Loading...
Water diet, did you really read well? Yes, the water diet is an option to help you lose weight. The world is desperate to help people lose weight and the only water diet is one of the aggressive ways to achieve desired results. So picture yourself having just water diet and nothing else for a few days. To many this is way too aggressive and they would rather pursue other options. But do not dismiss the entire idea behind this diet until you answer the question: what is a water diet?
What is a water diet?
It is one of the new dieting trends with a number of variations all aimed at losing weight. The first variation is where you only take water; the second variation allows you selected vegetables and fruits on top of water; the third variation allows you to take a weight loss diet in the company of water.
Variation 1
This is a very restrictive only water diet. It is another name for fasting where you only take water and nothing else. It is a very fast way to lose weight but will have adverse consequences to your health. Experts do not recommend it. However, a few days of fasting will not kill you and those daring will take it down. You have to be in perfect health before you consider going for this diet. It is advisable that you seek the help of your doctor.
Variation 2
As said earlier, you are allowed to take water alongside a number of approved fruits and vegetables. The fruits and vegetables should be from the low-carb kinds. It is effective in losing weight but not as aggressive as the only water diet variation.
Variation 3
This is the most flexible water dieting of the 3 variations. You are allowed to keep on with your normal weight loss diet but keep on taking water with every meal of the day. A good example would be to take an all-rice diet and incorporate water into the plan. This is not as aggressive as the other two and has as such won the approval of nutritional experts. It does not deprive the body its nutrients but keeps a watch on what you eat. Adding water to your diet will reduce chances for overeating, enhance digestion, detoxify your body and regulate metabolism. These are the preconditions for a successful weight loss program.
Water diet to lose weight
The only water diet is a very efficient way to lose weight. The requirement is that you take a lot of water in a day. Suggestively, you should aim at drinking 2 liters of water each single day. At first this may sound as a simple plan but wait until you get into it and experience the difficulties that come with it. For healthy weight loss you are required to eat a balanced diet and be active.
Hard or soft water?
Which of the two types of water is best for your water diet plan? Let’s see what is in each of them before we arrive at a conclusive answer. Soft water is the one freely running on taps and has a lower concentration of minerals. Hard water on the other hand has more minerals per 1000 ML. Hard water is considered to the best for an all-water dieting since it has a more filling effect than soft water.
Can you lose weight by just drinking water?
To be clear, water does not have any magic properties to melt down the fat on you and give you back your optimum weight. On the contrary, water alone cannot help you shed pounds of fat and flesh on you. Water, alongside exercise and right dieting can give all that you desire. First it streamlines your metabolism and this is crucial towards controlling weight gain. The second effect is that water helps you beat overeating. Thirdly, water is a very effective way to remove body toxins and this is good as it gets rid of the dirt from your body leaving you naturally fit. Those are the 3 crucial roles water will play in your weight loss campaign.
How much water is good for weight loss?
There is no a cut-dry amount of water you should be drinking to lose water. Instead it comes down to how much weight you want to lose. Diet and nutrition experts say that you should drink half-one ounce of water for every pound you weigh. For instance, if you are 150 pounds then your water diet quota should be 75-150 ounces. For how long you should keep on the diet will depend on your resilience. However, if you are relying on only water you should not have it for long. 1 to 3 days would be enough to give you desirable results. You should then take a break for a few days before you start the water diet again.
Just water diet: how to find the balance between water and eating
Everyone agrees that you cannot survive on water only. You will be depriving your body all the nutrients it deserves and that is detrimental to your health. This is why there is what is called just water diet. I would not call this a diet but rather a set of conditions for you to follow alongside your established eating plan. The just water diet requires you to drink lots of water but this should not be a replacement for eating. You have to keep on your diet; whether it is low-fat, rice diet, or ketogenic diet; and water should only be an inclusion.
What about the cold water for the diet?
Actually this is not some sort of a diet precondition (you can eat all you want). What it means is that you should drink cold water anytime you have to. The principle behind this is that the body will burn more calories to heat cold water up to the internal body temperature at 98.6 degrees. So the more cold water you take the more calories will be burned (but you really cannot take plenty of ice water so there is a limit you cannot go beyond).
