Water diet for weight loss: all about it

A water diet for weight loss is important in human nutrition. After all, life on Earth is impossible without water. Its effectiveness cannot be overestimated and it is very easy to lose weight with the help of water. Scientists have long established that the body is almost 70-80% water. A decrease of even more than 10% in important fluid can lead to negative consequences. It can even be fatal. Without water, it is impossible to ensure the full functioning of the human body.

Absolutely all biochemical processes in the human body occur with the help of water. The liquid provides a high rate of chemical reactions. With its help, quite complex complex compounds are formed. It delivers nutrients to all organs, manages thermoregulation and digestion, removes toxins and waste, controls muscle contraction and redistribution of electrons, as well as a huge number of other functions.

Pros and cons of a water diet

There are advantages and disadvantages of a water diet. People strive to achieve the coveted ideal figure. They waste a lot of time and money. Consumers purchase diuretic and laxative teas. They try to reduce weight with pills and capsules. Many people purchase thermal underwear that enhances sweating and stock up on other weight loss products. When people engage in such “drying” of the body, it leads to dehydration. This “waterless therapy” promotes very short-term weight loss, and has very dubious benefits for the body.

According to experts, the problem of excess weight in people is mainly explained by insufficient consumption of ordinary fluid. The solution to this problem is to update the drinking regime.

How to start dousing with cold water

Often, the worst thing in a business is the beginning. It would seem - to voluntarily pour a pan, or even a bucket of cold water on yourself... brrrrrrr. Actually, it's not that scary.

You can start with a hot or warm shower to which you are accustomed and feel comfortable with the selected temperature. Gradually (over the course of a week) the water temperature needs to be lowered by opening the cold water tap more and more. And finally - here it is - a decisive step - and you pour 2-3 liters of cold water on yourself.

If this is your first time doing this, you may feel a little nervous. In this case, you should wrap yourself in a terry towel. In a few minutes, the body will recover from the unexpected shock, and clarity of thought will return to you, and at the same time good spirits.

Gradually, in water procedures, the volume of cold water for dousing is increased. Dousing is carried out once every 2-3 days at first, slowly increasing the frequency of procedures to 2 times a day.

How to properly go on a water diet?

Nutritionists, when prescribing one or another dietary regimen to their patients, recommend the mandatory consumption of large volumes of clean water. Why does a person need to drink so much? It is beneficial for the whole body and the process of losing weight. Most overweight people have a lack of fluid due to varying degrees of dehydration. Excess weight is a major factor in poor health.

Due to constant “water deficiency”, a lack of energy appears in the body. Dehydrated cells are not able to produce full energy. It is important to know how not to fall off the water diet. The cellular structure, depleted by such exploitation, needs replenishment of energy. With minimal fluid intake, the body takes it from food, so it needs to increase the diet, which leads to the appearance of fat deposits.

In the hypothalamus, the hunger center is located next to the thirst center, so people, confusing these needs, give preference to food when fluid intake is sufficient. As a person ages, the activity of the thirst center decreases, so the consumption of many older people decreases.

Dehydration is a common cause of excess weight

Experience shows that urban women suffer from dehydration without knowing it. Their diet most often consists of tea, coffee, alcohol, soda, juices and other drinks. According to scientists, water to which smell, color or taste has been added is no longer perceived by the body as a liquid and is automatically sent to the stomach, and not to the center of water-salt metabolism. The latter is in charge of solving problems such as a balanced supply of water to organs, removal of toxins, excess weight, and removal of fluid, but reacts only to clean water and salt.

As a result, a person does not receive even a small fraction of the daily fluid requirement per day, so the body is forced to pump it from itself, taking away water reserves from the skin and hair and redirecting them to more important systems.

The consequences of dehydration are:

• hair loss;
• brittle nails;
• dry skin;
• slowing down metabolism.

Based on this, we can conclude that before switching to a strict diet and limiting your food consumption, it is necessary to balance the flow of water into the body, because it is its lack that most often causes an increase in excess weight. This is why the American Water Diet was developed.

The hunger center and the thirst center in the hypothalamus are as close as possible, so almost always a person cannot determine where the signal is coming from and what he wants: to drink or eat? In addition, the latter loses its former activity every year and it becomes more and more difficult to hear its urges. The principle of the water diet is to replace snacks with drinking large amounts of water, which can kill the feeling of hunger and which the body really needs.

