Water and Weight Loss
A recent study has found that older adults who consumed a minimum of 2 cups of water prior to each meal ate less calories and lost additional weight than the ones who omitted the water.Scientists separated 2 sets of over weight and obese males and females into ages groups between 55 to 75. One group was instructed to adhere to a low fat, low calorie diet plan and the 2nd group was instructed to adhere to the identical diet however to add to drink, 2, 8 oz glasses of water prior to breakfast, lunch as well as dinner. 12 weeks later the test subjects who drank the water prior to meals lost 15.5 pounds, in comparison to 11 pounds that of the people who didn’t drink water, an almost 30 % difference.
The researchers came up with the idea for this weight loss plan after a prior study they carried out that discovered that any time middle aged and older individuals consumed water prior to meals, they consumed approximately 75 to 90 less calories at the time they ate the meal.
What they were not certain about, nevertheless, had been if water drinkers might make up for it by eating more through out the rest of their day. However after 12 weeks of maintaining the diet, it didn’t happen.
Drinking additional water is a really easy strategy that could be beneficial to people striving to lose weight,” stated the study’s author, Professor Brenda Davey at Virginia Tech.. “We are not declaring, ‘Drink additional water and your body fat will burn away’. However for individuals that are striving to shed weight and following a low calorie diet, it is something they can easily carry out as part of this.”
One of the biggest problems with dieting is just how challenging it can be to keep the lost weight off for the long term, Davy stated. Once the 12 weeks were up, Davy and her co-workers have been continuing to observe the study participants.
After 1 year, initial data indicates that individuals who persisted in drinking water prior to meals kept the weight off and have actually continued to lose more to the tune of around 1.5 pounds on average.
The results weren’t the same for individuals between the ages of 18 to 35 because drinking the water before meals didn’t result in them to eating fewer calories at the meal time.
In more mature individuals, it normally takes longer for their stomachs to empty, which could be the reason that the water makes them feel fuller and not as hungry, while in younger individuals, water starts exiting the stomach immediately, Davy stated.
Barry Popkin, who is the director of the University of North Carolina Nutrition Obesity Research Center, said that these new findings are promising. His studies have shown that individuals that drank a lot of water and fewer sugar filled drinks, consume a lot more fruits & vegetables and for the most part ingested fewer calories through out their day.
One big problem that has had a big part our current obesity epidemic is that US citizens ingest over 300 additional calories a day in sugary drinks compared to 30 years ago, Popkin included. These drinks include sports drinks, soda, fruit drinks, tea with added sweeteners as well as fruit juices with added sugar.
Dietitians frequently suggest a non caloric drink like club soda and lemon, diet soda and tea to help avoid the desire to snack following dinner but keep in mind that diet soda’s have had varying reports, some saying that drinking these drinks have their own negative health results.
