Monday, November 16, 2009

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Water — it does a body good By SHAVAUGHN MOSS ~ Lifestyles Editor ~ shavaughn@nasguard.com: Whether you pop diet pills, down some form of shake, ascribe to a diet that extols the virtues of low carbohydrates with no fat intake or believe in loading up on protein with few carbohydrates — whatever your weight-loss method of choice — water should always be an important part of the plan. According to Dr. Cyprian Strachan at the Javon Medical Centre, Scottdale House, 21 Madeira Street, water should always play an integral part of the foundation for any good weight loss program. "Most weight loss programs require dieters to consume at least eight 8-ounce glasses (two quarts) of water a day, however, most persons do not consume an adequate amount," he says. Just to remain hydrated an individual should drink approximately two to three quarts of water daily, but he says dieters should drink an additional eight ounces of water for every 25 pounds they are over their ideal body weight. Theresa McPhee, 46, realized she needs to lose weight for health reasons, and now that she follows a diet plan, she tries to ensure that she is properly hydrated. "Prior to starting the program, I very rarely drank water. Half the time I was just too lazy to go to the faucet to get some," she said. The consultants at her weight loss program pounded it into her the benefits of drinking water, adding that that it would help to flush out her body. They also extolled the values of the calorie-free refresher that she can enjoy in copious amounts in comparison to other liquids such as soda pops and juices. "Water performs the vital function of helping the kidneys flush out toxins that are the by-products of dieting," said Dr. Strachan. "When persons consume diets that are rich in proteins, urea levels build up to a dangerous concentration. If the urine is dark in color, this indicates a high dehydration level, and could lead to kidney infections or failure, therefore, consuming an adequate amount of water improves kidney function, which in turn frees the liver to increase the efficiency of the liver's fat-burning ability. The medical professional says a common problem he hears when he asks most people about their water intake is that they tend to include soda pops, sports drinks, alcoholic beverages, diet soda pops, juices, tea and coffee, into their water intake total, and he says they shouldn't. "Sodas, caffeinated teas and coffees contain caffeine which causes the body to have a dehydrating effect. These products act as diuretics, expelling water from the body. Soda pops, sports drinks and fruit juices are filled with sugars, which are converted to carbohydrates that sabotage your diet efforts preventing fat burning." According to Dr. Strachan many persons are of the opinion that diet soda pops have no sugar, and question why they can't be included in their daily water requirement, but he says diet sodas contain chemical sweeteners that contain fewer calories, but the sugary-tasting beverage causes the dieter to develop a preference for sweet things, increasing sugar cravings. He says dieters who chose diet sodas over water are programming themselves for a high preference for sweet foods. Dr. Strachan says research has shown that as a result of dieting, when you consume diet soda, the brain expects the calories to come along after consuming your sugar appetizer. When the body does not get the calories after the diet soda, the brain's addictive tendency encourages the body to overeat to compensate for the calories. Dr. Strachan said that anyone starting a weight loss program should remember as they begin consuming a hydrating amount of water, that during the initial days, the first few pounds lost, is water. "Hydration decreases the body's natural water store. A dehydrated body has learnt to store water. This pattern of storing water is a part of the body's built in survival mechanism to store-up the essential nutrients in short supply. Therefore, if one does not consume enough water, you are instructing your body to store water. This water becomes bulk and weight. Because many of us have deprived ourselves of water for years, our bodies are operating in a survival mode. However, when we begin to hydrate our bodies, it gets rid of water that it doesn't need in our ankles, hips, thighs and belly." According to Dr. Strachan, your body then begins to trust that water will keep coming because you've started to hydrate, and it will stop hoarding liquid, which begins the dieter's initial weight loss. "I try to drink at least eight glasses a day now, and I've noticed I have better digestion, and drinking a glass of water before a meal also helps to make me full faster, so I don't eat as much," says McPhee. Water, he says is also a natural appetite suppressant, which is why it works for McPhee to down a glass of it before her meals. "The brain does not differentiate between hunger and thirst so we feel hunger pains which in all actuality aren't hunger pains, but your body's mechanism of crying out for more water. To soothe what is perceived as a crying stomach, the eater consumes food. The lack of water leads to over-eating." With 60 to 70 percent of the human body composed of water, adequate consumption of the clear liquid is pivotal in a number of critical body processes. If the body does not have enough water, metabolism (the rate in which the body burns calories) is decreased. The process of burning calories indicates that the body is functioning at the optimal level, which means that it is much easier to burn unwanted fat. The medical professional says dehydration slows down the fat-burning process and hydration jump-starts the metabolism, which is why water is one of the most important weapons in your weight loss arsenal. To achieve your optimum water consumption level, Dr. Strachan says eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day is an inexpensive weight-loss miracle. He encourages more people to hydrate to lose weight and live a more healthy lifestyle. While McPhee is pleased with her increased water intake, which she says has aided her in her weight loss efforts, she still believes she can do better. Monday, November 16, 2009