“My mom says I’m drinking too much water and that’s why I’m not losing weight. How much water should I be drinking?”
Your Mom is full of something and it ain’t water!
The human body is made up of mostly water. Think about that. There is water in every cell. Muscle cells, fat cells, skin cells and even bone cells. They all need water.
Now it would be lovely if we could choose which cells get dehydrated when we don’t drink enough water. If we could just tap all the water from our fat cells, voila! Our problems would be solved, right? Well, that isn’t how it works.
Most people, like your mother, think that by limiting the amount of water we drink, we can store less water and thereby lose weight, eliminate bloat and water retention. This just isn’t so. In fact, the opposite happens. The human body is designed to protect itself in spite of all we do to starve it and dehydrate it.
The less water you drink, the more your body wants to retain because it thinks there is a drought and all water that comes in should be stored so as to survive the drought.
Conversely, the more water you drink, the less your body wants to retain because it thinks that all is well and there is no drought. Drinking more water also helps to make you feel less hungry while flushing your body of toxins and waste. Keeping your motor clean can only be a good thing! A well hydrated body also feels better after exercise and in extreme heat.
If you are trying to lose weight, I recommend that you try to drink one gallon (4 liters) of water every day. The easiest way I’ve found to do this is to fill a gallon jug or four one-liter bottles with water in the morning and make sure they’re empty by the end of the day.
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