Can Water Help You Lose Weight?

I think we all know that water is healthy, but can water help you lose weight? Aside from the fact that water is zero calories, there is some evidence that water can aid in weight loss.

First, water, consumed at the right time, can help you eat less calories. Recent studies by Virginia Tech's Dr. Brenda Davy concluded that consuming water before a meal results in eating less. On average, she found that people consumed 75 fewer calories at that meal.

Now, 75 calories at a meal may not seem like much, but taken over the course of several meals over several weeks this can add up. And, if you're also exercising and watching your diet the weight loss will really accelerate.

Second, mild dehydration can cause a 1-3% drop in metabolism. If you are chronically dehydrated, which it is estimated that 75% of the people in the US are, then you body is not burning calories at an optimal rate.

A third reason to drink water: Water can replace other drinks in your diet. Most people reach for drinks that contain calories, by simply making a switch to water you can drastically reduce the number of calories you consume in a day.

Recently, in the New York Times quoted the medical journal Pediatrics, that “having drinking fountains in schools (and no sugary drinks) seems to be enough to reduce the risk of obesity in kids by 31 percent.”

That's a significant reduction from such minor change.

So, how much water should you drink? Most people should aim to get a minimum of 1/2 their body weight in ounces. For example, a 160 lb person should drink 80 ounces of water per day.