Perhaps you’ve heard that hydration is important for losing weight, but how do you figure out how much water you should be drinking to get those calories to start melting off?
To calculate how much water you should drink to lose weight fast, you’ll need to do a tiny bit of math. It isn’t hard. We promise.
On average a person should drink 8 glass (1 glass = 8 ounces) of water per day to stay hydrated. If you are overweight or work out vigorously, this number will increase. And then, if you want to lose weight, you can add 1500 ml water to your regular water intake that will help you lose 5 to 7 pounds of weight within 12 weeks, independent of your diet and physical activity.
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Let’s Calculate How much water to drink to lose weight
Step: 1 (How much water you should drink a day)
- Divide your current weight (lbs) by two
- Your answer equals the number of ounces of water you should be drinking every day
Step: 2 (If you work out vigorously, you have to add more water to step: 1)
When we work out vigorously, the body sweats, expelling a lot of water.
- You can add 12 ounces of water to your daily total for every 30 minutes that you work out, as a general rule.
So, if you work out for 45 minutes daily, you would add 18 ounces of water to your daily intake.
Step: 3 (If you want to lose weight by drinking water, you have to add more water )
- If you want to lose weight, you can add 1500 ml water to your daily water intake (Step1 + step 2) to burn around 23 calories per day and to suppress calorie intake by 75-90 calories per meal that will help you lose 5 to 7 pounds of weight within 12 weeks. (study)
- Note: – Drink 500 ml cold water before each meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner) to achieve the weight loss goal.
If you follow the rule of drinking 500 ml cold water before each meal (1500 ml water intake extra per day) for one year then,
How Water Helps Us Lose Weight:
Drinking enough water is vital to keeping your weight loss goals.
- Drinking water increases caloric burn – drinking extra 1500 ml water can burn around 23 calories on average per day.
- Drinking cold water before meals can reduce your appetite – you will consume 75-90 calories less per meal.
- If we drink more pure, filtered water, we are less likely to drink high-calorie beverages like sodas and sports drinks. These are full of sugar, and empty calories we don’t need.
- Water frees fat to be used as an energy source.
- Water helps to clear toxins. When we are overloaded with toxins our body turns to backup plans, like adding fat cells to help store the toxic material. Water helps to flush out both the toxins and fat.
- Too many toxins can disrupt hormonal signals that tell us when we are full, and to stop eating. Drinking enough water helps prevent this from happening.
- Our organs of elimination and digestion can work properly, ensuring we stay a healthy weight when we drink plenty of water.
- Excess sodium is eliminated, and our muscle cells stay hydrated, giving us the energy to stay active.
The Easy Way to Tell If You Aren’t Drinking Enough Water
One of the easiest ways aside from measuring the amount of water you drink every day is to check the color of your urine.
If your urine is pale yellow in color, or almost clear, then you are probably well hydrated.
If it is dark or bright (aside from discolorations that can occur from taking certain vitamins or supplements) then you are likely well dehydrated.
Tips for Adding More Water to Your Diet
- 20% of your daily water intake can come from hydrating foods. This includes things like watermelon, celery, cucumbers, and strawberries (those little berries are 92 percent water!) Many greens contain a lot of water as well, along with important nutrients.
- Add coconut water. Coconut water is very different from sports drinks, as it has no added refined sugar, low in carbohydrates and high in potassium.
- Drink one cup of coffee. Coffee causing dehydration has been debunked as a myth however, the too much caffeine can interrupt your adrenals, and cause you to gain weight. In small amounts though, coffee can give you energy, phytonutrients, and yes, hydration. (Read: How coffee can help you lose weight)
- If drinking regular water seems boring, add some “SPA” to it. Simply by adding cucumber slices, lemon or orange wedges or mint to a tall pitcher of water in your fridge, you can drink the same type of water that is served in fancy salons and spas, making you feel as though you are treating yourself instead of depriving yourself. You can find 40 different spa water recipes here.
Additional Signs of Dehydration
There are many signs of dehydration aside from just feeling thirsty that can indicate your body is not getting enough water to carry out its basic functions – among them, supporting your perfect weight.
- Bad Breath – There are antibacterial properties in our saliva, but when we don’t drink enough water, they start to lessen, causing bad breath due to an increase in harmful bacteria.
- Dry Skin – Many people who are suffering from dehydration and don’t know they have dry skin. This is because there is not enough blood volume to support supple skin.
- Muscle Cramps – If you are prone to muscle cramps, you are likely not getting enough water or electrolytes, like potassium, and sodium that protects the muscles against cramping during exercise or exposure to heat. (Check these best electrolyte Supplements)
- Food Cravings, Especially for Sweet Stuff – If you can’t seem to satiate your sweet tooth, you might be dehydrated. This is obviously a serious problem if you are trying to lose weight, as eating sugary snacks can add lots of empty, nutrition-lacking calories to your diet, as well as spike your glucose levels, causing a vicious cycle of craving MORE sugar.
- Fatigue and Moodiness – Our bodies are more than half water, so when you don’t have enough of it, you are likely to feel tired and anxious.
Mistakes to Avoid
- It is nearly impossible to overhydrate, as usually the bladder and bowels will eliminate excess water, but as long as you follow the formula above, you will be sure to take in enough water to support not only your weight loss goals, but your overall health and vitality. If you are retaining water, it may indicate a medical problem such as a liver, or kidney malfunction, congestive heart failure or the imbalance of your hormones. Talk to a medical provider if you are experiencing bloating or swelling, although these instances should be rare.
- Try to drink your water throughout the day, instead of all at once. This can make it easier to be sure you consume enough.
- Don’t think that by adding soda, black tea, energy, or other drinks, that they can replace pure water. These are often full of caffeine, sugar, or both, which can alter your hormones and interfere with proper hydration and weight loss. Drinks sweetened with ‘fake’ sweeteners like Aspartame or Splenda, can sometimes be even worse, causing insulin resistance, and weight gain.
Staying hydrated with fun drinks, high-water-content foods, and special ‘spa’ recipes can make losing weight by drinking sufficient amounts of water fun! What ways can you add more water to your diet today, to get those pounds to melt away quickly?
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Wow! This blog looks exactly like my old one!
It’s on a entirely different topic but it has pretty much the same
page layout and design. Great choice of colors!
Think I would be sick and near drowning if I drank that much water
Hi Tamra, Generally you should drink 2.7 ltr of water per day (for female). Drinking more than this will aid in weight loss process, only if drunk at right time. If you want to supplement your weight loss effort with drinking water, add extra 1500 ml water to your diet.
84.5 ounce is how much ltr.