The women's fitness blog

Is it possible to lose weight by drinking more water?

Yes, certainly.

The main reason behind this assertion is that water contains no calories. If you substitute any other fluid you normally drink during a day for water, then you’ll automatically reduce your intake of calories. Water also partly fills the stomach before eating, so drinking water before a meal may help you to eat less of your meal and thus take in fewer calories.

A feeling of lethargy may actually be the reason some dieters don’t feel like exercising and burning off extra calories. In many cases, a lack of energy can be due to a state of dehydration therefore, another positive point of drinking more water is to help increase energy llevels. In fact, there are some people who have lost weight by just drinking more water without any dieting or exercise help. Following this idea won’t make you lose huge amounts of weight, but I really believe it is a good way to start getting into shape, especially by those who don’t have much time to get out and exercise much. The initial results could help boost motivation to continue towards a new exercise program coupled with a healthy eating regime.

How Much Water Should I Be Drinking to Lose Weight?

Our body needs water for all health functions; flushing out toxins, lubricating joints, producing energy and chemical reactions are just a few. If you do not provide the body with enough water, it will take it from other areas of the body causing some common health complaints; headache, joint pains, constipation, lethargy and poor concentration. Although, in some cases these could have alternative explanations, it is worth thinking about drinking more water to eliminate this as a possible cause. With this in mind, it’s hard to drink too much water. So ideally you should drink regularly enough that you are never thirsty.

Obviously, check with your doctor before any dramatic increase in fluid intake. If you have any unusual medical condition, or you need to take certain medications, then drinking more water may affect your condition, so best to be safe and check first!!

The pressures family life can make it difficult to motivate yourself to get started. So, it's worth thinking about what you gain from regular exercise - or conversely, what you stand to lose form lack of exercise.

• Physical inactivity is a major contributing factor to coronary heart disease - in other words, if you don't exercise you dramatically increase your risk of dying from a heart attack, particularly if your family has a history of heart problems.
• Conversely, exercise means a healthier heart because it reduces several cardiovascular risks, including high blood pressure
• Being physically active can help you to manage stress and increase your self-confidence
  
• Regular exercise can help you achieve and maintain an ideal weight, which can be important in managing many health conditions (or may just make you feel happier about your appearance)
• All exercise helps strengthen bones and muscles to some degree, but weight-bearing exercise, such as running, is especially good in promoting bone density and protecting against osteoporosis, which affects men as well as women
• Different exercises help with all sorts of health niggles, such as digestion, poor posture and sleeplessness, and physical activity can be beneficial for a range of medical conditions, from diabetes to lower back pain