General rules for a water diet

A water diet for the lazy requires compliance with its basic rules, namely:

• The daily volume of water should be greater than the amount of food eaten;
• It is best to drink water at room temperature, ideally it should be heated to 30-38°C;
• Daily fluid intake should be basic; it is better to replace teas and juices;
• Individual calculation of daily water consumption should correspond to the ratio - 40 ml per 1 kg of body weight. This volume is adjusted in accordance with the weight lost (in hot weather it is possible to increase the volume of consumption);
• I follow, after waking up, drink a glass of clean water on an empty stomach to activate metabolic processes, and immediately before bed;
• Remember to take a glass 30 minutes before meals. This will help the digestion process proceed more intensively and help reduce the total amount of food consumed;
• Follow the hourly schedule on a water diet. The entire volume should consist of equal parts (approximately 200-250 ml). They should be drunk throughout the next day at approximately equal intervals;
• It is forbidden to drink water with food. It is not recommended to drink liquid within an hour and a half after eating. This can cause a decrease in the saturation of gastric juice and inhibition of digestion processes;
• Remember the importance of reducing the amount of salt you eat (to prevent swelling). It is impossible to completely exclude salt from the diet (to prevent disorders associated with the existing water-salt balance);
• If an unbearable feeling of hunger appears in between main meals, it should be quenched by drinking water. Often, signals sent by the brain are often incorrectly interpreted by the body;
• The process of drinking water should be slow, in small sips;
• A single serving should be limited to 200-250 ml (more liquid will cause stomach distension);
• To increase the effectiveness of weight loss, you need to take care of a fasting day on one product that is included in the list of healthy foods before starting.

Existing varieties consist of two main categories. What is constant for both species is the correct way out of the water diet.

1. The first category includes the mono-diet itself, or, more simply, fasting, which is often practiced to cleanse the body, which is saturated with various toxins. It lasts no more than three days. The water mono-diet is dangerous to health, but at the same time quite effective in terms of weight loss. Three days of such fasting are enough to really get rid of 4-5 extra pounds.
2. The construction of the second category is due to the principle associated with limiting the food consumed and its calorie content and simultaneously increasing the amount of moisture consumed (namely water, and not any other liquid). The difference between these categories is only in the duration of the observed regimen (from 3 days to 4 weeks). The result of weight loss with such lightweight options on water is less pronounced, but quite significant. How long can you stay on a water diet? For example, seven days with a limited range of products is enough to get rid of 3-4 kilograms.

Diet rules for weight loss

There are some rules about what is and is not possible with this method of losing weight.

What to avoid

With this method of therapeutic fasting, you should categorically refuse all foods containing fatty acids, avoid cakes, hamburgers and pastries.

The basis of the diet should be plain water. It should not be replaced with juices, tea or coffee. Monitoring the amount of fluid you drink should be constant.

Do not drink while eating.

Water should be at room temperature, since cold liquid causes difficulty in digestion, affects the condition of teeth and can complicate a therapeutic diet with a common cold.

You should not drink all the liquid that the body needs per day in 2-3 doses. The stomach should not be subjected to unnecessary stress during fasting, and even 500 ml of water drunk in one gulp can dramatically affect its functioning.

Basic recommendations from nutritionists

However, not everything is so sad. The water diet does not require large restrictions from its adherents and therefore makes it possible not to experience any special difficulties. Nutritionists allow:

• Improve the taste of water using various natural additives. For example, you can make the drink sweet by adding 30 - 40 grams of honey or slightly acidify it with citrus juice. Orange or lemon will also add vitamins to your drink.

• It is not prohibited to replace part of the daily water intake with green tea or fresh juices. The first perfectly removes toxins and waste products from tissues, so it will also contribute to weight loss, but its volume should be no more than 30%.
• You are allowed not to particularly limit yourself in food, but you should still remember that the water diet is used for weight loss, so the basis of the diet should be vegetables and fruits, fresh or steamed. Only lean meat and fish are allowed, preferably a lot of fresh vegetables containing plant fiber.

Experts do not show any special preferences in dishes, but they insist on a maximum reduction in spices, salt and herbs. The absence of these appetite-stimulating components of many foods will significantly reduce the daily diet.

However, in this diet, water remains the main thing, and the correct calculation of the daily need for body fluid will be important. Excessive drinking can neutralize all efforts to burn fat.

Required daily water intake

First you need to decide what water can be used in the water diet. Experts recommend using ordinary purified water, which is widely available in stores. Carbonated is not suitable, as it increases the secretion of gastric juice.

For the first experiment, a simple calculation formula is best: for every 30 kg of weight you should drink 1 liter of water per day. If your body weight is 60 kg, then your daily fluid requirement will be 2 liters.

