Burning with water: hydration & weight loss

[Guest354]

I've never been a big water drinker. On the pee chart, I tend to fall between "dark yellow" and "honey." Gross. 

Anyway, I read the NF article on hydration and, like some other commenters, was disappointed to see a lack of weight loss research and the effects of increased water intake, since the old "drinking water makes you lose weight magically" rumor has been floating around even when I was in high school.

 

Googling it for myself, I found this interesting NIH study that suggests not only does drinking water before meals lead to faster satiation and therefore reduced caloric intake during the meal (which one would logically assume, and which Steve does mention in the article) - weight loss is promoted by the digestion (thermogenesis) of the cool, calorie-free life-sustainer. The women in the study weren't actively dieting/exercising differently, yet lost an average of 3 lbs. (1.5 kg) over the 8 week study.

 

The science seems solid, yet I'm skeptical because it sounds like another magic bullet that was flying around for a while in the 2000s - the "negative calorie foods." The idea behind this was that some low calorie, high fiber foods (like celery, cucumbers, and most low-carb vegetables/fruits) require more calories to digest than they actually contain. Taking this premise to its logical conclusion: the more of these foods you eat, the more calories you'll burn...digesting food! Sounds awesome! And fake as hell; the premise of a net caloric loss is false. 

Of course, even if the 'water effect' wasn't supported by some studies, and even though the 'negative calorie' food effect definitely isn't true...drinking 6 glasses daily (what NIH study chicks had) and as many fruits & non-starchy veggies as you want is still good advice, so it's not as if the pseudoscientist-charlatan who came up with the negative calorie gimmick has any blood on their hands, right?
 

Let me know if you find anything with a large sample size - 50 isn't terrible, but it's not great. The general summary seems to indicate that the effect exists, but is negligible compared to the simple "fill-up" effect. 

 

So what do you healthy, sexy people think about water's effect on your personal fat loss? How much do you drink per day? 

[azotus]

Thanks to a delicious spring water cooler at work, I go through like 3 to 4 20oz cups per day. I can speak personally to the satiety and fullness effect. As for thermogenesis... Well... I don't know. Keeping my house at 60 degrees in the winter probably does more to literally freeze my ass off than cold water

[DJtrippyT]

I think the extra calories burned are mostly from going back and forth to the bathroom all the time...

[Eleanorsbee]

I think the biggest advantage to staying hydrated is the lack of water retention.

 

your body holds on to water if it doesnt get enough ... puffy body, less definition ..... if you drink loads the body doent feel the need to hold on to it and you .. well me and others, might not work for everyone, become noticeably more toned and vascular.

 

and

 

If you take creatine, its a necessary to stop cramping and feeling crap through not having enough liquid after it gets sucked into your muscles

 

and

 

on a high protien diet it helps with the consistancy of your stools (euch)

 

and

 

from a physical standpoint your body uses water to transport stuff about the body ... glycogen holds on to water, muscle repair etc, all rely on water ... give your body a decent amount of the stuff and all of this is improved .... dont give it enough and performance drops, recovery drops

 

 

mostly though

 

Drink too much and the extra exersise from going to the toilet 12 times a day, gets you off your ass and to the toilet .. everyone should leave there desk every 55 minutes to walk about, its good for posture

[Disil]

"If you can drink the water very cold, you get an added bonus: it turns out folks like Ellington Darden were right, the body expends calories to heat the cold water. One or two liters of cold water per day can result in an extra hundred or so calories burned on top of ensuring that you stay hydrated."

 

 

Taken from Lyle McDonald's Rapid Fat Loss Handbook.

 

Now I wouldn't expect any magical results from doing this, but drinking a lot of water, preferably cold, is just like many other small things in that it will add up towards the end even if there's no immediate impact felt. It's the same with taking the stairs instead of the elevator/escalator or using a tsp instead of a tbsp of olive oil when cooking.

[lctrc]

I approach the question from the other side: does mild dehydration inhibit fat loss?  I think it does, as well as inhibit many vital bodily functions - so I try to drink at least 64 ounces a day.

[Eleanorsbee]

nice way of looking at it

[Guest354]

thanks for the input everyone! I'm going to aim for 1.5 L/day for the next few weeks and try to keep alert to improved performance, less bloating, and its effect on my digestion. I hope more people see this thread, this is interesting. 

[Raincloak]

A lot of health gurus say that drinking cold water is very bad for you.

 

Personally I don't care for ice water, because it usually tastes of stale freezer.  I prefer room temp or hot tea.

[jfreaksho]

A lot of health gurus say that drinking cold water is very bad for you.

 

Personally I don't care for ice water, because it usually tastes of stale freezer.  I prefer room temp or hot tea.

I know a few older folks and many Asians who drink hot water.  Just plain hot water.

 

I seem to recall something about cold water is a shock of sorts to your system, and so your body works to absorb it more quickly, but I haven't the time to confirm that now.

[Dradis]

I know a few older folks and many Asians who drink hot water.  Just plain hot water.

 

I seem to recall something about cold water is a shock of sorts to your system, and so your body works to absorb it more quickly, but I haven't the time to confirm that now.

 

Does that mean drinking my water hot might mean i need to visit the little boy's room less often? If so, i might try this hot water malarky

[Rurik Harrgath]

On every 'Top 5' list relating to weight loss I've ever seen, hydration usually falls near the top alongside sleep.

 

I've read too many contradictory articles to support or refute thermogenesis.  However I know what works and feels best to me.  I like to down several ounces of water when I first wake up before breakfast, and then keep the majority of my hydration on either side of meals with regular top-ups as my day goes by, and then I generally slow down toward bedtime to keep my nighttime ablutions to a minimum (but still inevitable).

 

Most days I'm taking in around 3L and that seems to be a good number for me.