5 Reasons Why Water Aids Fat Loss

I had a terrible workout yesterday!

Afterwards I could pinpoint the reason straight away – I was dehydrated.

I’ve already blogged about the fact that a 2008 study concluded that muscular power DECREASED by up to 19% at a dehydration level of 3%!

So what happened to me yesterday?

Well I hardly drank any water at all. I didn’t sleep well and felt like I absolutely needed caffeine to function (I know you’ve been there too). So I had 2 x strong cups in the morning.

Later when it was time to workout, I took 1 x 200mg caffeine tablet (prolab caffeine supplement) [Europe Link]. All this caffeine actually compounded the dehydration because caffeine is a diuretic.

Even though I was sipping water during the workout, the damage was already done – my insides were bone dry.

I’m back on track today and I’m sure I’ll have a better workout later on.

Now, what about water intake and FAT LOSS?

You should be drinking even MORE water when cutting. Why?

Here’s 5 Reasons…

(1) Appetite Control. Water is an appetite suppressant. Drinking enough water ensures that you get hungry when you REALLY need something to eat.

When cutting to very low body fat percentages, you can’t eliminate hunger, but you can minimize it. Drinking an abundance of water keeps hunger at bay for as long as possible.

(2) Kidney Function. Your kidneys need plenty of water to carry out their duties efficiently – processing waste products. If they don’t get this water, the liver comes into play to help.

Since the liver is responsible for taking your stored fat and turning it into energy you can use, you will slow this process down by relying on your liver. You can therefore OPTIMIZE fat loss by drinking adequate water and letting your liver get on with the job of turning that unwanted blubber into energy!

(3) Hormonal Signals. When you start leaning out, the body senses the lack of food. It will fight back to a degree by trying to hold onto its fat stores. Your energy levels will drop and your body temperature will fall – ever get cold hands when dieting down? Drinking an abundance of water will help counteract this.

From an evolutionary perspective, whenever there was a lack of food there was also a lack of water. By giving the body a steady and abundant supply of water you limit this unwanted effect by telling the body that there is no emergency, there’s plenty of water around and it’s safe to let go of that fat.

(4) Wasting Heat. Thermogenesis is the process of heat production by the body. Most weight loss pills are thermogenic aids i.e. they increase thermogenesis, which is a fancy way of saying they help you burn more Calories at rest.

Increasing the production of warm fluid (urine) will also burn more Calories. More frequent trips to the loo when cutting is a good thing.

(5) Hydrated Muscles. Hydrated muscles are strong muscles. This leads to better workouts and more growth stimulation. Holding on to (if not building) muscle while cutting keeps your metabolism revved up since muscle is METABOLICALLY ACTIVE tissue.

In layman’s terms this means that muscle burns Calories just by its mere existence. 🙂

I know what you’re thinking:

How much water should I drink a day to lose fat at optimal levels?

In Total Six Pack Abs I recommend that you take in 3-4 liters of water when you weight train alone. When you are performing weight training AND cardio, shoot for 4-6 liters. In gallons that’s 0.8 – 1 gallon, and 1 – 1.6 gallons respectively.

This is all you need for MAXIMUM fat burning without overburdening yourself with an excessive (and annoying) level of water consumption.

Have you been drinking your water today? Your strength and fat loss depends on it!

Stay Motivated!

Mark