It should be borne in mind that during the therapeutic diet, weight will decrease, and already from the second week of dietary restriction this should be taken into account when calculating the daily requirement. To do this, it is recommended to divide the weight indicators by 20. In addition, you can multiply the number on the scales by 90 and get a more accurate dosage of liquid in milliliters.

Equally important is the correct distribution per day. You should drink 0.5 liters 40 minutes before a meal, and distribute the rest of the water evenly throughout the rest of the day. You should stop drinking 3 hours before bedtime.

About the principles of the water diet, watch this video:

Benefits and harms

Every person knows about the benefits of water. To maintain health and energy throughout the day, you need to remember to constantly replenish lost fluids. If its entry into the human body stops, his death will occur literally within three days. It is better to drink more than less. Oversaturation of the body is impossible. All excess moisture will naturally leave the body.

A hydrated system helps maintain optimal health. Is a water diet healthy? Health benefits can be provided. The main thing is to follow certain rules. No harm will come to you. Among the main advantages of the described scheme, the following should be highlighted:

1. Weight loss. This process occurs not due to the loss of fluid, but due to a decrease in the need for food. The stomach on such a system will be constantly filled, the person will not experience hunger. You should find out what you can eat on a water diet.
2. Cleansing the body. The functioning of numerous organs directly depends on the cleansing of the organs. This fact is confirmed by numerous studies. Necessary nutrients reach all cells of the body. The organs are also freed from unfavorable decay substances. Accumulated toxins can be flushed out with fluid volume. Just as it washes away the usual external dirt, the inner part of the body is cleansed of toxins in the same way. A water-salt diet significantly improves the health of the body.
3. Normalization of blood pressure. If a person suffers from pressure surges, one can judge that there is simply not enough fluid in the body. The vessels have to constantly contract and expand to allow blood to fill the hematopoietic system. If you go on a water diet and follow a proper drinking regime, you can quickly get rid of high blood pressure.
4. Optimal regulation of body temperature . This is especially true for summer. People who have heart disease and blood pressure problems should drink constantly during this period;
5. Significant improvement in the movement of joints and organs. If a person consumes little fluid, this will automatically have an adverse effect on the entire body system. Even if you already have some diseases, consuming the required amount will allow you to restore your internal organs.
6. Rejuvenation. A water diet for men helps improve the functioning of the body. At the same time, it starts regeneration. Cells filled with moisture rejuvenate much faster, accordingly, wrinkles on the skin go away, hair becomes healthy and strong.

Important! This procedure must be followed for one month. Then there is a break for a month with consumption as usual. The procedure can then be repeated.

Is a water diet harmful?

Among the shortcomings we mention the following:

• if before using the technique, a person’s fluid intake was limited, in the first days discomfort may be observed due to increased kidney function;
• Drinking excessive amounts of liquid is not recommended. This will lead to the leaching of both harmful and beneficial substances;
• consumption of vitamins and minerals.

Water diet results

The main result is that the way of eating does not require much effort. The decrease in body weight is slow but constant. This method of eliminating extra pounds has little effect on the general well-being of women and men, has virtually no contraindications and is quite cheap, since it does not require the constant purchase of expensive ingredients for dietary dishes.

Most of the nutrients, vitamins, mineral salts, etc., necessary for the human body during a water diet, continue to enter tissues and cells, which contributes to their normal functioning. Such fasting does not interfere with the functioning of the immune and hormonal systems.

Since the basis of this diet is liquid, the structure of the skin and its elasticity are not affected, as with most food restrictions. In addition, the entry of excess water into the tissue cleanses the cells, rejuvenates them, restores hair and smoothes out wrinkles on the skin.

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Many experts consider it quite important that the use of a water diet does not have a depressing effect on the human central nervous system, does not cause depression, and allows you to remain cheerful and full of energy. Delicious food is an influx of positive emotions, and a water diet allows you to preserve them.

Using this method of fighting weight develops the useful habit of drinking plenty of fluids in the morning and 2 hours before bedtime. In addition, people who have used a water diet must learn to replace constant snacks with a glass of plain water, which will help them maintain optimal shape even after the end of the period of water restrictions in food.

Water diet menu

When considering the nuances associated with following a water mono-diet, it should be remembered that the procedure associated with such a weight loss regimen is absolute fasting, potentially dangerous to human health. It is strongly recommended to limit the mono-diet to three days. If negative phenomena are detected, the procedure is stopped ahead of schedule. Not every body can withstand even a three-day course without harm.

