Why you should drink more water. The role of water in weight loss

11.10.2019

Why you should drink water

A healthy person needs to drink much more water than most people do. Yogis drink about three liters of raw water per day, not counting liquid meals. The recommended dose for a healthy person is 8 glasses of water a day. We must remember that water is water, and tea, coffee and other drinks are food. Many people suffer from constipation, urolithiasis, headaches for years, get tired quickly and do not suspect that this may be due to the habit of drinking little water. Due to the lack of fluid in the body, as well as the use of drinks that contain caffeine (cola, coffee, tea) and actually stimulate fluid loss - all this contributes to dehydration. But few people know that

Dehydration of the body by only 3% of the total body weight is the first cause of daytime fatigue and slow metabolism;

Dehydration of only 1-2% of your total body weight can impair your mental capacity, concentration and physical performance;

Headache is also a sign of dehydration;

Constipation is a consequence of dehydration;

Dehydration can be a serious barrier to exercise. Since, due to general fatigue, you may simply not be able to cope with the load, and this is fraught with injuries. Drinking a couple of glasses of pure, mildly alkaline water before training will provide you with energy and maintain your health.

Why should you drink water? (jvotes)

1. Water is a source of nutrients.

Water circulates with the bloodstream and helps deliver nutrients and oxygen to cells and organs human body. It acts as a solvent for nutrients and salts and helps them to be absorbed.

2. Water is a means to lose weight.

Drinking water helps you lose weight because it contains no calories. It acts as an ideal "filler" for the stomach, creating a feeling that, in turn, reduces the feeling of hunger.

Also drinking water- a strong appetite suppressant; when we think we are hungry, we are only thirsty. Drink a glass of water before your meal!

3. Water is needed for digestion.

The human digestive system requires a lot of water in order to properly digest food. Water helps to solve problems with increased stomach acidity, the acid concentration drops when drinking water. Water also helps digest food. Constipation is a consequence of dehydration.

The risk of developing cancer of the digestive tract in people who drink enough water is 45% less than in people who drink little water. It also reduces the risk of bladder cancer by 50% and breast cancer. In addition, it has long been known that cancer cells do not develop in an alkaline environment. Therefore, alkaline water prevents the appearance of cancer cells.

4. Water helps prevent kidney stones.

The kidneys of the body filter waste products and send them out of the body in the form of urine. An increase in the concentration of some salts in the urine increases the risk of kidney stones. In most cases, this risk can be reduced by drinking more water and thus "diluting" the concentration of salts in the urine. Therefore, for people prone to urolithiasis, it is recommended to consume 12 glasses of water per day (for healthy people, this rate is 8 glasses).

5. Water helps lower blood pressure.

When we lose a large number of liquid for any reason (not drinking enough water, playing sports, illness, etc.), in order to prevent water loss (due to breathing and sweating), our body tries to compensate for this lack by constriction of blood vessels, which, in turn, leads to an increase in blood pressure. That's why it's so important to drink enough water to prevent high blood pressure. Of course, this applies to cases where blood pressure has increased precisely because of the lack of water in the body. (However, special courses of treatment for diseases of the heart, liver, kidneys, during which the body is specially dehydrated to reduce pressure, are not taken into account in this case.)

6. Water helps prevent heart disease.

As mentioned above, dehydration leads to the fact that the cells and tissues of the body absorb water from the bloodstream, thus reducing the strength of the blood flow (this is why the narrowing of blood vessels occurs with a subsequent increase in blood pressure, see point 5). High blood pressure is a sign that the heart is working faster than usual: the heart is trying to pump more blood to the organs to balance the amount of blood in the narrowed vessels. This can exacerbate pre-existing heart conditions. Drinking enough water can help prevent this.

7. Water affects the health of our skin.

By participating in the process of perspiration, water also removes impurities from the skin and cleanses it, the skin looks younger and healthier. Dehydrated skin loses its tone: looks saggy and wrinkled.

How much should you drink?

Enough to produce 1.5 liters of urine per day. If you have a high fever or an upset stomach, you need to drink much more.

