I found this and thought it looked interesting and thought it might answer some questions or concerns about water consumption.

http://channels.netscape.com/ns/hom...erburnscalories

The secret to shedding pounds may be in a glass of water. Drink the right amount and you'll burn more calories. That's the word from scientists at Berlin's Franz-Volhard Clinical Research Center, who have scientifically shown that people who drink two liters of water a day burn an extra 150 calories daily. How? Metabolism. Water seems to stimulate the sympathetic nerve system that regulates metabolism, report Ananova and the German magazine Men's Health. Think about it: Almost every diet encourages drinking lots of water, but there have been few scientific studies on why this is important and effective for weight loss.

In this German study, 14 healthy, normal-weight men and women were tested for the effect of water drinking on adipose tissue metabolism. Led by Dr. Michael Boschmann, the research team found that the people who drank 500 ml of water increased their metabolic rate by 30 percent. (Metabolic rate is the rate at which calories are burned.) The increase occurred within 10 minutes and reached a maximum after 30 to 40 minutes. Lipids or burning more fat primarily fueled the increase in metabolic rate in men, while in women the breakdown of carbohydrates were the energy source. This increased rate of metabolism was responsible for burning off the excess calories. Interestingly, as much as 40 percent of the increase in calorie burning is caused by your body's attempt to heat the water you just drank.

But here's the gotcha: It has to be water. Carbonated water and all other drinks, including soft drinks, actually had a negative effect. Do note that the impact on weight loss of drinking two liters of water daily is modest at best and the findings are preliminary, but it could have important implications for many types of weight loss programs. The research findings were published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.



How much water should you drink every day? The latest study from researchers at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City concludes that the old standby of eight glasses a day still holds. Here's the surprising gotcha: If you don't drink enough water, the greatest effect may not be physical--it's mental and emotional.

Drink just half the recommended amount of water, and you'll likely suffer from mild dehydration. You'll also have less energy, and you won't be able to concentrate and focus as you normally would.

"For people who aren't exercising a lot or living in a very warm climate, eight glasses of water a day may be a good rule of thumb," lead researcher Dr. Wayne Askew told Reuters. If you do exercise and sweat a lot, then you need more than eight glasses to properly hydrate your body. Our bodies need water, primarily because water makes up more than 70 percent of solid body tissue. It helps regulate body temperature, carries nutrients and oxygen to cells, removes waste, cushions joints, and protects organs and tissues, explains Reuters. Too little water can cause headaches, grogginess, and dry, itchy skin. When we become severely dehydrated, it can affect our blood pressure, circulation, digestion, kidney function, and nearly all body processes.

Great post thanks, gives me even more reason to up my water consumption now 2 liters is equal to how many ounces?

2 Liters is equal to 8 8 oz glasses of water

I was losing about 1.5 to 2 lbs. per week and drinking what I would call an average amount of water (1-3 liters). I increased it dramatically in the last two weeks (5-8 liters) and I have lost 4 lbs. each week. Of course, the other factor in play is that, with the increased water consumption, my black coffee and Diet Dr. Pepper consumption has dropped drastically. So is it the increase in water... or the decrease in caffeine?

1 liter/litre is about5 33.3 ounces.
So 2 litres is 66.6 ounces or 66.6/28 = 2.37 quarts US
(2 litres Canadian or 1.66 quarts Imperial)
Easier is:
1 cup US = 8 ounces so 1 liter = 4 x 8 ounce glasses
1 cup Imp. = 10 ounces so 1 liter = 3.5 x 8 ounce glasses


Boy, if H2O can make me lose, just call me WaterGirl!!!!

Thanks for the article, Rick.

Yep, I follow the water plan religiously. I've never had problems drinking water even before atkins, I average around 3-4 liters of water everyday.

Bingo! - It did.

I've been consuming lots of water per the instructions but wondering why. I thought perhaps it was to just give myself a false sense of 'fullness' and for me I'd decided that was enough, but it sure is nice to know there's a lot more to it than that.

Thanks!

This is what I always thought... broths, teas, and even water all create a sensation of fullness in the stomach that handily nips any "false hunger pangs"... you know the feelings where you just want to nibble but you don't actually need the energy. This, naturally, leads to taking in less calories. So, I thought this was the reason we were told to drink water on diets.

However now that I know there is some evidence that water consumption actually raises metabolic rate, I will definitely be drinking pure ice cold (they said it was heating the water which contributed, right?) water. It can't hurt... after all, water is free.

I would love to know the reason diet sodas and "unpure" beverages negatively impacted metabolism, though. I would think they would raise metabolism even higher since all the necessary filtering of the water by the body probably raises metabolism to a greater degree than straight water... doesn't seem to be the case though, unfortunately . Sigh, and just when I find out they came out with a diet brisk iced tea (my FAVORITE drink pre-Atkins *cry*).

You can still drink Tea and diet sodas. Just make sure you are getting your water. But, watch out for caffiene. They say that can affect you as well.

Interesting study, but raises some questions. It was my understanding that metabolic rate increases measurably any time you eat or drink. How does this compare to the increase in metabolism that comes from various foods?

This is one thing I can't really answer scientifically. I do know drinking water will help to digest food easier. Plus, where it cools your body down, your body will burn more calories to heat it back up. I know if I don't drink enough water, I start to feel very bloated and swelled. Plus, I have a harder time losing weight.

This is sure true for me! I didn't drink as much water over the long (4 day) weekend as I normally do and it's obvious by my feet and ankles that I'm retaining. I hate that!!

Digesting food raises your metabolic rate too, that's why you get a metabolic boost from eating more frequent meals throughout the day. Cold water gives you the boost without the calories.

I always ignored the water drinking part of the diet, because I didn't understand the reasoning. But then I tried drinking 64 oz of water per day as an experiment and voila! I lost more weight. I'm a believer now!

I wonder why carbonated water would have a negative effect? I assume that means unsweetened, no caffeine, just regular sparkling mineral water or soda water. Strange.

Now I'm eyeing my mineral-water-with-LemonLime da Vinci-syrup very suspiciously...