How to get the most out of your water diet
If you have chosen to go for the water diet, there are guidelines that will ensure you get the best results. What are the best times to take your water diet?
· Take water right after you wake up: taking room temperature water in the morning will minimize the adverse effect to your stomach. Taking the right amount of water just after you wake up enhances your digestion and regulates the rhythm of your metabolism. This is a good thing if you are not only looking at losing weight but also to detoxify your body.
· Before a meal, take a glass of water: a glass of water before you eat is very effective to give you desirable results whether it is weight loss or detoxification. You should take it in slow swallows to give your stomach enough time to adjust and be ready for the activity coming. This improves food absorption as well as killing the desire to overeat.
· Before your lunch have plenty of water: after your breakfast, your body is ready to take on anything. If you can, take a few glasses of hard water. For those who cannot, soft water will be good for your body. Ensure you do this before your lunch to get the best results.
· Right after exercise and every other time you sweat: If you do not replace the water lost in your body, you are headed into a danger health zone. It is recommended that you take 2-3 glasses of water after your exercise. This replaces the lost body water and helps the body heal from any fatigue and muscle sourness.
· Before you sleep: when you sleep, it is time for digestion to take place. It would be helpful if you drink soft water before you head to bed. This makes it easy for the body to break down sold food as well pave way for easy absorption.
Expected results from an all water diet
Most of the time is not by choice that you enroll into a weight loss diet. You have your hopes banked on the results promised on paper (sorry to say on paper since most of the weight loss diets do not deliver the promises they give). You are curious on what would be the results if you get into a water diet or the lenient variation of just water diet. Here is a collection of results from studies and experience from those who tried the diet;
· Losing weight: this is the first results that everyone is looking forward to. The water diet, in its various variations, will help you in losing weight. How much pounds you lose will depend on the aggressiveness of your approach. If you want to lose weight really first then you have to go for the only water diet. For medium pace of losing weight you go for the second variation that allows fruits and vegetable in the diet. If you are looking to lose a few pounds over a long period then the third variation should be ideal for you.
But be advised, the immediate weight you lose is the water mass. You will not lose fat for the first few days into this diet. Fat loss takes longer since the body will need time to readjust before it begins using the stored fat as source of energy.
· Slow aging and life longevity: just the same way reducing calories in your diet leads to slow aging, water diet has the same effects. It is even more effective since it rids your body of all the toxins. The body is left in perfect shape and cell degeneration is reduced by a large margin.
· Enhanced mental resilience: fasting is not only a physical challenge but also a mental one. An only water diet is hinged on fasting and this will give your mind the resilience to face challenging situations. You will be able to positively face the ups and down of life and all because of a simple diet.
· Improved blood sugar regulation: at the end of the day you will be taking less calories and carbohydrates. The amount of sugar in your blood will be greatly reduced. Therefore you will face less risk from diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
· Streamlined digestion and flawless metabolism: with efficient digestion, food absorption and utilization will be improved. Your metabolism will be in the possible best condition. All these lead to good environment for weight loss.
The risks of only water diet
Water, water and water every day is not good for your health. Actually, going without any kind of food for more than 72 hours may have far reaching consequences for your health. Heads up, here are some of the risks for an only water diet;
· Long term nutrition deficiency: going for a day or two without eating anything is not good for anyone. Doing the water diet more often will deprive your body some crucial nutrients. This will have long term nutritional effects.
· Weakened immunity: taking only water will leave your body defense mechanism weak. Small bouts will take a toll on you.
· Headaches: your body will face serious shortage of calories. Headache will be the first sign that you are not eating enough. Lack of adequate energy is the cause of these headaches accompanied by dizziness and endless fatigue.
The final verdict
Everyone should take plenty of water. But this should not be in lieu of food. According to the Mayo Clinic, having loads of water is good but going for the water diet is not highly recommendable. If you really want to lose weight and lead a healthy lifestyle, you will need exercise and low-fat/carbs diets. You do not gain anything by starving your body because water diet is all about that. If you must have this diet, go for the third variation that allows you to have really diet other than going out for fasting. Losing weight by starving yourself is not good at all.
