Minimum Water Intake For Weight Loss

Last Updated on November 7, 2022 by

You’re on a weight-loss diet. As you might have noticed, this requires water intake. But how much water should you drink every day? Contrary to popular advice, the best way to answer this question is not by looking at your urine; but by calculating the minimum amount of water you need to lose weight effectively.

Losing weight isn’t easy. But it’s not a mystery either. It’s just a matter of having the right tools and using techniques that work. On my journey to losing weight, I had to learn a lot myself. One of the most important things I realized was how much water I needed each day. If you’re trying to lose weight, this article is for you. It’ll tell you how much water you need when losing weight so that you can be successful and achieve your goals! You can learn more about how Minimum Water Intake For Weight Loss by visiting my site at https://foodkeg.com/

Minimum Water Intake For Weight Loss

For a long time, drinking water has been thought to help with weight loss.

In fact, 30–59% of US adults who try to lose weight increase their water intake.

Many studies show that drinking more water may benefit weight loss and maintenance (3Trusted Source).

Read on to understand how drinking water can help you lose weight.

Drinking Water Can Make You Burn More Calories

Most of the studies listed below looked at the effect of drinking one, 0.5 liter (17 oz) serving of water.

Drinking water increases the amount of calories you burn, which is known as resting energy expenditure (4Trusted Source).

In adults, resting energy expenditure has been shown to increase by 24–30% within 10 minutes of drinking water. This lasts at least 60 minutes (5Trusted Source, 6Trusted Source).

Supporting this, one study of overweight and obese children found a 25% increase in resting energy expenditure after drinking cold water (7Trusted Source).

A study of overweight women examined the effects of increasing water intake to over 1 liter (34 oz) per day. They found that over a 12-month period, this resulted in an extra 2 kg (4.4 lbs) of weight loss.

Since these women didn’t make any lifestyle changes except to drink more water, these results are very impressive.

Additionally, both of these studies indicate that drinking 0.5 liters (17 oz) of water results in an extra 23 calories burned. On a yearly basis, that sums up to roughly 17,000 calories — or over 2 kg (4.4 lbs) of fat.

Several other studies have monitored overweight people who drank 1-1.5 liters (34–50 oz) of water daily for a few weeks. They found a significant reduction in weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference and body fat.

These results may be even more impressive when the water is cold. When you drink cold water, your body uses extra calories to warm the water up to body temperature.

BOTTOM LINE:

Drinking 0.5 liters (17 oz) of water may increase the amount of calories burned for at least an hour. Some studies show that this can lead to modest weight loss.

Drinking Water Before Meals Can Reduce Appetite

Some people claim that drinking water before a meal reduces appetite.

There actually seems to be some truth behind this, but almost exclusively in middle-aged and older adults (11Trusted Source).

Studies of older adults have shown that drinking water before each meal may increase weight loss by 2 kg (4.4 lbs) over a 12-week period (4Trusted Source, 11Trusted Source).

In one study, middle-aged overweight and obese participants who drank water before each meal lost 44% more weight, compared to a group that did not drink more water (4Trusted Source).

Another study also showed that drinking water before breakfast reduced the amount of calories consumed during the meal by 13% (12Trusted Source).

Although this may be very beneficial for middle-aged and older people, studies of younger individuals have not shown the same impressive reduction in calorie intake.

BOTTOM LINE:

Drinking water before meals may reduce appetite in middle-aged and older individuals. This decreases calorie intake, leading to weight loss.

Drinking More Water is Linked to Reduced Calorie Intake and a Lower Risk of Weight Gain

Since water is naturally calorie-free, it is generally linked with reduced calorie intake.

This is mainly because you then drink water instead of other beverages, which are often high in calories and sugar (13Trusted Source, 14Trusted Source, 15Trusted Source).

Observational studies have shown that people who drink mostly water have up to a 9% (or 200 calories) lower calorie intake, on average (16Trusted Source, 17Trusted Source).

Drinking water may also help prevent long-term weight gain. In general, the average person gains about 1.45 kg (3.2 lbs) every 4 years (18Trusted Source).

