Drink Up

My mom taught me the importance of exercise, not just by example, but also by helping me get started in this field 29 years ago.  My mom was ALWAYS trying to lose that last 5 pounds.  She tried every diet under the sun and was always on one or another.  Most everyone of those diets have been around the block and back, more than a few times.  We are ALL trying so hard to find that magic bullet, but I have always contended that counting calories, doing regular exercise and drinking lots of water are the key ingredients to a healthy weight.

Why people have such a hard time with the water is beyond my imagination.  It’s cheap, (often free depending where you live) readily available, abundant, easy to transport and at least here in sunny south Florida, quite refreshing!  As a long time advocate of water, I was really happy to see the news report this morning, confirming that simply drinking 2 glasses before each meal helps us to lose weight.

Seems so simple, right?  For the most part, I think most of us really already know this.  Common sense would tell you after 2 glasses of water you would already been starting to fill up.  So scientists from Virgina tested the theory on 48 adults and split them into 2 groups.  For 12 weeks each group consumed a low-calorie diet, one group drinking the 2 glasses of water before the meal, the other group, no water.  At the end of the 12 weeks, the group who drank water lost an extra 5 pounds over the non-drinking group.  The water drinkers consumed about 75-90 fewer calories at each meal. For many of us, I believe those 250-300 calories are exactly what are keeping us from losing that last 5 pounds.

Additionally, I would think that by drinking the 2 glasses before each meal, it would make it hard to be thirsty for the sweetened stuff.  Sugar and sugar substitutes are hurting us in more ways than just thickening our waist line, so filling up on water seems to make a lot of sense.  Always has.  Everything old is new again.  Water, its the new “diet supplement.”   Safe and effective, if you are struggling with weight loss, this seems like a simple experiment to try yourself.

Some worry that too much water will deplete their salt and electrolytes.  Unless you are running a marathon, or working outdoors all day in the 100 degree weather, you probably don’t have to worry about this.  For the past 29 years I have been working out several hours a day, often in the outdoors, and plain old water has been just fine for my hydration needs.  Additonally, eating fresh fruits and vegetables, is a great aid to healthy hydration.

I don’t know about you, but even though I already drink a lot of water, I will be trying this experiment.  Definitely can’t hurt and for those of us that have a hard time squeezing in 8 glasses a day, this would take care of 6 of them!

Cheers!