Just drink more water. Most people, period, don't drink nearly enough water. Drinking 8 eight-ounce glasses of water a day, or around two quarts, can be the missing key to success in your fat loss diet. Here's why:
1.) Water Quenches Appetite
Can't stay away from the fridge? Our runaway appetites are often the biggest obstacles to a sustained fat loss diet. After all, if we're going to cut the pounds, we've got to cut some calories. But did you know that when the brain tells us we're hungry, it may be instead signaling thirst? Physiologically, our brains do not truly differentiate between hunger and thirst. So if we find ourselves picking up a snack right after a meal, fill up a glass of water instead. Just wait a few minutes and see what it does to your appetite... More often than not, you'll walk away without eating a bite.
2.) Boil Away the Fat
Our kidneys are designed to process all the water we consume. However, if we don't drink enough, they can't handle the small amounts - there's a sort of minimum requirement. The job is then delegated to the liver that, while able to deal with small amounts of water, also hosts a number of other duties - like converting fat into energy. Yet, if it's too occupied with processing water, that fat doesn't turn into energy. It turns into body fat. The kidneys can take one for the liver here, and you can help by just drinking enough water. Try giving your fat loss diet another leg up.
3.) Evaporate the Water Pudge
You gain weight if you don't drink enough water. Sound contradictory? This is how it works. Our body adapts to our daily water intake, and in ideal circumstances, does not retain water. This happens only if we provide it with enough hydration. If we don't drink enough, water gets stored in something very much like fat.
This is a safety mechanism, guarding against the impending "drought". But if we're at home or at work, there's no reason to enter into survival mode. Once we begin hydrating our bodies again, this water fat disappears, as our bodies no longer deem it necessary to survive. Several pounds can be lost by this alone. Not bad.
There is a legitimate concern here - if I drink so much water, won't I constantly be in transit to and from the bathroom? Well, at first, there will be more trips to the bathroom, but only at first. When you reach ideal hydration levels, your body dumps all the water fat it has been retaining - and when you go the bathroom, you're effectually losing weight. But once the water fat is gone, the bathroom visits return to normal. With all the benefits to be had, it's worth a few days of getting up and down a little more.
Adding water to your weight loss diet can be key in dropping pounds. After all, if it's free, easy, and convenient, why not soak up the skinny?
Researcher Brian Wansink and his team from the Cornell University Food and Brand Laboratory observed diners at 11 different Chinese buffet restaurants across the United States.
Their goal was to find out whether the eating behaviors of people at all-you-can-eat buffets varied based on their body mass.
Trained observers recorded the height, weight, gender, age, and behavior of 213 patrons. The various seating, serving and eating behaviors were then compared across BMI levels.
The heavier (higher BMI) patrons:
* ate more quickly * chewed more per bite of food * used forks * sat facing the food buffet
The thin (lower BMI) patrons:
* ate more slowly * chewed less food per bite * used chopsticks * sat facing away from the food buffet
This study confirms earlier research from the University of Rhode Island published in the journal of the American Dietetic Association which found that eating slowly leads to decreases in energy intake.
Scientists even have a name for this now:
"TIME-ENERGY DISPLACEMENT"
Time Energy Displacement means that the more time you take to eat, the less energy (calories) you are likely to consume. The faster you eat, the more energy (calories) you're likely to consume.
But wait, there's even more! A study from the University of Alabama looked at satiety (how full a food makes you feel), energy density (calories per unit of volume) and eating time of various foods. To maximize the effects of Time-Energy Displacement, it was found even more advantageous to choose foods that FORCE you to ingest calories more slowly.
This includes choosing more:
* Foods that have a high satiety factor such as high fiber and high water foods (so you feel fuller more quickly) * Foods with a high "chew factor" (so you can't eat them fast if you tried; you have to chew them thoroughly) * Foods with a low energy density such as high fiber vegetables and lean protein (so you'd get tired of eating before you took in a lot of calories).
These results also confirm all the studies that have been advising us not to drink our calories. Liquid calories, especially soft drinks and desert coffees are two of the biggest sources of excess calories in the typical American's diet.
The problem: calories in liquid form can have a very high caloric density and can be consumed very quickly. Liquid calories also do not activate the satiety mechanism in your brain and gastrointestinal tract the way solid food does.
"Don't inhale your food" used to be an admonishment about proper eating etiquette you heard from your mom. It is now scientifically-proven fat loss advice.
Both Scott T Smith & Tom Venuto are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Scott T Smith has sinced written about articles on various topics from Nutrition, Fitness and Health. ::All-Natural Weight Loss Supplements::Article by Steve Edwards. Are YOU sick and tired of being overweight? Ready for weight loss solutions that really work? Visit Slimstuff on the Web at. Scott T Smith's top article generates over 12100 views. to your Favourites.
Tom Venuto has sinced written about articles on various topics from Vitamin and Mineral Supplement, Fitness and Wellness. Tom Venuto is a natural bodybuilder, nutrition researcher, certified strength & conditioning specialist and author of the best seller, Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle: Fat Burning Secrets of the world's best bodybuilders and fitness models. Learn how to get. Tom Venuto's top article generates over 9900 views. to your Favourites.