Many of us will do just about anything to lose weight. Could drinking ice cold water be the solution? This article will look at how drinking cold water can help you reach your weight loss goals.
Does Drinking Water Help You Lose Weight?
Let’s start by looking at the benefits of drinking water for weight loss. Here we’re talking about any temperature water. Hot, lukewarm, or cold.
Drinking water helps shed those pounds because:
- It is a good replacement for sugary, caloric drinks.
- It suppresses appetite so you will be less likely to snack between meals. It will also help you eat less at one sitting if you drink water directly before a meal.
- It helps remove waste from the body which reduces weight gain from bloating.
- It helps burn fat. The first step in the process of metabolizing fat is hydrolysis which occurs when water molecules interact with fats to create glycerol and fatty acids. Therefore, water helps burn fat from foods as well as stored fats.
- Water makes workouts more effective. It aids with the movement of joints, muscles, and connective tissue. It also helps the functioning of major organs during physical activity.
- Water aids with calorie burn. Studies show that people burn 2% to 3% more calories than usual 90 minutes after drinking water.
Does Drinking Ice Cold Water Help You Lose Weight?
So we’ve established that water can be an effective weight loss aid. But what if that water is iced up? Can it do even more to assist with calorie burn?
The answer is yes, ice cold water can help you lose weight. But the effects are minimal.
According to the University of Washington, drinking a cup of ice-cold water will cause you to burn about 8 more calories than you would if you drink a cup of room temperature water. The difference is marginal, but it can really add up if you drink several glasses a day. For example, if you drink 8 glasses of ice-cold water a day, you can burn 80 additional calories.
The additional calorie burn occurs because the coldness of the water causes your body to work to regulate to its normal temperature.
However, drinking water will do little to affect weight gain unless you accompany it with the right diet and exercise routine.
How Much Water Should You Drink a Day?
The amount of water you should drink a day varies depending on biological and environmental factors and other issues. However, experts suggest that women should drink about 11.5 cups of water a day while men should drink about 15.5 cups a day. This can change depending on the outside temperature, conditions you may be dealing with such as dehydration, and how much hydration you are getting from foods like fruits and vegetables.
Drinking water is an effective way to increase weight loss. Adding a few ice cubes can help you shed a few extra pounds. It won’t do much, but it may be worth the effort.
How do you take your water?