Sure, kilojoule in and out is still essential, but how much water you drink plays a huge role in determining what side of that equation you come out on, says dietitian Leah Kaufman. She even has all of her patients download an app, like Waterlogged or Water Drink Reminder, that will remind them to drink continually throughout the day. "Drinking enough water is so easy to forget, but it's critical to weight loss success," she says.
Here are five ways that hydrating can help you burn more kJs, curb overeating, and shed kilos...
It powers your workouts.
If you're dehydrated, both your workouts and your results (ahem, fat loss) will suffer. Unfortunately, you don't start to feel thirsty until you lose about 2% of your body weight in water. This is actually the same point at which your exercise performance takes a nosedive, according to researchers. While experts recommend that active women drink 2.7 litres of water per day, Kaufman recommends drinking plenty of water before hitting the gym and more every 30 minutes during your sweat session. To make sure that you're totally fueled up on H2O, weigh yourself before and after your workout (just pee before stepping on the scale), says dietitian Jaime Mass. If your post-workout weight is 2% or more less than your pre-workout weight, you aren't drinking enough. Kick up your hydration even further.
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It increases your metabolism.
Sweat sessions aside, water boosts your burn—period. That's because every time you eat or drink, your body has to work to process whatever's coming in. It's called "diet-induced thermogenesis," and it works for water pretty much the same way it works for anything that contains calories. In one study of healthy men and women, published in the Journal of Endocrinology & Metabolism, drinking water temporarily spiked participants' metabolic rate by 30%. The researchers concluded that increasing water intake by 1.5 litres per day would increase daily kJ burn by about 400 kilojoules.
It helps you heed hunger cues.
You've probably heard the whole "water makes you feel full" spiel before. But water's ability to help you pinpoint your hunger level is even more helpful than its filling abilities. Oftentimes, we think that we're hungry, but we're really just thirsty, says Mass. For instance, many of the feelings associated with being hungry, such as a gurgling stomach, low energy levels, and even light-headedness, also strike when you're running low on water.
When you feel "hunger" set in, drinking some water can help you determine how ravenous you actually are. One 2015 study from the University of Oxford found that obese adults who drank about water 30 minutes before their meals ended up eating less and losing more weight than those who simply imagined that their stomachs were full before sitting down for their meals. Kaufman has her patients follow the same mealtime tactic.
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It boosts energy.
Energy and weight loss are two peas in a super-svelte pod. When your energy levels are up, you crush workouts, have fewer cravings, and are generally way more likely get off the couch. That's where water—which makes up nearly 70% of the human body—comes in. It keeps your cells firing, your muscles fed with oxygen and nutrients, and your brain focused on working toward those weight loss goals, says Kaufman. Drudging your way through a 3 PM slump? Instead of running to the vending machine for a sugar fix, try drinking some water. Dehydration loves to masquerade as fatigue.
It keeps you from drinking other things.
As great as water is on its own, it's even better when you compare it to other bevs, like fizzy drinks and creamy coffee drinks (though we love a frap as much as the next person). Luckily, a 2015 study of more than 1,100 adults found that plain water consumption results in a reduction in high-kJ beverages. More water and less Coke? Check.
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