Water is the main structural component of our body:

in an adult, it makes up 70% of body weight,
in a child - 80%.

A person loses about 2600 ml per day. water, of which:

With urine - 1500 ml,

With feces - 100 ml,

Through the skin - 600 ml.

And through the lungs - 400 ml.

Naturally, this amount of water must be replenished.

Please note that the amount of water for drinking should be increased gradually and, most importantly, drink it not in glasses, but in several sips regularly throughout the day. If you gradually increase your water intake to at least three glasses a day, you will feel much better!

The recommended dose for a healthy person is 8 glasses of water a day. If drinking this amount of water is unusual for you, you can add lemon juice to the water to improve the taste. It is also a very good habit to always have a bottle of water with you.

By the way, you should pay attention to the fact that there is a difference between drinking enough water and drinking too much water. The latter can lead to the most undesirable and unpleasant consequences - the washing out of salt from the body, which leads to dizziness or fainting.

Be careful. Rely on your feelings!

Good day, dear blog readers! We know that we are 70-80% water, that we can survive no more than three days without it, and that it is very useful. But why drink a lot of water, what exactly does this give our body? How to do it right and how much is needed? I will try to tell you about this today.

What does drinking water do?

I'll start with the benefits of water in general for us:

Provides the body with energy, so if you followed the recommendations from the article, but still remain lethargic, inattentive and confused, then think about dehydration?
Like "washes" internal organs, cleansing from any harmful substances, removing toxins, decay products, etc. through the skin, in the form of sweat and urine. This is especially important when losing weight, otherwise this process will adversely affect health.
In addition to cleansing, it is one of the sources of oxygen consumed by internal organs.
Helps in the process of assimilation of vitamins, minerals ...
Saturates hair with moisture, and they grow healthy, shiny and smooth. Also, the skin, which becomes elastic, retains youth longer, because wrinkles just appear in dehydrated areas. And thanks to moisture, nails become stronger and less likely to break.
Affects digestion.
Its deficiency can lead to various diseases. For example, if your joints hurt, then first try to increase the volume of fluid consumed, the same with headaches.

How is it related to weight loss?

The most common causes of excess weight and stomach problems are a lack of water, because then little gastric juice is produced, which slows down the digestive system, not having time to process all the substances, putting off fats and carbohydrates for later. And there will be no strength to fight this excess fat.
When a person loses weight, toxins and all sorts of decay products are formed in him, which are excreted only with the help of liquid.
Lubricates joints and keeps muscles in good shape, relieving severe pain. That is why it is recommended to increase the volume of drinking during intensive training.
During a diet, a person needs to consume fiber, but without large volume water is almost impossible to digest.
If you drink while eating, saturation will come very early, as the stomach will fill up faster and the brain will receive a signal that there is enough food and it's time to stop.
It speeds up the metabolism, and, therefore, food is quickly processed, useful substances are absorbed, and harmful substances are excreted. And then even a piece of cake or another favorite, but high-calorie dish will not be terrible.
People who have managed to lose a very large amount of excess weight know that their difficulties do not end there, because the skin hanging down in those places where it was stretched takes a very long time to recover. But if you drink a lot, the cells will start working faster, adding elasticity to the skin and getting rid of the tightening effect.

How to correctly calculate the volume

I think why we need a large supply of moisture, you understand, now you need to calculate it. Doctors recommend 0.5 liters per 15 kilograms. For example, if your weight is 60 kg, then you should consume at least two liters per day. When playing sports, add at least one more. Just keep in mind that if you decide to drink the required amount in two approaches, this will not benefit. To maintain balance, moisture should be replenished gradually, as it is released.

It is best if during the day you measure the required amount and drink 250 ml at a time, this is how much a regular glass can hold. Just don't torture yourself and force yourself if you don't want to. By the way, the child must also consume water in sufficient quantities, for full growth and development it is simply necessary for him, given that children usually waste more energy than adults. And vegetarians can adhere to a different norm, boldly reducing the rate by 0.5 liters.

