Water and Weight Loss: Is Its Power Over-Hyped or Useful?

Of Course, Water Is Good… Right?

We’ve all heard it – “Drink more water! It’s good for you.” But dive into any health journey and you’ll quickly stumble into the internet echo chamber debate: 

“Water only counts if a fish can swim in it!” or “Coffee counts as water! It’s a liquid, right?” The internet has a lot to say, but the real question is: How do we make sure we’re truly staying hydrated?

There’s a lot of talking heads, influencers (and “influencers”), and weight loss experts weighing in on just how important water is to weight loss. 

Spoiler alert: water is good for you! But it isn’t the end-all to losing weight. At the end of the day, to lose weight, we have to be in a calorie deficit (where we’re literally bringing in less than is going out). Drinking more water can be super helpful in keeping to that calorie deficit by making it easier on our bodies. It can also help with weight loss, general fitness, and be a key ingredient in an overall healthy lifestyle. 

(As always, before we get into it: here’s my official disclaimer: I’m not a doctor or medical professional so take all of this with the appropriate level of “not giving medical advice.”)

Let's get into it!

How Does Water Affect Weight Loss?

Let’s get this out of the way: drinking more water won’t be a cure-all to losing stubborn weight; it’s not a magic pill or miracle for stubborn belly fat and it won’t make the scale go down on its own.

BUT. 

Two key studies are super helpful in analyzing what water can do. 

A 2014 study published in the Journal of Natural Science, Biology, and Medicine concluded that drinking more water can affect your weight, skinfold thickness (the amount of fat you can pinch), BMI, and appetite. 1 

Here’s what they found. Over 8 weeks: 

• the average body weight decreased by 1.44 kg 

• the average BMI decreased by 0.58 BMI

• the average skinfold thickness decreased by 3.05 mm 

• the average appetite score decrease rating was 2.21 

Before we get too crazy excited, there’s a couple of things to keep in mind about the study:

• The specific impacts were pretty small overall – we’re looking at about 3 lbs over 8 weeks. (To compare, most healthy diet and exercise programs aim for 0.5-1 lb lost a week)

• The specific study was pretty small – it was with only 50 women for 8 weeks; that’s not a huge sample size nor a huge amount of time. 

On to the good news: the study does back up the claim that drinking water when you’re trying to lose weight is good for you. Over the course of 8 weeks, those women increased their water intake, made no other changes, and lost about 3 lbs on average (or about 0.375 lbs a week). That’s close to a healthy 0.5 lbs a week weight loss goal on its own – and that’s with doing nothing else! 

Just imagine how much impact that could have when you combine it with other healthy choices…   

There’s other impacts to weight loss, too. According to another article (this time from Johns Hopkins University), water can impact weight loss by:

• Stimulating your metabolism: it stimulates thermogenesis (heat production) which can help increase your metabolism over time

• Suppressing your appetite: by filling your stomach with water, your body can feel more full and doesn’t give you as many hunger cues 2

One of the key complaints I hear is that when people go into a calorie deficit, they’re hungry more. Which makes sense. You’re literally eating less than your body needs in order to decrease your weight. Of course, you’re hungry. But drinking water can help reduce those hunger cues by filling your stomach with water and not calories. 

How Does Water Affect General Fitness?

We all know I’m a huge advocate for movement and workouts. When we talk weight loss, yes, we’re talking about the number on the scale but we’re also talking about feeling our best. And that part – the feeling – usually comes from body composition changes in addition to weight. And what affects body composition? Exercise. 

And water can have a huge impact on how your body handles exercise.  

In addition to the measurable body impacts, other studies have shown that drinking more water can affect your ability to be more active: 2  3 

• It may prevent muscle cramping: water helps to dissolve electrolytes and distribute them throughout the body which is key to preventing muscle cramps  

• It may decrease fatigue: water helps your body remove your heat via sweat so you can regulate your temperature and prevent heat exhaustion

• It may help you build muscles faster: when you’re dehydrated, your body breaks down proteins in muscle quicker so you build muscle slower. When you’re hydrated, the opposite happens

On top of the physical effects, if you aren’t as hungry, tired, or sore, you’re often more likely to do the workout that you said you were going to do – that’s an additional win if the motivation wanes. 