This amount may be reduced by:

  • Adding 1 cup of water: Increasing your daily water consumption by 1 cup may reduce this weight gain by 0.13 kg (0.23 lbs).
  • Replacing other drinks with water: Substituting a serving of a sugar-sweetened beverage with 1 cup of water may reduce the 4-year weight gain by 0.5 kg (1.1 lbs).

It is especially important to encourage children to drink water, as it can help prevent them from becoming overweight or obese (17Trusted Source, 3Trusted Source).

A recent, school-based study aimed to reduce obesity rates by encouraging children to drink water. They installed water fountains in 17 schools and provided classroom lessons about water consumption for 2nd and 3rd graders.

After one school year, the risk of obesity had been reduced by a whopping 31% in the schools where water intake was increased (19Trusted Source).

BOTTOM LINE:

Drinking more water may lead to decreased calorie intake and reduce the risk of long-term weight gain and obesity, especially in children.

How Much Water Should You Drink?

Many health authorities recommend drinking eight, 8-oz glasses of water (about 2 liters) per day.

However, this number is completely random. As with so many things, water requirements depend entirely on the individual.

For example, people who sweat a lot or exercise regularly may need more water than those who are not very active.

Older people and breast-feeding mothers also need to monitor their water intake more closely.

Keep in mind that you also get water from many foods and beverages, such as coffee, tea, meat, fish, milk, and especially fruits and vegetables.

As a good rule of thumb, you should always drink water when you’re thirsty, and drink enough to quench your thirst.

If you find you have a headache, are in a bad mood, are constantly hungry or have trouble concentrating, then you may suffer from mild dehydration. Drinking more water may help fix this.

Based on the studies, drinking 1-2 liters of water per day should be sufficient to help with weight loss.

Here’s how much water you should drink, in different measurements:

  • Liters: 1–2.
  • Ounces: 34–67.
  • Glasses (8-oz): 4–8.

However, this is just a general guideline. Some people may need less, while others may need a lot more.

Also, it is not recommended to drink too much water either, as it may cause water toxicity. This has even caused death in extreme cases, such as during water drinking contests.

Water can be really helpful for weight loss.

It is 100% calorie-free, helps you burn more calories and may even suppress your appetite if consumed before meals.

The benefits are even greater when you replace sugary beverages with water. It is a very easy way to cut back on sugar and calories.

However, keep in mind that you’re going to have to do a lot more than just drink water if you need to lose a significant amount of weight.

Not Everyone Gets Healthier When they Lose Weight

Three people jog together down the street.
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  • A new study found that people with obesity who lost weight had a significantly lower risk of type 2 diabetes.
  • However, when lean people attempted to lose weight, their risk of type 2 diabetes increased.
  • The researchers studied the health data of nearly 200,000 people from three prospective cohort studies conducted between 1988 and 2017.

Weight loss is much more beneficial for people with excess weight compared to individuals who are already lean, according to new research.

The study, which published in PLOS Medicine Tuesday, evaluated weight loss strategies and their health effects in nearly 200,000 people and found that people with obesity who lost weight had a significantly lower risk of type 2 diabetes, however, when lean people attempted to lose weight, their risk of type 2 diabetes increased.

Bariatric physicians were surprised to learn that weight loss strategies had such opposite health effects on people depending on their body mass index (BMI) at baseline.

They suspect that underlying biological differences impact how and why people’s bodies respond differently to weight loss efforts.

“The main takeaway is that weight loss is beneficial for those who are overweight; lean individuals did not experience the same or more benefit,” Dr. Mir Ali, a bariatric surgeon and medical director of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, CA, told Healthline.

Ali was not involved in the study.

Weight loss had different effects based on people’s weight

The researchers studied the health data of nearly 200,000 people from three prospective cohort studies conducted between 1988 and 2017.

People were deemed lean if they had a BMI under 25. If it was 25 to 30 they were deemed as having overweight and if it was above 30 they were deemed as having obesity.

The team evaluated various weight-loss strategies — including a low-calorie diet, exercise, low-calorie diet and exercise, fasting, a commercial weight loss program (CWLP), and diet pills — in people who lost at least 4.5 kilograms, or about 10 pounds.

They also looked at people who did not lose weight.

Of the people who lost at least 4.5 kilograms team found that all of the weight-loss strategies were associated with less weight gain and a lower risk of diabetes among people who have obesity at baseline, however, exercise was the most effective strategy.

