Drinking water may be the best way to stay hydrated and healthy, but does it also give you a big belly? Some people believe that drinking lots of water causes weight gain. But how much truth is there to this claim? If you look online, you’ll read about some people saying that drinking water can cause bloating and frequent urination because your body recognizes it as a source of unnecessary calories. Others say drinking water before meals help reduce appetite and aids in weight loss. So which is it? Does water give you a big belly or slim you down? Let’s take a look at what the science has to say.
Does Drinking Water Give You A Big Belly?
No, drinking water will not give you a big belly. In fact, it can help you lose weight and reduce bloating. Drinking plenty of water is essential for good health, and it’s also necessary for proper digestion. When your body doesn’t have enough water, it can’t properly break down food, and this can lead to bloating and weight gain. So make sure to drink plenty of water throughout the day, and avoid sugary drinks or alcoholic beverages, which can actually cause you to retain water and bloat.
What Does Water Have To Do With Weight Gain?
Water is a SOURCE of Calories
Yes, water is a source of calories. In fact, the amount of calories you get from water depends on how much you drink. For example, a liter (1) of water weighs about one pound. One pound is equal to 1,000 calories. So if you drink one liter (1) of water every day, that’s about 100 calories per day. If you drink three liters per day (3), that’s 300 calories per day. The more water you drink, the more calories it provides for your body as a whole.
Water Keeps You Hydrated
Water helps keep your body hydrated and helps keep your organs healthy by flushing toxins out of your body through sweat and urine. As a result, drinking water can reduce the risk for many diseases and conditions like heart disease and cancer. Drinking enough water can help lower your risk for diabetes, heart disease, and kidney disease.
Water Helps Keep You Healthy
Drinking plenty of water helps maintain the healthiest weight possible by helping to regulate metabolism, blood pressure, hormones, and digestion. Drinking enough water can also help reduce fatigue, energy levels, stress levels, muscle cramps, bloating, and constipation. If you don’t drink enough H2O in general or if you are not getting enough salt in your diet or if you are over-exercising or undereating, then losing weight may be difficult to achieve because it will be harder for your body to function properly.
Water Helps Alleviate Muscle Cramps
Water is a great way to help alleviate muscle cramps and other muscle pains caused by dehydration and electrolyte imbalances. Drinking water before working out can help your muscles recover faster and more effectively because it helps you restore proper hydration levels in the body and replenish electrolytes (salts).
Water Keeps You Focused
Drinking plenty of water can help keep you focused because it helps reduce brain fog, mental fatigue, and moodiness. If you don’t drink enough water, then it will be harder for your brain to function properly because your brain needs adequate amounts of oxygen, glucose, and minerals to function optimally. When you are dehydrated, then your brain has less oxygen and nutrients to use for thought processes.
How Much Water Should You Drink Each Day?
- Water is essential for your body to function normally.
- Some people are convinced that drinking lots of water is the best way to stay hydrated, but it isn’t necessary to drink eight or more glasses every day.
- Drinking plenty of water can help maintain a healthy weight and prevent dehydration, but it doesn’t cause you to gain fat or put on pounds. However, drinking too much water can cause bloating and frequent urination because your body recognizes it as a source of unnecessary calories.
- Water does not cause weight gain if you drink enough of it each day. If you consume more than 2 liters (about 64 ounces) per day, you may experience some bloating and urination; however, this is normal and should go away after about two weeks if you continue drinking this amount of water each day.
- Drinking water before meals helps reduce appetite and aids in weight loss in some people. Drinking before meals reduces your appetite so that you eat less overall, but there is no science indicating that drinking water alone causes weight loss. In fact, there are many proven ways to lose weight without exercising or dieting.
- Water does not raise the levels of blood sugar, which may lead to diabetes or other health problems. Many people mistakenly believe that drinking a lot of water raises your blood sugar levels because they are used to eating foods high in sugar or drinking sugary beverages. But the truth is that drinking too much water can cause bloating and frequent urination because your body recognizes it as a source of unnecessary calories.
- Water does not cause you to gain weight if you drink enough of it each day. Drinking more than 2 liters per day may cause some bloating and urination; however, this is normal and should go away after about two weeks if you continue drinking this amount of water each day.
Does Drinking Water Cause Bloating And Urine Discoloration?
- The first study that examined this claim was published in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. In it, participants were asked to drink water before and after a meal. The results showed that drinking water before eating caused the subjects to consume about 6 percent more calories than normal. This does not mean that drinking water causes weight gain, however. It could be a result of increased hunger, increased caloric intake from other food, or increased absorption of calories from the food itself.
- Another study published in the Journal of the International Society for Sports Nutrition looked at how many grams of water were consumed before and after exercise on a treadmill for an hour or two. The subjects were split into three groups: those who drank 16 ounces of water every 15 minutes, those who drank 1 liter of water every 15 minutes, or those who abstained from drinking any fluids during exercise. The results showed that when participants drank 1 liter (about 32 ounces) they burned significantly more fat than they did while exercising without any fluid consumption.
- A third study published in the Journal of Physiology examined how much water people drank each day compared to their body mass index (BMI). The results showed that people with low BMIs had higher daily fluid intake than people with high BMIs, but this did not cause them to become overweight or obese. In fact, some studies have shown that drinking more water helps you lose weight by helping you feel full faster and by increasing your metabolism so you burn more calories.
- Another study published in the Journal of Nutrition looked at whether water consumption affects body weight and waist size. The results showed that consuming more water did not cause people to become heavier or fatter, but it did help them lose weight by reducing fat mass, especially around the waist area.
- A study published in the journal Metabolism examined whether drinking water is associated with a decreased risk of diabetes. The results showed that people who drank more than 1 liter of water daily had a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to those who drank less than 50 ounces a day. However, this does not mean that drinking water can prevent you from getting type 2 diabetes; it is only associated with a lower risk of developing it.
The Bottom Line
While you should stay hydrated, drinking water doesn’t directly lead to weight gain. In fact, drinking water has lots of health benefits and may even help you lose weight. If you’re worried about gaining weight, try drinking more water and eating a healthy, well-balanced diet. With these two things, you may just be able to reduce your risk of diseases and lose some weight.
