Water before meals key to weight loss
People who drank two cups of water before each meal lost an average of 5 pounds more weight over a 12-week calorie controlled diet than those who followed the same diet but did not drink the water, according to American research.
Dr Brenda Davy, Associate Professor in the Department of Human Nutrition, Foods and Exercise in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia, said this was the first randomized controlled trial to show that increasing water intake is an effective way to lose weight.
She urged people to cut down on sugary, high calorie drinks and drink more water.
“It’s a simple way to facilitate weight management,” said Dr Davy.
Davy said while there are lots of anecdotal reports, some going back a long time, that water can help people lose weight, there is surprisingly little scientific evidence. Some studies have alluded to it, but this is the first “gold standard” clinically controlled trial to have looked at the claim by comparing those that did and those that did not drink water before meals.
Davy said the reason drinking water before the meal works is simply because it has zero calories but you have the sensation of feeling partly full before you even start eating, resulting in fewer calories consumed during the meal.
She also said replacing sweetened calorie rich drinks during the day with water is also a good way to reduce calorie intake. For example a 12-ounce can of regular soda (about 350 ml) has about 10 teaspoons of sugar, or 150 calories.
Official bodies like the National Academies’ Institute of Medicine, an agency that advises the Federal Government, say healthy people should let natural thirst guide them on how much water to drink, but they generally recommend this should result in about 9 cups of fluids a day, including water, for women and 13 cups for men.
However, drinking too much water can be dangerous and results in a rare but serious condition called water intoxication, warned Dr Davy.
Six tips to jump start weight loss in the New Year
Losing weight is at the top of many a New Year’s resolution list. In addition to maintaining a healthy diet and getting enough exercise, research-based tips from investigators at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in America may help jump start one’s weight loss progress in the coming year.
1. Keep moving each day– the weight-loss benefit is 30 to 60 minutes of aerobic activity, such as brisk walking broken into 10 to 15 minute sessions daily.
2. Keep a food journal to help estimate the calorie content of common foods and track your weight loss progress over time.
3. Set realistic goals. For long-term success, aim for a slow, steady weight loss of about 1 to 2 pounds (one kilogram) a week.
4. Set specific goals. Instead of resolving to “lose weight,” which is too general, set several smaller but more specific goals, such as eating five servings of vegetables per day, taking a 15-minute walk at lunch each day or drinking six glasses of water per day.
5. Don’t let one slip-up derail your efforts, but try to identify the specific barriers that got in your way and think through strategies to avoid such challenges in the future
6. Practice yoga, as researches have found an association between regular yoga practice and weight maintenance and weight loss.