General Benefits of Drinking Water for a Healthy Lifestyle

On top of the weight loss and fitness effects, drinking more water can help in multiple other ways to keep your body in top form: 2  3  4

Water may help: 

• Keep your skin elastic and moisturized: water can provide that all-important hydration to the skin cells

• Improve brain performance and cognitive functions: your brain is 73% water so when it drops due to dehydration, it might not perform optimally

• Regulate your blood pressure: water can keep your plasma/blood cell ratio at the correct fluidity

• Protect your joints and spinal tissue: water may provide cushion and lubrication to the tissues

• Prevent kidney stones, constipation, and bloating: it may help move waste (sweat, urination, etc) through your body’s natural cycle effectively  

These benefits are incredibly valuable both during your weight loss journey and as you maintain a healthy lifestyle afterward. The positive effects continue to support you long after you've reached your goals, helping you thrive for years to come.

Water Recommendation

Wondering how much water you’re supposed to drink on a daily basis? 

The short answer is… it depends. 

This is where some of the internet echo chamber comes in – everyone has an opinion and even the doctors vary on their recommendations:

• The Mayo Clinic recommends about 125 oz a day for men and 91 oz a day for women 4

• The weight loss study from 2014 showed a positive impact with 50 additional oz per day 1

• The CDC doesn’t give a specific number, stating “Daily water intake recommendations vary by age, sex, pregnancy status, activity level, and breastfeeding status” 5

• One commonly repeated online recommendation says to drink "eight 8-ounce glasses per day" – or 64 oz. 3 

• For athletes, the American Council on Exercise recommends an additional 56-70 oz of water before/during/after your workout on top of your normal water intake 6

• Another commonly recommended amount is “half your weight in water” 3

• And finally, there’s the pee test – if your urine is light yellow or clear, you’re drinking enough, but if it's dark yellow, you need more water 2

You can see how it can get confusing when large, well-known, and respected agencies disagree and/or provide different variations when it comes to water intake. But to be fair, people’s bodies are complicated and there’s very rarely a one-size-fits-all approach that works for health. 

How much water do you need? My suggestion? 

1. Start with drinking half your weight in water or 64 oz, whichever is more

2. If you’re incorporating daily workouts, add an additional 45-50 oz of water to account for sweat and the general increased heat your body produces 

3. See how your body feels or what color your urine is and drink more if needed

Sooooo, Is Water Over-Hyped? 

Yes and no. 

As part of a whole healthy lifestyle, water greatly impacts the way your body functions. It can help you make huge strides in whatever weight loss or fitness journey you’re working through and is a major piece of keeping your body healthy for the long term. 

But it won’t be an end-all-be-all to lose weight. 

More likely than not, you’re not drinking enough water. Per the CDC, the average American drinks between 45-80 oz of water less than they need. 5 And if you’re looking to lose weight and/or start exercising, the odds are even greater that even if you’re getting enough now, your body will need way more during that weight loss journey and exercise program. 

Just like water consumption, your weight loss and fitness journeys are not one-size-fits-all. If you want a personalized plan of action, let me help! I can help transform your ideal lifestyle and dreams into a clear, actionable plan. Together, we’ll create the path for you to live the life you’ve always envisioned. I’ll be there every step of the way.

Click [HERE-link] to schedule a free chat!

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Sources:

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4121911/

2. https://hub.jhu.edu/at-work/2020/01/15/focus-on-wellness-drinking-more-water/

3.https://healthmatch.io/weight-management/how-much-water-should-you-drink-to-lose-weight

4.https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/water/art-20044256

5. https://www.cdc.gov/healthy-weight-growth/water-healthy-drinks/index.html

6. https://www.acefitness.org/resources/pros/expert-articles/5397/how-hydration-affects-performance/