It's not just me. Most of us are dehydrated. In fact, chronic dehydration is probably the most common cause of a lot of our health ailments. There are two main reasons so many people are dehydrated these days. We eat less vegetables and fruits (which are water-dense) and more processed foods than we should. And we drink lots of caffeinated beverages instead of water. Caffeinated beverages and alcohol are diuretics. They force more water out of our bodies.
If a person is dehydrated their body compensates by retaining excess water as a protective measure. This alone is responsible for some excess weight. As well, a dehydrated person's metabolism is significantly lower than a normally hydrated person.
Dehydration is responsible for many people's feelings of fatigue. Many people have lost their sense of thirst and mistake it for hunger. Drinking a glass of water will usually greatly reduce any false hunger pangs.
So the solution to losing at least a few extra pounds sounds easy. Start with two glasses of room temperature water first thing in the morning. That's before you drink coffee or eat your breakfast. Try to drink some water regularly during the day. And eat more water dense foods such as vegetables, fruits and even legumes.
Remember water is not just way to flush out toxins but if you have more water in your body you will generally feel healthier and fitter. This it self will discourage any tendency to gorge. The best thing about water is that is has no calories at all.
Drink a glass of water before you start the meal. Water naturally needs some space so that you feel fuller without actually having to stuff yourself. Instead of drinking it one gulp, take sips after each morsel. It will help the food to settle faster so that you get that feeling that you are full faster.
Stay away from sweetened bottle drinks, especially sodas. Hey all those colas and fizzy drinks are sweetened with sugar and sugar means calories. The more you can cut out on these sweetened bottle drinks, the better for you. So if you must drink sodas, then stick to diet sodas.
Include in your diet things that contain more water like tomatoes and watermelons.These things contain 90 to 95 % water so that there is nothing that you have to lose by feasting on them. They fill you up without adding to the pounds.
Eat fresh fruit instead of drinking fruit juice. Juice is often sweetened but fresh fruits have natural sugars. When you eat fruit, you are taking in a lot of fiber, which is needed by the body, and fruits of course are an excellent source of vitamins. If you do have a craving for fruit juice then go for fresh fruit juice instead of these that contain artificial flavors and colors. Or even better, try making your own fruit juice taking care not to sweeten it with too many calories.
So quick snapshot of Benefits of Water:
Improves Metabolism: Good metabolism helps maintain the body in its fittest form.
Non-Caloric Liquid, thus, it is quite wise to replace the calorie loaded soft drinks and beverages like cold drinks, soda etc. with water.
Suppresses Appetite: Just try the this trick by drinking a tall glass of water to curb hunger pangs and cravings. You would indeed feel full, thus, limiting the body from eating any fatty quick snack or other calorie laden food.
When you gorge on some heavy or junk meals over a party try water fasting the next day.
Fasting is a tremendous way to cleanse and shed pounds, when done properly.
Benefits of Water Fasting
According to different medical reports, our bodies are made up of 30 percent water and if we do not drink enough water, the body will dehydrate. Drinking water is good for your health and there are many benefits associated with it.
water:
-- flushes out our kidneys
-- clears the skin
-- prevents urinary tract infections
-- does not contain calories or fat
-- is an appetite suppressant
On a water-based fast, you should be consuming 2 liters or more of water a day. Spring, filtered or distilled water is the best water to drink during a fast as it is able to flush large amount of toxins from the body.
Fasting has definite benefits; however, if you have certain medical conditions or medication that must be taken with meals, fasting may be a harmful thing to undertake. If you are someone with a heart condition, hyperglycemia, or schizophrenia you have to be really careful when attempting a fast and get monitored regularly during your fast.
Dizziness and blackouts are also common during this time. Health professionals suggest that if you do feel like you are going to blackout, sit down or go down on one knee and this will help to stop the feeling. During a fast, any kind of heavy work should be avoided. During this time any extra activities, like working out, should be minimal. During a water-only fast, you may feel weak quicker and need to rest more often.
During those days you will notice changes in your body. Your breath may start to smell or you may get increased body odor, constant headaches, joint, and muscle aches. This is when you have to hang in there because your body is getting rid of all the bad toxins.
In the ending stages of your fast you may notice more mucus than usual which can leave you open to catching a cold or the flu. Back pain is also a side effect of a fast where only water is consumed. You are feeling pain because of toxins in the lower intestines. The back pain will decrease after the toxins have left the body. Your body will also feel better overall because of how much weight loss on water fast and purging toxins.
Once you are done with your fast, you will want to gradually return to eating food. Your body is very sensitive at this point since it's been cleansing for a while. Begin eating very light foods, broths and soups.
Light proteins like beans and fish should then be re-introduced. Within seven days you can return to as much of your normal diet as you wish.
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