Do you know that when you are sick, you need to drink plenty of fluids? Especially with fever and indigestion, because dehydration occurs, and a person loses energy in the fight against viruses and bacteria.
While on a diet, just drinking and not eating will not work, as it is impossible to feel full without getting some nutrients and at least a minimal amount of calories. It is best to pour a glass of purified water just before eating for 40-50 minutes. If there is no way to eat, but you really want to, warm, or at least room temperature water will help, this trick will deceive the brain for a while, because it contains alkali and salts that reduce hunger. But before going to bed, it’s better to limit yourself, you don’t need extra awakenings at all, otherwise you won’t feel cheerful in the morning.
During active physical activity, it is not recommended to drink cold water, even if it is very hot, otherwise you can catch a cold. If your workout is longer than an hour, be sure to include electrolyte-rich drinks with glucose in your diet.
Unfortunately, with toxins and other harmful substances are washed out and useful, so you should not overuse water. As a last resort, you can start taking vitamins.
Tea, coffee, juices, broths and the like are considered food, so they should not be added to the amount of fluid consumed per day.
If you have kidney problems, you should definitely consult a doctor, otherwise a large intake of water will increase the work for them, which they may not be able to cope with.
It is also necessary to consult a doctor for urolithiasis.
At first, you will often run to the toilet, do not be afraid of this, your body will rebuild, get used to it and everything will stabilize.
Give up alcohol, it is he who leads to dehydration, among other destructive effects. You can view .
Squeeze a lemon, it will give a taste to the water, acidify it and fill it with vitamin C. It is especially useful on an empty stomach, if there is no gastritis or stomach ulcer, so the body wakes up faster, starting all the necessary processes to function actively all day.
Is it good to always drink plenty of water? But no, it can both speed up the digestive process and significantly slow it down. Therefore, pause, an hour after eating and at least half an hour before.
Do not worry that by increasing the amount of fluid consumed, your body, and especially your face, will begin to acquire puffiness. Everything superfluous and processed will come out necessarily, usually only eating salty and spicy food, sometimes the diseases that I mentioned above, retains fluid in the body.
In order not to ask myself a question like “is it necessary to increase drinking?”, I’ll say one thing - if the body lacks moisture, a person begins to experience an increased feeling of hunger, and overeating, his stomach expands, which makes it necessary to increase the portion and meals.
With neurotic disorders, it is also not recommended to overdo it, since the excretion of sodium and potassium negatively affects the state of health.
Experts advise resorting to this method in the warm season, best of all in summer. Since it will be easier for the body to adapt and rebuild, because the secretion through the sweat glands will be much more active, and you will not catch a cold due to wet clothes, especially in frost or in a draft.
When dieting, completely give up carbonated drinks. Yes, sometimes you want to pamper yourself with them, but believe me, you will only slow down the process of getting rid of extra pounds. To diversify the taste, try squeezing a lemon again or adding honey if you are not allergic to it.
To bring health benefits, you should not pour water from the tap, there is chlorine and other muck that your body absolutely does not need. Boiled water will not harm, but it will not give a positive effect either, because during cooking it becomes absolutely neutral. Mineral is not advised to use daily, although it is useful. Filtered is best.

Consequences of dehydration

Finally, I will tell you what happens to your body when there is a lack of moisture. Imagine that only breathing takes 0.5 liters per day. And if a person is still involved in sports or has physical activity, then it comes to one liter. And if he only has one liter per day? Then breathing will be complicated, his muscles will not be in good shape, the skin will be flabby, even the pressure may decrease, and the worst thing, no, not obesity, but even worse - the formation of blood clots that tend to break off, which can lead to death. The work of the liver, kidneys and heart also worsens, the efficiency of brain activity decreases, and hallucinations may even occur.

Conclusion

So, if you decide to lead a healthy lifestyle, want to restore or maintain beauty and youth, drink plenty to maintain water balance.Subscribe to the blog to keep your brain and body in good shape. I also recommend the article,. And that’s all for today, dear readers! Be healthy and take care of yourself!

We popularly tell why it is so important to monitor the level of water in the body, and explain what happens to you when you are dehydrated.

