The Importance of Water and Weight
With all the talk about global warming one would imagine that human beings would be drinking much more water. Unfortunately this is not happening and the reasons could be
People walk much less than they did 2-3 decades ago. Every body uses some form of transport and they don’t feel thirsty. Children and youngsters are so caught up in the competition of higher grades so hardly any outdoor games and physical activity is taking place and thirst is less. From a young age children are pampered with tasty soft drinks so they think its tasteless and boring to drink plain water.
Centuries ago it was a common belief that a human being needed 8-10 glasses of water a day which is two to two and a half liters. Few still follow this but many have thought it unnecessary to try to count or keep this as a disciplined thing in their life.
Research has seen that a human being may survive without food for some days but is unable to survive without water. Water makes up about 60% of the human body and water is lost everyday in the process of perspiration as well as in cleansing and removing all the waste products from the body. This water must be replaced so that the body is kept cool, fresh and clean daily.
Besides this we have seen that the water intake helps to keep a balance with ones food intake. When you drink two and a half liters of water daily you can only also eat a certain amount of food with it. If you reduce the water intake to one liter then automatically your capacity to accommodate food increases to a much larger volume. Water has zero calories, any food you eat has many calories and this can definitely lead to weight gain.
Secondly we have observed that when a person drinks less than two liters water they are living in a dehydrated state. It is similar to what you see in a plant, when the plant receives less water it droops. A person drinking less water is living in a dehydrated, drooping state and in this condition their activity and all muscular movements will be slow and lethargic. This means they will be burning a much lessens number of calories in a day as compared to what they would burn if they were drinking two or more liters of water.
Thirdly all those on weight reduction diets are advised to drink an extra half liter of water as when fat is broken down in the body ketone bodies are formed as a waste product of fat break down. This must be flushed out with extra water so we recommend two and a half to three liters of water for those on weight loss diets.
We however do not recommend the consumption of large amounts of water which people call hydro therapy where people are asked to drink several liters of water at one time to lose weight. These extreme measures can be harmful and damaging to the kidneys and other systems of the body. Also drinking hot water through out the day or after every meal does not help to burn fat in your body.
A simple pattern to follow is to drink 500ml plain water (room temperature or warm) on rising. From breakfast to lunch time try to consume one liter of water and from lunch time to 6pm another liter. Thereafter you may drink another 500ml. School going children and young people could carry a one liter bottle to school and try to finish it by 3 or 4 pm. After returning home they may finish one to one and a half liters. It may feel very uncomfortable and difficult for the first week or two but after that you will feel fresh and healthy and like a new person altogether. |
