Weight Loss Journal

This article is slightly contrarian please understand your own personal experience and consult with your doctor to figure out what is right for you.

Most everyone agrees that drinking water is an important component to weight loss. However, there are some dangers that drinking too much water can pose to your health. While it is important to stay hydrated, you'll need to make sure that you are drinking the right amount of water.

First, water is very helpful when it comes to making your stomach feel full and keeping you from feeling unsatisfied. However, this leads many people to drink too much water, especially at first. In addition, if you're drinking too much water to keep from eating, you won't be shrinking your stomach, so it will keep thinking that it needs to be filled up.

A good rule of thumb to follow when it comes to deciding how much water you really need is to take your weight, divide it half and use this as a guide to how many ounces of water you really need. I weigh 356 currently which would equate to 178 oz a day (or ~22 8 oz glasses) with this rule of thumb. For, a 100 lb woman this rule of thumb is 6.5 8 oz glasses a day. As you can see rule of thumbs are pretty worthless. Consult your doctor for what level is right for you.

However, if you will be doing any sort of strenuous exercise, or if it is currently hot, you will need to increase your water intake a little bit to make sure that you do not become dehydrated. In this case, you may want to add an extra eight or sixteen ounces, or more, depending on how much you sweat.

Many people do not realize how much water they really get, especially when it doesn't come from a glass or a bottle. If you eat soup, you're getting quite a bit of water. Even soda contains a lot of water and in some cases, it may be 99% water. While this is great for keeping you hydrated, you may be overdoing it, especially if you are already drinking your eight glasses of water a day. CNN recently ran a story calling into question the conventional wisdom of 8 glasses of water a day.

Why is it so important to make sure that you don't get too much water? People have actually died after ingesting too much water thanks to what is known as Hyponatremia. In plain English, this occurs when you drink so much water that your system becomes overloaded and your blood thins out too much. While it can take some people more than a gallon of water ingested in a short period of time to reach this stage, others may be more susceptible.

Check with your doctor to see what they feel is a healthy amount of water for your unique needs. They will be able to give you a better idea of your water requirements and they can educate you on the dangers of drinking too much water.

In short, water is very important and it can be very useful when you are trying to lose weight. However, too much of a good thing isn't good either. As with many things in life, the key is to find the right balance. When you find this, you'll be well on the road to healthy and safe weight loss.

Please remember the Importance of Maintaining Adequate Hydration.

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Originally posted 2008-05-19 05:09:08. Republished by Old Post Promoter

So many of us get caught up in the push to lose weight that we let our health slide. There are a few ways that you can make sure that you are staying healthy when you're loosing weight, and they're not hard to do at all. You will need to see a doctor or a nutritionist before you get started, to make sure that you've picked the right path. Let's go over just a few ways to stay healthy when you're on a diet.

Pick the right kind of diet -

There are so many fad diets out there and their big promises suck a lot of us in. However, many of these diets are incredibly unhealthy and can do real damage to your body and your metabolism. Always ask your doctor about a new diet before you go on it, to make sure that it is a healthy choice. However, if they tell you it is not healthy, don't just give up. Ask them what kind of diet they recommend for you.

Get on the right supplements -

In order to maintain your health during a diet, it is important to make sure that you are getting the right vitamins and minerals. Ask your doctor what supplements they recommend for you. If you are already taking a one-a-day multi-vitamin, keep taking it. It should contain a good balance of all the different vitamins and minerals you'll need for each day.

Start a healthy exercise plan -

Jumping right into a 2 hour a day exercise plan is not going to do your body any favors and in fact, you can end up injuring yourself. If you have not been active, you need to start small and build up your endurance. Don't be ashamed to exercise for just 15 minutes - it's better than nothing. Slowly add more time each day until you're at a level that is healthy for you.

Drink enough water - but not too much -

Water plays such an important role in our health. We all need it, and when you're dieting, water can really help you feel less hungry. However, you need to make sure that you are not drinking too much water, which can actually be dangerous. Use this simple formula to see how many ounces of water you should be drinking every day - take your weight and divide it in half. This will be the amount of ounces you should be drinking. Just as a reminder - one glass usually equals around 8 to 12 ounces, depending on the size of the glass.

Get plenty of sleep -

Your body is going through a lot while you're dieting and it is very important to make sure that you get enough sleep. This will help balance your body's stress hormones, which can play a role in how we retain weight. Try to get at least eight hours of sleep every night while you're on a diet, and try to get to bed before midnight.

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