A water diet, limited to 1-2 fasting days or a three-day mono-diet, is very simple. It consists of drinking exclusively water (a small amount of freshly squeezed lemon juice is allowed) and completely avoiding any other solid or liquid foods.

Drinking clean water is necessary whenever you feel hungry. During the day you should drink from two and a half to four liters. The process of losing weight is combined with deep cleansing of the intestines, which is important for the fastest reduction of volume in the abdominal area. After such a fast, you should not immediately resume your usual diet. The recovery period after a 3-day water mono-diet should be from 10 to 12 days. At this time, the nutritional diet should be modified by the gradual and consistent introduction of basic macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, fats).

The rules of the water diet do not provide for serious food restrictions. It is enough to exclude some foods that can damage the digestive system.

Experts recommend eating small portions.

Sample menu
Normalization of the functions of the gastrointestinal tract is achieved through daily consumption of 1 glass of low-fat kefir or yogurt without added sugar before bedtime.

If you can’t completely give up tea and coffee drinks right away, you can replace them with herbal infusions. For example, mint, lemon balm and chamomile have a beneficial effect on a losing weight. You can also add a slice of lemon, 2-3 rose hips or ginger: this will add flavor to the drink and saturate it with vitamins.

Menu for weight loss

If there are no time restrictions, then it is most often recommended to extend the period of such nutrition to 30 days. In this case, the daily diet will differ little from the daily one.

Immediately after sleep, you should drink 500 ml of water and start eating an hour later. It is better to limit yourself to oatmeal, cottage cheese or muesli with nuts and dried apricots.

Taking liquids after meals is allowed no earlier than 60 minutes later. You can afford green tea and toast.

40 minutes before lunch you should again drink 0.5 liters of liquid, keeping in mind that the first courses must be included in the daily volume of water. There are practically no food restrictions, but fatty, fried and salty foods should be avoided. After eating, you should not drink water for 1.5 hours.

Dinner with such a diet should be early, since before it you should again drink 500 ml of liquid 30 minutes before. After this, you can eat well, and then you can’t drink for 2 hours. If we take into account that the last drink is allowed 2 hours before bedtime, it means that if lights out are planned at 23:00, then the last meal can be at 18:00 - 19:00.

Many experts recommend eating split meals during this period, that is, 5 - 6 times a day. However, given that the break between taking liquid and eating should be at least 60 minutes, it is quite difficult to build such a nutrition schedule.

When you want to achieve quick results, it is recommended to use a water diet for a week. With such a diet, the restrictions will be more significant:

• The intervals between drinking and eating remain unchanged, but in the morning only protein-rich foods, such as cottage cheese, eggs or lean cheese, are allowed.
• Lunch should be limited to a light first course and boiled lean fish or poultry.
• Dinner may consist of boiled vegetables and steamed fish. Drinking water should be 30 - 35 degrees, which helps reduce the secretion of gastric juice and enhances digestion in the intestines.

This diet is more difficult to tolerate than the one designed for 30 days, but it makes it possible to get rid of 5 - 7 kg in a week. It is important to carefully calculate the required volume of daily fluid every day.

Do's and Don'ts

When choosing a water mono-diet, the only product acceptable for consumption will be the filtered liquid itself. Its taste can be varied only with a small amount of freshly squeezed lemon juice. The results of a water diet depend on your diet.

A monotonous mono-diet menu makes the following diet more attractive:

• eggs (chicken/quail);
• whole wheat bread;
• low-fat cottage cheese/cheese and liquid fermented milk products;
• various vegetables;
• honey;
• fruits (primarily apples and citrus fruits) and dried fruits;
• nuts;
• lean meat and poultry;
• cereal porridge;
• lean fish and seafood;
• various teas, freshly squeezed juices.

How to properly carry out the dousing procedure

Depending on the chosen area of ​​the body, dousing is divided into general (dousing the whole body) and local (dousing a specific part of the body).

Of course, to fully normalize metabolism (and therefore lose weight), dousing the entire body is better suited. In addition, completely dousing the body with cold water is recommended for diseases of the nervous system, insomnia and poor circulation.

Pouring with cold water should be carried out according to a certain pattern. You don’t need to think that pouring a bucket of water on yourself in a moment will help your body.

Start the procedure from the feet. First one, then the second, after which they move on to pouring hands. Then they quickly pour over the chest and stomach, and lastly rinse the back.

If you use souls for dousing, the dousing pattern remains the same. The only thing is that the pouring time increases. So, when the body is prepared, I water my legs for several minutes, then my arms and shoulders. The least amount of time (10-30 seconds) is spent on the chest and abdomen.