When drinking water makes you lose weight

To lose weight, there are sometimes a few simple rules to put into practice. British researchers ⁽¹) have just discovered a principle of life that is easy to implement daily and effective in terms of “natural appetite suppressant”. It consists of just drinking water before the main meals

A simple rule of hygiene of life at the basis of the study

Scientists from the University of Birmingham, in the fight against obesity, have validated this surprising discovery: half a liter of water drunk half an hour before each main meal not only allows you to hydrate well and drink the recommended 1.5 liters but also limits calorie intake. For this last observation, filling your stomach with water, this liquid contained at 65% in the body, gives a real feeling of satiety.

In the United Kingdom, specialists were able to follow obese people who had previously received recommendations for physical and nutritional practices for three months. The overweight subjects were divided into two groups: the first group behaved normally with no change in their daily water intake, while the others were instructed to drink half a liter of water before the three main meals.

Is the fight against obesity over?

A significant weight loss of more than four kilos may have appeared on the scales of those who, in addition to exercising and eating properly, regularly drank their 500 ml of water before breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The other group lost less than one kilogram despite the physical effort and balanced nutritional intake.

What is certain is that in 2010, an American study had already validated the fact that drinking water before a meal encouraged people to eat less. The feeling of satiety given to the stomach allows the brain to fulfill its role as “central manager” and to reduce and then stop any additional food intake.
For Dr. Helen Parrettila, one of the leading British scientists behind the recent study, the advice to drink before meals is so easy and easy to implement daily that she is convinced that the war on overweight has finally come to an end.

Beware of excesses

In losing weight, it is important, when taking part in this study, not to fall into excess and to quickly think that drinking can replace eating. Under no circumstances should an obese person exceed a maximum of 1.5 to 2 liters of water during the day. Ingesting only water and water-rich products such as cucumbers or soups will not satisfy the hunger in the long term and may even make you want to eat at any time of the day afterward. Less than an hour after this kind of food intake, the feeling of hunger will be triggered again.

Thus, one should not confuse everything. Scientists place great emphasis on drinking a precise amount of water half an hour before the three main meals, nothing else.

In summary, as with any intelligent weight-loss action, neither daily physical activity nor sensible intakes of healthy food should be ruled out. It is through this clever cocktail that obese subjects, apart from all surgical, invasive, and costly interventions, will be able to regain a balanced weight that is beneficial to their health.

Sources and references

⁽¹) Helen M. Parretti. Efficacy of water preloading before main meals as a strategy for weight loss in primary care patients with obesity: RCT. Obesity. DOI: 10.1002/oby.21167