Does drinking water on an empty stomach help reduce weight?

1. 93

   Vellurposted 12 years ago

   Does drinking water on an empty stomach help reduce weight?

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2. 61

   wewillmakeposted 12 years ago

   I don't think so.... Drinking more water in empty stomach is not good for the health.. It can create many health problems also..

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      Wesley Meachamposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      While I agree that drinking water on an empty stomach will not help you lose weight, I'm highly critical of the statement that "It can create many health problems also..." How exactly can drinking water (excluding excessive amounts) be bad for you?

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      Vellurposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I do not understand how it will create health problems.

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      Dubuquedogtrainerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Agree with the others - and question how drinking water on an empty stomach is "not good for the health."

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3. 60

   Dubuquedogtrainerposted 12 years ago

   No, but drinking a glass of water with a meal will help fill you up so that you eat less than you would if not drinking water with your meal. This means you would potentially consume fewer calories and could lose weight over time.

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      Vellurposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you. Water does help to fill up.

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   sassydeeposted 12 years ago

   i know that well I read some facts about drinking water and it helping you loose weight, because if you drink water instead of other liquids it's just overall good for you.  However filtering your own water is best because then the good stuff in the water doesn't filter out like when it gets to filtered by the big water label comp., also a lot of the time your thirst gets mistaken for hunger!

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      Vellurposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      You are absolutely correct. Thank you.

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   am301986posted 12 years ago

   Since water is calorie-free and there is so much of it already in our bodies, it may seem as if it can't make a great difference in weight-loss efforts. However, it actually has the capacity to play an instrumental role in improving your health as well as helping you slim down.

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      Dubuquedogtrainerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Water is certainly an essential nutrient and drinking plenty of water is necessary for normal cellular metabolism - in that way, it could aid in maintaining a healthy body weight. Also, adequate hydration is necessary for proper bowel function.

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      Vellurposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Rightly said, I agree. Thank you.

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   Tonipetposted 12 years ago

   I've been into the habit of drinking 3 glasses of water first thing in the morning then followed by stretching, or sometimes nothing at all. I take breakfast after an hour. I'm glad that so far, things have been very good for almost 20 years now. Thanks Vellur.

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      arksysposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      i've heard this practice is really good for your health.

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      Vellurposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you Tonipet for answering my question.

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      nochanceposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      You should eat something starchy when you wake up, like toast or cereal. It will help you think clearer. Your brain has used up all of the carbohydrates it had in storage during the night so by morning your brain is basically starving.

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      Tonipetposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      You've heard it right, and I can prove how effective and healthy this practice is. Thank you for the comment arkys.

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      Vellurposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you Tonipet. I will try this too.

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      Tonipetposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Yes, there are times I feel hunger upon waking up, so I eat cereal instead of my water. Thank you nochance:)

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7. 76

   Escobanaposted 12 years ago

   What would really help to reduce some weight is drinking water anyways, eating healthy and do serious work-outs with cardio training.
   
   It never comes easy but it's worth the hard work, it's good to stay fit and water has so many other positive effects on your health too:-)

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      Vellurposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Agreed. Great wisdom in your answer. Thank you.

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8. 59

   girlgonestrongposted 12 years ago

   It can help, but not much.  It also doesn't matter if you drink the water on a full or empty stomach.  The water isn't going to make you feel "satiated" so that you have less hunger and desire to eat less.  Hunger is primarily tied to the hormones ghrelin and leptin both of which are pretty much controlled by insulin.
   
   The primary impact of water on weight is the fact that lots of water allows you to more quickly eliminate sodium through the kidneys.  Once your sodium level drops your body will be able to eliminate even MORE water becuase it will not need to hold on to water in order to balance the sodium levels.  This second flow of water via excreetion will cause you to lose pounds on the scale and thus lose weight.
   
   Of course, this will cause the scale to go down, but it won't really help you because what you REALLY want to know is whether drinking water can help you lose FAT...not lose weight.  Where that is concerned, drinking water can only help minimally in that it will help all of your biochemical processes (most of which require water) to proceed more smoothly.
   
   Any benefits from drinking water will be destroyed, however, if you consume carbs.  Carbs boost insulin and chronically elevated insulin levels make us fat, period.  Insulin also has the curious effect of preventing the kidneys from excreting sodium in the urine!  So if your insulin levels are high and your drink the water, you won't get rid of the sodium, but will instead hoard it.  Then your body will hoard more water in order to balance it out and when you weigh yourself the number on the scale will increase!
   