“The primary determinant for success in obtaining and sustaining weight loss is exercise capacity. This study and many others support this fact once again,” says Dr. David Prologo, a board-certified obesity medicine physician, who was not involved with the study.

Over the course of 24 years, people with obesity who exercised had a 21% lower risk of diabetes and those who took diet pills had a 13% lower risk. People, who have overweight and who exercised, had a 9% lower risk of Type 2 diabetes and those who took diet pills had a 42% higher risk of diabetes.

“If you are overweight or obese, even moderate weight loss — up to 4.5% — showed pretty significant gains in overall health and reduction in disease risk,” says Dr. Dana Ellis Hunnes, a senior clinical dietitian at UCLA medical center, assistant professor at UCLA Fielding school of public health, and author of Recipe for Survival.

The health effects were opposite among lean people, and according to the study, lean people who intentionally lost weight tended to gain back more weight and have a higher risk of diabetes.

Lean people who exercised in order to lose weight had a 9% greater risk of diabetes and lean individuals who took diet pills or followed a commercial weight loss program to lose weight had a 54% increased risk of diabetes.

“These findings are surprising because it would seem that weight loss would be beneficial for everyone; based on this study, lean individuals seem to have a different biological makeup,” Ali said.

Why weight loss’s effects vary depending on body weight

Obesity causes hormonal and metabolic complications that can contribute to a range of health problemsTrusted Source, including type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, hypertension and heart disease.

Hunnes said the risk of diabetes and other health issues can increase depending on a person’s weight.

When people, who have obesity, lose weight they eliminate some of the fatty tissue that produces inflammation, disrupts hormonal production, and contributes to insulin resistance.

“Decreasing the volume of that tissue directly results in improved health,” says Prologo.

Lean individuals, on the other hand, have a different hormonal and metabolic makeup, which likely causes them to respond different to weight loss.

When you are lean”trying to lose weight can actually have negative effects on your overall metabolism, mental health, and possibly even overall health as you increase the likelihood you’re going to be hungry and eat more and possibly gain weight,” says Hunnes.

People who are already lean should engage in maintenance activities, says Prologo. This could include activities such as exercise and eating nutrient-dense whole foods while eliminating or reducing the consumption of ultra-processed foods.

Ali says he often sees people try weight-loss strategies that aren’t sustainable — most diets will work for a time, he says, but the weight comes right back when the diet ends.

“The key is making dietary and exercise changes that can be maintained long term,” Ali said.

Weight loss is much more beneficial for people with excess weight compared to individuals who are already lean, according to new research. While the mechanisms are unclear, health experts suspect that underlying biological differences impact how people’s bodies respond to weight loss efforts. While even moderate weight loss can lead to significant health gains in people with obesity and overweight, lean people should focus on weight maintenance activities rather than weight loss strategies.

Should You Drink 3 Liters of Water per Day?

It’s no secret that water is vital to your health.

In fact, water comprises 45–75% of your body weight and plays a key role in heart health, weight management, physical performance, and brain function (1Trusted Source).

Studies show that upping your water intake may offer many health benefits (2Trusted Source).

However, the amount of water you need is a subject of controversy — and drinking too much can harm your health.

This article examines the benefits and downsides of drinking 3 liters (100 ounces) of water per day.

Water glasses header
Martí Sans/Stocksy United

Supports overall health

Staying well hydrated is incredibly important, as water is needed for a variety of bodily processes and central to nearly every aspect of health and wellness.

In particular, this fluid helps regulate body temperature, transport nutrients, maintain brain function, and enhance physical performance (3Trusted Source).

Not getting enough water can be detrimental, potentially causing side effects like nausea, fatigue, constipation, headaches, and dizziness (4Trusted Source).

Therefore, drinking 3 liters (100 ounces) of water per day may help you meet your hydration needs to support better health.

SUMMARY

Drinking enough water is important for many aspects of health, including body temperature, nutrient transport, and brain function.

May boost weight loss

Increasing your water intake may aid weight loss.

Drinking water just before meals can be especially useful, as it can promote feelings of fullness and reduce appetite.

One study in 24 people found that drinking 500 ml (17 ounces) of water before breakfast reduced the number of calories consumed by 13% (5Trusted Source).

