Is Dehydration the Reason You're not Losing Weight? | A Registered Dietitian's Take
We all know that staying hydrated is important for good health, but can drinking enough water actually help you lose weight? Let’s look at some of the reasons this might be the case.
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1. Dehydration might make you feel hungry.
Sometimes it can be difficult for our bodies to differentiate between hunger and thirst. The body knows that it needs something, but it can’t quite figure out what. So you might be rummaging through the cabinet for a snack, when really you should be filling up a glass of water. One study found that participants who drank two cups of water before a meal ate 22% fewer calories than those who drank no water before the meal.
When you feel a snack craving hit or before you sit down to eat dinner, take a moment to think about how much water you’ve had. If you’ve been slacking, drink a glass or two of water before you eat! That way, you will be hydrated and better able to assess how hungry you actually are.
2. Dehydration might decrease your metabolism and make it harder to burn fat.
Water is involved in every cellular process within the body. Without water, your body cannot properly break down carbohydrates or fats from food for energy, which could leave you feeling tired and sluggish. Water is also needed to break down stored body fat in a process called lipolysis. If you aren’t hydrated, you won’t burn as much fat!
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3. Drinking more water can displace sugary drinks in your diet.
Those who drink more water tend to drink far less calorie-laden drinks like sugary coffees and teas, juices, energy drinks, and sodas. Those sugary, caffeinated drinks might give a temporary boost, but that boost is followed by an inevitable crash. In addition to that, they train your tastebuds to seek hyper-palatable, hyper-sweet tastes–causing you to crave and overeat processed foods.
4. You can’t get quality exercise without good hydration.
Exercise is important for anyone on a weight loss or health improvement journey. Water delivers crucial nutrients like electrolytes to the muscles during exercise so that they can contract properly. Water is needed to break down food into energy. It supports respiratory and cardiovascular function. It lubricates your joints and hydrates your muscle tissue, which allows for optimal movement. Drinking water before, during, and after exercise is one of the most important things you can do to support your body and get the most out of your workouts.
5. Water is needed to eliminate waste.
Are you feeling bloated, constipated, or like you are retaining water? You might need to hydrate! When we drink water, our kidneys use that water to filter waste while retaining nutrients we need. During dehydration, we retain water and these waste products build up.
A lack of water can also cause bloating and constipation. In the large intestine, water is absorbed before stool is eliminated. If the person is dehydrated, this process causes stool to become dry and harden, leading to discomfort and potentially adding inches to the person’s waist and pounds on the scale.