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DEHYDRATION

Water suppresses the appetite naturally and helps the body metabolize stored fat. Studies show that an increase in water intake will cause fat deposits to increase, while an increase in water intake can actually reduce fat deposits. Water may be the single most inmportant catalyst in losing weight and keeping it off. The over weight person needs more water than the thin one. Larger people in general have larger metabolic loads.

The kidneys can't function properly without enough water. When they don't work to capacity, some of their workload is dumped on the liver. One of the liver's primary functions is to metabolize stored fat into usable energy for the body. If the liver has to do some of the kidney's work, it can't work to full capacity either. It then metabolizes less fat and more is stored in the body.

Drinking plenty of water is the body's best treatment for fluid retention. When the body gets less water, it perceives a threat and will replace the lost water at the first opportunity. Thus, the condition quickly returns. Diuretics offer a temporary solution at best. The force out stored water along with some essential nutrients and electrolytes like sodium, potassium, and calcium.

If you have a constant problem with water retention, excess salt may be to blame. Your body will only tolerate sodium in a certain concentration. The more salt you eat, the more your body retains water to dilute it. This also leads to high blood pressure in certain individuals, usually African Americans. Just drink more water to get rid of excess salt.

Water helps to maintain proper muscle tone by giving muscles their natural ability to contract and by preventing dehydration. It also helps to prevent the sagging skin that usually follows weight loss - shrinking cells are bouyed by water, which plumps the skin and leaves it clear, healthy, and resilient.

Water helps rid the body of waste. During weight loss, the body has more waste to get rid of - all that metabolized fat must be shed somehow (via the kidneys in urine).

Water can help relieve constipation. When the body gets too little water, it siphons wht it needs from internal sources. The colon is the primary source. The colon is the site of the majority of water absorption whether dehydrated or not. Drinking enough water will ensure that the body can take what it needs and there will be enough left over to keep your stool soft.

On average, a person should drink eight 8-ounce glasses every day. That's about two quarts. The over weight person needs to drink an additional glass for every 25 pounds of excess weight. The amount you drink should be increased if you exercise briskly and if the weather is hot and dry.

Water should be cold - it's absorbed into the system more quickly than warm water (which is why a bowl of hot soup keeps you feeling full). Some evidence actually suggests that cold water can actually help you burn calories.

To utilize water most efficiently during weight loss, follow this schedule:
Morning: 1 quart consumed over a 30 minute period
Noon: 1 quart consumed over a 30 minute period
Evening: 1 quart consumed between five and six o'clock

When the body gets the water it needs to function optimally, its fluids are perfectly balanced. When this happens, you have reached the breakthrough point: