins, minerals, nutrients.

Most people are aware of water's ability to help fill you up during a meal, but were you aware that water can increase your metabolic rate? The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism reports a study in which fourteen healthy people increased their metabolic rate in 30%, just drinking water.

By increasing the temperature of the water to the body's temperature, an increase in metabolism occurs. According to research consumption of ice water can help ramp up the metabolism, helping to burn an extra 70 calories each day. That in and of itself doesn't sound like much but over time, it can really add up.

In addition to all the great benefits listed above water will increase skin elasticity, decrease headaches, give you more energy, and overall make you feel so much better. Drinking the correct amount of water every day has even been linked to healthy vision.

Eight glasses every day is suggested, but taking more than usual is more than taking none. At least shoot for five to eight glasses in a 24-hour period. It can be achieved by drinking water throughout the day; an unexpected intake of 8 glasses water in single time will possibly drain out and not provide the above stated results. - 16752

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