Losing weight is difficult, which is why 95 percent of people gain back lost weight from dieting within a year and then some. Some of the simplest things can help you solve the most complex problems. For example, walking every day, cutting down on desserts, switching from soda to water, and parking further from work can have small effects on caloric balance- the difference between the calories you consume and the energy you expend. None of these practices will make you lean, but combining them can have a major impact on weight control.
Everyone has heard it's important to drink eight glasses of a day, but is there much urgency to meet that quota? What if drinking water helped burn fat?
Encouraging people to drink more water is a simple way to promote weight loss. Drinking only one pint of cold water increases resting energy expenditure by 30 percent. Drinking cold water is even better because it takes calories to warm the fluid to body temperature. When the blood reaching the liver is diluted from drinking water, it ramps up the metabolism by stimulating the nerves to create a state of excitement.
Israeli researchers tested the process in obese children around 10 years old. Early in the morning, after not drinking water overnight, the children drank a pint of ice water. Calorie burning increased by 25 percent for an hour. How big a difference is that? Not much admittedly, but it equals an extra five to 20 calories. Do that a few times a day and that could result in two to three pounds of weight loss in a year DOING NOTHING. Something for nothing is usually too good to be true, but this should motivate people seeking weight loss to drink the recommended amount of water- something they should be doing anyway.
References:
1. Boschmann M, Steiniger J, et al. Water drinking induces thermogenesis through osmosensitive mechanisms. J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2007;92:3334-7.
2. Dubnov-Raz D, Constantini NW, et al. Influence of water drinking on resting energy expenditure in overweight children. Int J Obes, 2011 Jul 12 [Epub ahead of print].