Similarly, a small, 12-week study showed that drinking 500 ml (17 ounces) of water before each meal as part of a low-calorie diet increased weight loss by 44%, compared with a control group (6Trusted Source).

Drinking water may also temporarily boost your metabolism, which can increase the number of calories you burn throughout the day.

In a small study in 16 people, drinking 500 ml (17 ounces) of water temporarily increased metabolism by 24% over 1 hour, which may aid weight loss (7Trusted Source).

SUMMARY

Water may help you feel full and temporarily increase your metabolism, which may bolster weight loss.

May improve skin health

Some research suggests that drinking more water can help keep your skin supple and smooth.

For example, a month-long study in 49 people determined that increasing water intake by 2 liters (67 ounces) per day improved skin hydration, especially in those who typically drank under 3.2 liters (108 ounces) of water daily (8Trusted Source).

Another study in 40 older adults linked higher fluid intake to increased skin hydration and skin surface pH (9Trusted Source).

Skin pH plays an integral role in maintaining your skin’s barrier, which can influence your risk of certain skin conditions (10).

Additionally, a review of six studies found that increased water intake reduced dryness and roughness, increased skin elasticity, and enhanced hydration (11Trusted Source).

SUMMARY

Drinking more water may promote healthy skin by increasing hydration and elasticity while reducing roughness and dryness.

Other benefits

Drinking more water may offer several other benefits as well, including:

  • Increased regularity. Multiple studies associate low water intake with a higher risk of constipation. As such, drinking more water may promote bowel movements (12Trusted Source).
  • Kidney stone prevention. One review of nine studies tied higher fluid intake to a lower risk of kidney stones (13Trusted Source).
  • Headache relief. Research suggests that drinking more water can alleviate headaches caused by dehydration or fluid loss (14Trusted Source, 15Trusted Source).
  • Mood improvement. According to one review, increasing water intake may aid both brain function and mood, especially in children and older adults (16Trusted Source).
  • Enhanced athletic ability. While dehydration can impair exercise performance, replacing fluids after physical activity can increase endurance and decrease exercise-induced DNA damage (17Trusted Source).

SUMMARY

Drinking 3 liters (100 ounces) of water per day may aid bowel regularity, prevent kidney stones, alleviate headaches, improve mood, and strengthen physical performance.

May not be the right amount for everyone

While drinking more water may aid your health, 3 liters (100 ounces) may not be the right amount for everyone.

Currently, no official recommendations exist for the intake of plain water alone. The amount you need is based on several factors, such as age, gender, and activity level (18Trusted Source).

However, there are recommendations for total water intake, which includes water consumed through all foods and beverages, such as plain water, fruits, and vegetables.

A total daily intake of around 2.7 liters (91 ounces) for women and 3.7 liters (125 ounces) for men can meet most adults’ needs (19).

Depending on the other foods and beverages you consume, you may not need to drink 3 liters (100 ounces) of water per day to meet your fluid requirements.

Simply listening to your body and drinking when you feel thirsty is one of the best ways to ensure that you’re staying hydrated. In fact, most people can meet their daily needs by drinking water when they’re thirsty (19).

Notably, some individuals, such as athletes and manual laborers, may need more than 3 liters (100 ounces) of water per day (20Trusted Source).

Drinking too much water can be dangerous

Keep in mind that excessive water intake can be dangerous.

Drinking too much can disrupt your body’s electrolyte balance, leading to hyponatremia, or low levels of sodium in your blood (21Trusted Source).

Symptoms of hyponatremia include weakness, confusion, nausea, vomiting, and — in severe cases — even death (22Trusted Source).

Although your kidneys can excrete up to 20–28 liters (4.5–6 gallons) of water per day, they can only process 800–1,000 ml (27–34 ounces) of water per hour (23Trusted Source).

For this reason, it’s important to spread your water intake throughout the day rather than drink it all in a single sitting. Additionally, be sure to listen to your body and adjust your water intake accordingly if you’re feeling unwell.

Increasing your water intake may provide many health benefits, especially for weight loss and skin health.

While drinking 3 liters (100 ounces) daily may help you meet your needs, it isn’t necessary for everyone. In fact, drinking too much water can be dangerous.

To ensure you’re staying hydrated, drink when you feel thirsty and always listen to your body.

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