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Is Water Just For Ducks Or Does It Really Help Weight Loss?

By Cate Moon

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 05Jul2009 Word count: 551 Viewed: 233 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

There is one particular claim about water and weight loss that is open to question: 'drink a glass of water 10-20 minutes before a meal'. It is suggested that this gives feelings of fullness or satiation so that those trying to lose weight would then eat less at meal times. If you're one of those who have tried this, you've probably found out that it just doesn't work.

A recent BBC programme seems to support this view. It compared having a meal, for example chicken, vegetables and a glass of water against having soup - a blend of exactly the same chicken, vegetables and water.

Eating the meal and drinking the water gave a full, satiated feeling for a few hours before the pangs of hunger started. However, eating a blend of exactly the same food and water keeps the hunger pangs at bay for much longer. This means that the soup eater is much less likely to eat snacks between meals.

Apparently, the stomach allows water to pass straight through so it doesn't add anything to the feeling of fullness. When the same meal is blended into soup, the whole blend stays in the stomach much longer. So overall, the stomach takes much longer to empty after soup than it does for a solid meal with water.

So, why is this idea about drinking water before meals promoted so widely? Part of it could be the 'psychosomatic effect'. The theory is well known - if you believe that it works, then there's a good chance that it might even if there is no scientific evidence to back it up. The placebo effect is also an example.

On another level - most of us don't drink enough water anyway so the fact that it promotes good habits is a plus point. The fact that it suggests drinking water before meals seems to be neither here nor there.

So, does drinking water have any other role to play in weight loss? A popular theory revolves around the kidneys and liver. One of the main functions of the liver is to convert stored fat into energy. Another function is that it acts as a backup for the kidneys.

So, when the kidneys are deprived of their proper throughput of water, the liver has to do their job as well as its own. When this happens, the liver gets diverted away from turning fat into energy. Therefore, drink plenty of water so that the liver can burn off some of those fat cells.

So, how do we know when we're not drinking enough water?

1. Dark orange urine - drink frequently until urine runs clear 2. Constipation - stools are harder to expel as they become more solid 3. Headaches and fatigue - caused by the body's reduced ability to expel toxins

Overall, are we getting mixed messages? Absolutely! However, there can be no harm in making sure that we are hydrated - you'll know when this point is reached as the urine runs clear. But there is another way to take your water - make soup with it to help your weight loss.

The correct route is probably a mixture of the two extremes - drink water until you're hydrated and eat plenty of soup, especially vegetable because it contains fewer calories than chicken or fish.

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