Water is life, and it's not just a metaphor at all. Your health directly depends on the level of water in the body, not to mention healthy skin and hair. With the help of water, you can even reset excess weight! Here are four reasons to monitor the body's water balance more closely.

Benefits of water

1. Water reduces hunger

In fact, the signs of the appearance of hunger and thirst are the same. Many, barely feeling hungry, are looking for something to eat. However, often in such cases, the body does not need food, but liquid in order to restore water balance. By “eating” thirst, people gain extra pounds, which could have been avoided if the water balance was normal.

Drink more fluids, then the feeling of hunger will appear only in those cases when the body really needs to eat, and extra pounds will not be deposited on the waist.

2. Water promotes brain activity

The brain contains the largest amount of water found in our entire body. Therefore, dehydration primarily affects the work of the brain.

One of the most necessary elements for brain function, as you know, is glucose. That is why we were often advised to eat chocolate before exams. But did you know that water also greatly affects the functioning of the brain, which ensures that microelements enter the brain cells?

Since the brain contains a higher percentage of water than any other organ, it immediately feels dehydrated and gives signals of thirst, which we often mistake for hunger. To calm this imaginary feeling of hunger, we snack, and instead of the much-needed fluid, the brain gets food. Of course, the brain uses part of the energy received from this food, but most of it will be deposited in the form of extra pounds, because in fact the body does not need this food, and it does not use it in any way. But after some time, the dehydrated brain will again give distress signals, and you will have a snack again, instead of drinking water, you will gain extra pounds - and the productivity of brain activity will still decrease.

3. Water Promotes Fat-Burning Enzymes

For the breakdown and processing of fats in our body, special enzymes are responsible - lipases. Think of fats as a brick wall. Lipases are a kind of chisel that breaks this wall, brick by brick. And then these bricks go on a journey through your body, transforming into energy that you spend during physical and mental stress. But for this bit to work well, lipases need water. Without water Brick wall fat will be deposited at the waist, and you will be tired and exhausted.

4. Water gives you strength

Imagine a plant that grows in dry soil and suffers from a lack of water. The longer this goes on, the worse it will look: the leaves will dry out, the stems will become soft and sluggish, and eventually the plant will die. Now imagine how beautiful, bright and blooming it could be if it was regularly watered!

The same thing happens with the cells of our body. When the water balance is disturbed, the body draws water from its cells in order to sustain life. The cells of the body become like dried leaves of the same plant that has not been watered for a long time. Because of this, you feel sluggish and tired, even if you didn’t work that hard that day.

But how do you know if you're dehydrated? The body gives you various signals by which you can understand that you need to urgently drink water. Here are the top 14.

1. Your mouth is dry

It is pretty obvious that if your mouth is dry, then you need to drink water, but many simply do not pay attention to it, and even if they do, they prefer to drink a glass of sweet soda or coffee. But neither soda, let alone coffee, replaces water and in fact will only contribute to the onset of dehydration. Water will lubricate the inflamed cells of the mouth and throat and remove the nasty feeling of dryness.

2. You have dry skin

Skin is the most big organ our body, and it also needs to be constantly moisturized. This is not so much about moisturizing creams, but about a banal glass of water. In fact, dry skin is one of the earliest signs that your water balance is constantly being disturbed. If you don't want your skin to be constantly flaky and cracked, the first thing to do is drink more water.

3. You often feel thirsty

If you are thirsty all the time, this is clear sign that the body is severely dehydrated. A banal example of such thirst is “dry” during a hangover. Alcohol greatly dehydrates the body, so the next morning it simply requires as much liquid as possible. And one glass is not enough here.

4. Your eyes are dry

Lack of water leads to the fact that your eyes begin to redden and dry out (again, remember how you felt during a hangover - dry eyes and broken capillaries). This is especially noticeable to those who wear contact lenses - dehydration brings them particular discomfort, because with a lack of moisture, the lenses begin to interfere.

5. Movement hurts you.

The joints are the first to suffer from dehydration. The intra-articular fluid is mostly water, and when dehydration sets in, it does its job less and less. This can cause you to feel pain while running, jumping and squatting due to the friction of the bones against each other.

6. Your muscle mass disappears all of a sudden

Muscles also contain a lot of water, so with severe dehydration, muscle mass can shrink - and you can see it with the naked eye. To maintain water balance and build muscle mass, you need to drink water before, during and after each workout.

7. After an illness, you are still unwell for a long time.

The more water you drink, the faster and easier toxins are removed from the body. Imagine that your body is a filtering machine that separates the good from the bad and discards the bad. But for the car to work, it must be filled with fuel. The fuel of our body is water.

8. You feel tired and sleepy

When the body is dehydrated, it draws water from the cells and blood. The lack of water in the blood leads to a lack of oxygen, which in turn leads to drowsiness and constant feeling fatigue.

9. You are constantly hungry

As mentioned above, we often mistake thirst for hunger. This happens during the day when you want to snack between meals, and even at night when you wake up and wander into the kitchen in search of food. But the body still does not get what it needs, and hunger attacks are repeated again and again.

10. You have digestive problems

Dehydration affects the entire digestive system. Without the right amount of water in the body, the concentration of gastric juice increases and it can harm the stomach itself.

11. You get constipated

We have already found out that water affects the process of digestion of food. It also affects the next step of digestion. Without going into details, let's say that a violation of the water balance leads to frequent constipation.

12. You urinate infrequently

Believe it or not, if you're not going to the bathroom at least 4-7 times a day, you're definitely dehydrated. In some cases, dehydration can even lead to various diseases of the genitourinary system.

13. You notice signs of premature aging.

The amount of water in our body naturally decreases with age - the older we are, the less water we have. However, the reverse process is also possible - a decrease in the amount of fluid in the body can lead to aging. To reduce the risk of early aging, it is necessary to maintain a normal water balance throughout life.

14. You have read up to this point

If you're reading this article at all, chances are you're having doubts about whether you're drinking enough fluids. And if you have read up to this point - doubts are great. Away with doubts! drink a glass clean water right now. Here, too, it is important not to overdo it, as in everything in general, but an extra glass of water has not hurt anyone yet.

The body needs water most of all in the morning, when you just wake up, because before that, during sleep, at about 8 hours, water did not enter the body, and mild dehydration set in. Drink water after you consume caffeinated drinks and foods. Ideally, an adult should drink about two liters of water a day.

To make it more convenient to monitor the water balance, you can install various applications on your phone that take into account the amount of alcohol consumed per day.

Water is the most essential element in the human body. If a person can live without food for about 40 days, then without water a lethal outcome can occur within a few days.

The water balance of the body ensures normal metabolic processes, water prevents excess weight gain, promotes the digestion of food, the removal of toxins and toxins, has a beneficial effect on the skin, hair, mucous membranes, and helps the digestive tract to function normally. Lack of water can trigger many negative symptoms, from heartburn to memory loss.

The first and main signal that the body is experiencing a lack of water is a feeling of thirst. But with certain nervous disorders, with depressive states, the feeling of thirst can be dulled, and the lack of water will still have devastating consequences.

Sudden dehydration of the body as a result of illness, heat, heavy sweating, vomiting, after drinking alcoholic beverages, eating spicy or salty foods, as well as other internal and external factors, can lead to loss of consciousness, shock, dysfunction in various organs. You cannot replace water with other drinks (for example, coffee, tea, juices, milk). A person needs ordinary, non-carbonated, fresh drinking water.

What are the consequences and signs of water shortage?

Dry, sticky mouth

Itching and burning in the throat

Feeling of "sand" in the eyes

Dry skin, which may be accompanied by mild itching and discomfort

Darkening of urine and decrease in its volume

Rapid pulse, palpitations, dizziness to the point of fainting

Joint pain

Feeling tired that comes on very quickly, inability to concentrate

Heartburn, mild nausea

Chronic drowsiness, apathy

Age should also be taken into account: the older the person, the more difficult it is for the body to retain the required amount of water in the body. Therefore, over the years, you need to accustom yourself to drink at least 1.5 - 2 liters of water a day. With the right use of water, you can significantly slow down the aging process of the body.

