Weight Loss
The Most Under-Rated Aspect of Weightloss
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.
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.
Assists excretion of waste from bowel and kidneys. If
you don't drink enough water you get constipated and put
your kidneys under stress.
Regulates body temperature. If you don't drink enough
water you compromise the evaporation process you skin
uses to keep you cool.
Your blood is 92% water. This is your body's transport
system distributing nutrients around the body.
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.
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.
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.
Constipation. Your body will divert water to more essential
functions and as a result your stools will be harder and
more difficult to expel.
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.
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.
Skin. Your skin should feel elastic. When you pinch the
skin on the back of your hand it should snap back instantly.
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!
Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety as long
as you leave all links in place, please do not modify
the content and include the author resource box as listed.
About The Author
Kim Beardsmore, B.Sc, MBA is a successful weight loss
consultant. To see what you can do today to take control
of your weight, visit her website at http://leanmachine.org/?refid=articlecity-23425
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The
Most Under-Rated Aspect of Weightloss
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!
Daily Weight
Loss Motivation
by: Ben E Sather
When you are faced with the daily challenge of trying
to lose weight, you will need to find ways to stay motivated
every day. The factors that keep weight loss motivation
high include your specific goals, your ability to envision
what you want to achieve, and the degree of success you
have in the beginning.
How to Lose Weight
Successfully
by: Mart Gil
For overweight and obese persons, losing weight is very
hard. There are a lot of weight loss programs being offered
in gyms nowadays but still, it’s so tiresome to go
on and on to the gym just for this reason. I myself have
been very interested to start my workout but when I get
the chance to do it, I always feel very lazy. There are
other ways to burn those unwanted fats away and I will
be discussing some of them here.
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