I'm going to start this with a question to everyone: How much water do you drink in one day?
Really think about it. I'm not talking about the water mixed with orange juice concentrate, or the water used to make a quick Cup-O-Noodle lunch. How much water - straight water - would you guess you drink in one day?
The reason I ask is because one of the biggest reasons people cannot lose weight is because they keep themselves dehydrated. Water helps keep our bodies running and without it, it will go into a shock mode and hold onto everything it has, including fat. I always tell people to aim for a gallon of water a day. It sounds like a lot, and I won't lie, it is. For the first couple of weeks, you will be making many trips to the bathroom, but it won't take long for your body to figure out that you are helping it, and it will start to use the water, and let the fat slip off your body instead.
Cold water is the best. Everything you consume requires calories from your body in order to break it down. In the case of water, with one cold gallon of water a day, you are burning about 120 calories just to warm it to body temperature. That doesn't even include the calories your body will use while the water helps to digest food.
If you aren't keeping track of how much water you drink, start. And do your best to drink about a gallon of cold water a day.
What about soda? Let me tell you a little secret: there is no such thing as "Diet" soda. It may be low in calories, but the hell it ensues on your body in other ways is worse than detrimental. Not only does soda have sugar, which is known to create fat, or aspartame, which does the same thing, but soda is also a diuretic. That's right. You can drink a 12 oz can of pop, and, the ingredients in it will tell your body to let go of more than 12 oz of fluid. That is when dehydration starts (there may also be a connection between soda consumption and cancer). Many Americans are dehydrated 24 hours a day and don't even know it. We all drink caffeine in coffee, soda and energy drinks all day just so we can stay awake, and what we really need is some regular old water to fix all our problems.
Sure, water may not taste like a Blueberry Mountain Blast, but the positive effects it has on our bodies makes the unflavored drink of life well worth it.
Also, be careful with the coffee. Too much caffeine from any source can cause problems. Small amounts aren't bad, but try to limit the morning coffee to less than 2 cups. Another option is to switch to decaf. Recent studies show most people cannot successfully tell the difference in flavor. This makes sense considering that most of the flavor is coming from the acids in coffee, which are not removed during the roasting process, whether it is leaded or unleaded.
I always tell people that drinking sufficient amounts of water is the most important part of any health plan; not only drinking it, but also drinking it continuously. Our bodies need water constantly, and drinking a gallon of water in three hours just so we can forget about it the rest of the day is a huge mistake. Drinking that fast stretches your stomach making you feel more hungry when you eat, and it will keep you from drinking for the rest of the day.
My suggestion is to go out and buy a refillable 20-32 oz bottle, fill it every morning, and sip at it all day. Whenever you run out, go refill, and keep track of how many times you refill it everyday. One gallon of water has 164 ounces. I know it sounds like a lot of water to drink, but trust me; your body will appreciate it. And so will your scale.