If, as a result of heavy drinking, unpleasant symptoms occur - swelling, for example - you should help the body get rid of processed water with the help of diuretics, drainage drinks.

Water should accompany a person during the entire active period of the day. Going to bed, do not be too lazy to drink at least half a glass of clean water, put a glass of water on the bedside table near the bed. In order to "wake up" the body after sleep, start awakening with a drink. Cup cold water will give you cheerfulness, clarity of mind and pleasant sensations for the whole day.

Nutritionists advise drinking at least 1.5 - 2 liters of water per day (in addition to the main food). If you want to lose weight, then 3 cups of tea a day will not be enough for effective weight loss. Ideally, drink 30 ml of water per 1 kg of weight per day. For example, you weigh 75 kilograms, so the amount of fluid you need is 2 liters 250 ml per day. Distribute fluid throughout the day like this:

Two glasses of water in the morning before breakfast. It is better to use a larger percentage of liquid in the morning, and not at night, so as not to cause swelling.
Distribute the rest of the norm of water in glasses before all meals.
30-40 minutes after eating, drink tea (plus the norm of water). But they should not drink food during the reception.
You can drink 150 ml of freshly squeezed juice per day (but no more); tea is better to drink green, not black; coffee - only high-quality, no more than a cup a day. Carbonated drinks should not only not be drunk a lot, but also completely eliminated, since this is an extra corrosive acid for the stomach, the use of which is even fraught with the occurrence of an ulcer. Mineral sparkling water is also recommended not to drink.

What water to drink for weight loss?

It is preferable to choose water rich in mineral components (calcium, fluorine, potassium), iodine and other useful elements, natural, bottled from wells. Water from a tap or filter will be less useful, because in most cases it is dead water, which contains few or no useful substances at all, since careful multi-stage purification from bacteria nullifies these components.

Why do you need to drink a lot of water?

To increase firmness and elasticity of the skin.
To get rid of sagging. You may have noticed that many ladies after losing weight begin to look older than their age. This is due to the fact that the body has lost extra pounds and part of the subcutaneous fat, and the skin does not have enough fluid in order to restore the structure, to be drawn in where necessary. The folds are dry and cannot be smoothed out.
Water works to remove toxins from the body, in particular, with sweat and urine. If you do not drink water, then go to the toilet less often, less toxins are excreted.
If you actively train, run, then the body actively sweats and it needs to compensate for the loss of fluid due to the drunk water. This will speed up the removal of the broken physical activity excess fat. If there is not enough fluid, it will not be able to be excreted.
Water helps deliver minerals to the body's cells.

Water as a medicine

It not only helps to preserve the structure of each cell, but also to establish full functioning. Approximately 85 metabolic reactions in cells take place in an aqueous medium. At full-fledged work all human organs produce up to 2 liters of saliva per day, approximately 2.5 liters of gastric juice, 1.5 liters of bile and up to 3 liters of intestinal juice. If there is not enough liquid to soften food and it does not break down, then its particles settle between the intestinal villi, making it difficult for these villi to absorb substances. This is fraught with chronic intoxication of the body and the development of various sluggish diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, doctors advise drinking a lot of water per day, at least 2.5 liters.

Harm of drinking diet

Pure drinking water in itself is very useful, but there are harmful methods for losing weight that call for replacing ordinary food with water and various other liquids. Broths, tea, vegetable and fruit juices make up the entire daily menu.

But unfortunately, it is impossible to get all the useful substances and microelements necessary for the body during the day from the liquid. Even a 20-day drinking diet can lead to serious problems:

hair will fall out, nails will peel,
nutritional deficiency occurs
skin will peel off
local immune defense will decrease,
the appearance of small rashes on the skin;
the body begins to use all reserves, including muscle fibers: they become lethargic, thin;
lack of carbohydrates causes deterioration of vision, memory, attention, general weakness, fainting;
violation of peristalsis; since the intake of liquid food does not require active bowel movements, he gets used to not moving;
decrease in the number of enzymes.