Why water?

[zoso1979]

Originally Posted by Ann in Oriental

I know of course that water is good for you and drink a fair amount of it... Why though is it always stressed so much on a weight loss diet? Is it thought to fill you up so you aren't as hungry or does it have some properties that I'm not aware of?

I've read this many times. "Thirst is often confused with hunger."

[SaucyAussie]

Originally Posted by tribecavsbrowns

Because people are misinformed and think the human body is way, way dumber than it actually is. Water doesn't stretch your stomach and create satiety. Well, for five minutes maybe, but you're going to get hungry right after. Your body isn't like, golly gee, I've got all this water pressing against my stomach, it must be food, I guess I don't need to eat.

If the toilet is bright yellow when you're done, have a glass of water. Otherwise, don't worry about it.

5 minutes is a big deal to somebody susceptible to cravings. That could mean the difference between ordering that dessert or passing on it.

Additionally, I have found that when I first start drinking a lot of water, I notice a large drop in weight, 5 pounds or so. This is a one time thing though (unfortunately!). I put this down to my body feeling like it is no longer dehydrated so it stops retaining water. Now that could be just gym science but it makes sense to me.

I think it is important to drink "enough" water but I don't think there is any benefit to going beyond that. There seems to be a lot of debate on what "enough" is but I think 8 glasses a day is a good minimum. (but I include coffee, milk and other fluids in those 8 glasses.)