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What's With Water?
Dear Tony,
I’ve heard over and over that eight glasses of water a day are necessary for good health and weight management. Just the other day I went to a holistic physician who told me to drink eight glasses a day. In truth, I drink about 16 ounces a day. When I work out, I drink a little more.
Is forcing myself to drink water (which I don’t really like) really going to make any difference in maintaining or losing some weight?
Dried Up
Dallas, Texas |
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Dear Dried Up:
The golden rule on water consumption is obey your thirst. The old eight-a-day adage is just that—an old saying. And while it has no scientific significance, it’s a harmless way for us to remember that our bodies are mostly made up of water, and that water needs to be replenished daily.
You get water in many other forms than in the glass. Vegetables and fruits are loaded with water. Then there’s the milk you drink, the juice, and yes, even the protein or slim shakes that all add to your fluid intake. Alcohol dehydrates you. However, in a recent study it showed that coffee, tea and other caffeinated soda drinks (which have a slight dehydrating effect) do count toward your daily fluid intake, not against it.
As for water’s effect on dieting, studies show that when water is consumed with a meal it helps to make you feel full faster; therefore, you may eat less. The water you drink throughout the day has little effect on satisfying your appetite. The bottom line is that water does more for your general health than it does for dieting. Water is a good thing, so my advice would be work out more often so you drink more of it! And that will help you keep off unwanted weight.
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Ask Tony articles are reprinted by permission of Ms. Fitness magazine at P.O. Box 2490, White City, OR 97503. Ms. Fitness® is a registered trademark of Wally Boyko Productions, Inc., in the USA, Canada, European Union and other countries. All rights reserved. Wally Boyko Productions, Inc. P.O. Box 2490 White City, OR 97503 USA 1.541.830.0400 |
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