   Get ahold of the book "Why We Get Fat" by Gary Taubes and read it so you can understand the reason WHY people gain excess weight in the form of fat.  Then read the book "The Primal Blueprint" to find out how you can lose that extra fat without easily and keep it off.

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      Escobanaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Very great and informative answer! Would be great if you stop by at all the comments on your Hub about strenght training for women too:-) Commenting back on Hubbers who like your work would be a beautiful act of gratitude.
      
      Again...loved your answer!

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      Vellurposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thank you for answering my question in detail girlgonestrong.
      
      Dear Escobana I did not leave a comment here, but have left a fan mail and am following her!!!

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      Escobanaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Vellur...the comment wasn't meant for you at all. I wasn't aware of the fact that you wrote a Hub about strength training for women and their benefits, too.
      
      Great question you asked and thanks for responding anyway:-)

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      Vellurposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Hi! Escobana I did not write any such hub!! Nice meeting you.

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9. 58

   harmony155posted 12 years ago

   I've heard that drinking really cold water helps to lose weight. It takes energy to warm up your body after drinking a cold liquid -- this helps to shed a little weight.

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      nochanceposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      That's actually a myth.

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      Vellurposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I agree with nochance.

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    tirelesstravelerposted 12 years ago

    Drinking water helps you lose weight if you are hungry all the time. Hunger could be masking  dehydration, If you eat because you are bored water doesn't make much difference,.

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       Vellurposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       tireless traveller thank you for answering my question..

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    Express10posted 12 years ago

    No, it will help with hunger pangs and defer them. Over the course of a week or more, if you were to drink mostly ice cold water and nothing else, you might burn up to 500 calories...but it takes burning at least 3500 to lose a pound. Short term, if you weigh yourself prior to drinking the water and stepped on a scale after, you would see your weight actually increase.

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       Vellurposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I am not sure about this cold water bit.

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       jclaffeeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       It is true, cold water does illicit an increase in metabolic rate because the body must warm it before it can be used in bodily functions or interact with cells (enzymes can only function at a certain temperature).

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12. 93

    Vellurposted 12 years ago

    Thank you to all you hubbers who have taken the time to answer my question.

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13. 59

    wisdom25posted 12 years ago

    No it doesn't. That is a myth.  If you were fasting and eating once a day that can help you lose weight.

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    nochanceposted 12 years ago

    I don't believe so. Sometimes when you're feeling hungry you're actually thirsty. So drinking water can keep you from snacking between meals. Water also contains no calories making it much healthier than all other options. Juices contain important vitamins but they also contain a lot of sugar (make sure they are 100% juice). Milk is good but flavored milk contains a lot of sugar as well. Soda is almost entirely sugar. If you're drinking water you're not drinking these other options.
    
    If you want to lose weight you need to pay attention to how many calories you consume compared to how many you burn. Exercising helps immensely in this equation.

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       K Kissposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       drinking Juice is indeed good but it should be kept in mind that 100% juice also contains fructose - another means of gaining weight

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       Vellurposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Yes K kiss it is a pity though, I love fruit juices!!!

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    sarahmooseposted 12 years ago

    It can help, but be careful not to substitute too often. I find that I often confuse thirst for hunger, and eat when I don't need to. If I think I'm hungry, I usually have a small glass of water or juice to see if it is thirst, then if I am still feeling hungry after 30 minutes I know I need to eat. However, I do drink in a morning and then wait for breakfast, purely because eating too soon after getting up makes me sick.

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       Vellurposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Good idea - waiting to see if you are really hungry. An excellent idea in fact. Thank you.

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    jclaffeeposted 12 years ago

    Drinking water INSTEAD of other drinks is a sure bet to losing weight, however there's alot of myths out there. Remember body weight fluctates hour to hour due to water levels in the body. I know wrestlers that can sweat off 10 to 15 pounds of water weight in a matter of hours. There's a big difference between burning fat and playing around with body fluid concentration.

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    Jordan Hakeposted 11 years ago

    No. 
    While remaining hydrated is very important for weight loss (not to mention over-all health) drinking it on any empty stomach won't help:
    1 It dilutes your stomach acids, making you need more food (more calories) for the same nutrition.
    2 It may fill your stomach and help you to eat less, but it can also make you feel bloated.
    3 Drinking more than a glass of water at a time is too much, and your body can't make proper use of that much fluid all at once.
    Hope this helps!

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    1. 93

       Vellurposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Thank you, it does help.

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