Fact or Myth: Does Hydrating Before Eating Contribute to Shedding Pounds?

05/29/2024

Water comes as a Natural Appetite Suppressant:

Whenever the stomach feels full, it transmits the signals to the brain to stop eating food. Drinking water before eating food causes a feeling of fullness, resulting in reduced appetite and food intake. 

You may feel hungry when you are actually feeling thirsty. Therefore, before you eat anything, drink a glass of water. It might help you reduce unnecessary munching. 

A study was conducted back in 2014 in which 50 overweight women participated and drank 500 ml of water before lunch, dinner, and breakfast, along with their regular water intake for 8 weeks in a row.  Women who participated in this study reported a decline in body fat, body weight, and body mass index, along with suppressed appetite. 

Water Expedites Calorie Burning: 

There are a few studies that show a correlation between increased water intake and calorie burning. These studies state that drinking water can encourage calorie burning. 

A study conducted in 2024 on 12 individuals who consumed around 500 ml of cold or room temperature water found a significant increase in energy expenditure. This means that by simply drinking water, they were able to burn 2 to 3% more calories than usual, potentially aiding in their weight loss efforts. 

The water may also encourage the body’s energy consumption while resting. Therefore, if you are on a weight loss journey, try to increase your water intake. As a result, you will be cutting off extra weight. 

Drinking cold water may increase water's benefits in burning calories since the body uses energy, or calories, to heat the water for digestion.

Water helps Improve Workouts. 

If you are on a weight loss journey, exercise comes out as your best friend, enabling you to lose weight quicker. If you are trying to shred extra pounds without exercise, you are making your journey more challenging. 

The core benefit of increased water consumption on the weight loss journey is that it assists the connective tissues, muscles, and joints in moving appropriately. In addition to this, water also soothes the lungs, heart, and other vital organs so that they can perform their duties effectively and maximize their activity while working out. 

Make sure you stay hydrated while working out in the gym, as it helps in mitigating hurdles such as fatigue and cramps. Encountering cramps or feeling fatigued while working can affect your confidence and overall workout experience. Therefore, you should always prioritize drinking enough water before, during, and after a workout. 

Make sure you keep your water bottle at a close distance to avoid dehydration during the hot, sunny, and humid weather. 

Burning Fat and Water go Hand in Hand: 

The body needs enough water to metabolize stored fat and carbohydrates. The procedure of metabolizing fat is also known as lipolysis. The first step of this procedure is hydrolysis. Hydrolysis happens when water molecules come in contact with triglycerides to procreate fatty acids and glycerol. 

Increasing water intake enables you to burn the stored fat, and the fat comes from food and drinks. 

A study conducted on animals in the year 2016 disclosed that increased water consumption increased lipolysis and fat burning. 

Drinking Water Mitigates your Liquid Calorie Intake Indirectly: 

In the scorching hot, grabbing your favorite drink, such as soda, juice, or sweetened coffee, is usually normal on the go. People who are on a weight loss journey usually forget that the beverages mentioned above are high in calories, hindering their goals. When you try to shred extra pounds, you should focus on food items that deliver essential nutrients without surpassing the recommended calories. Therefore, you should omit the intake of sports drinks, alcohol, soda, juice, etc.    

You can replace all the above drinks with water or drinks with no calories, such as herbal tea.                  

A survey conducted in 2015 showed that female applicants who consumed around 250ml water after having lunch each day while on a 24-week weight loss program were able to lose 13.6% more weight as compared to other people who consumed the same amount of diet beverages after having lunch. 

Water Flushes out the Waste from the Body. 

When the body is dehydrated, it finds it challenging to flush out waste, such as feces or urine. 

Water makes it easy for the kidneys to filter waste and toxins and maintain important electrolytes and nutrients. When you don’t drink enough water, you can suffer from dehydration, which causes the kidneys to retain fluid. 

Being dehydrated can also lead to lumpy or hard stools, along with constipation. Water assists in moving waste by loosening and softening hardened stools. 

Increasing the water intake will also help you tackle digestive problems, including indigestion and diarrhea. 

In order to escape waste retention in the body, which may add a few pounds, stay hydrated throughout the day. 

Takeaway: 

Drinking water before eating can help you cut off extra pounds. However, this is not the sole factor you should rely upon. Therefore, along with drinking water, you should also focus on eating a low-calorie diet, exercising, avoiding certain food items, etc. In case you can’t plan your weight loss journey on your own, you should get professional help. If you begin your weight loss based on increasing water intake, you may not get the anticipated results. Therefore, it is crucial to take care of other things, along with water intake, while on a weight loss journey. ​

FAQs:

1. Does drinking water before meals help you lose weight?

Water is a natural appetite suppressant, causing a feeling of fullness. As a result, you consume less food, helping to reduce your appetite. If you are on a weight loss program, try drinking water before and during meals to curb and prevent overeating. 

2. Does being hydrated make you lose weight?

Increased water consumption or being hydrated assists in weight loss. Your body demands enough water to metabolize the carbs and stored fat. Increasing your water intake will help you kill the fat stored and the fat brought on by the food and drinks in your body. 

3. Does drinking water before bed make you lose weight? 

Studies unveil that drinking water in large quantities right before hitting the bed doesn’t help with losing weight significantly. However, drinking water before or during meals and while exercising may help you achieve your weight loss goals. Drinking water alone cannot help your weight loss journey. Hence, it's important to remember that other factors play a crucial role, too, such as exercise, maintaining a low-calorie diet, getting enough sleep, and monitoring your water intake.

4. Does drinking water shed water weight?

Being hydrated can help minimize the body's water weight. When one is dehydrated, the body holds on to extra water to compensate for the shortage of incoming water. Being hydrated encourages and fosters kidney function, streamlining the process of expelling excess water and sodium from the body.