[valarie_28]

Something Everyone Struggling to Lose Weight Needs to Know:

So everyone knows or has heard that if you want to lose weight the #1 thing to do is drink water, but do you know why? I know I didn’t. I was just always told your body needs it and it flushes out your system. Well that’s true but there is SO much more to why we actually need water to lose weight and it has nothing to do with the fact that it’s the only substance that is naturally calorie, carbohydrate, sugar, and everything else free.

I hate water just for the record and it’s the hardest thing for me to do, but at least now that it actually makes sense as to why you have a harder time losing weight without it makes it a little easier for me. Amazing what happens when something is explained to you.

So heres the break down….It’s all about your liver. Yes, your liver. It has nothing to do with your kidneys..at least not flat out anyway.

The liver: The Body’s Washing Machine:
Our liver is not only the largest organ in our body but it is also the largest gland. It is considered a gland because aside from its various functions it also controls your metabolism. Your liver decides what happens to things that enter your body by breaking down proteins. It is in charge of deciding if food you eat is transformed to energy, stored, absorbed or disposed of. It also produces bile (I know a little gross) without bile our stomach would be pretty useless cause it needs bile to break down what we eat.
(side note your liver is like a giant strainer for you blood. Its main job is to filter anything out that could be toxic to your body such as: undigested foods, alcohol, viruses, bacteria, ingested chemicals (these can enter the body orally or by the skin, like pesticides, lotions, deodorants, make-up, hairspray). The livers other jobs: involved in metabolism, hormone balance, and immune functions. Wow it’s not all about the thyroid after all eh?!)



So what does this have to do with drinking water?:
Well this is linked to your kidneys. Your kidneys job is to flush toxins and excrete them (aka urine). Your kidneys need water to do this job, however. It needs about 2.5 liters or 80 Oz (there’s those pesky 10-8oz glasses of water a day) to do this. Here’s where it gets kind of interesting. If you are like me and don’t drink enough…or any water (guilty look) your kidneys have to ask your liver for help to pull the load. So if your liver has to drop what its doing to help those guys out its productivity is diminished. Example: Say you go out to eat and have something kind of bad for your diet…like big bowl of pasta and bread and a giant coke or some alcohol…You liver SHOULD be filtering that and telling everything where to go…energy, absorbed nutrients, or extra fat sorry we’ve had our fill get out! If it’s busy at the moment helping your kidneys that stuff is just kind of hanging around waiting for directions. So if your liver doesn’t get around to it fast enough it just becomes stored fat. The dieters worst enemy. It creates those lovely pocket of fat in undesirable places. Bummer.

One Last Important Things:
Having problems with water weight? Well yes excess sodium or premenstrual symptoms for women are common culprits for this, but did you know all the stuff with water and the liver is to blame for the excess water that happens without those factors also? I’ll try to make this explanation quick(er) lol!
If you weren’t a habitual water drinker and you suddenly start drinking a good bit more than what your norm was your body gets excited and greedy for lack of a better word. Instead of just excreting more water you may retain water all of a sudden which might make you panic. It can be somewhat unsightly to us …it can look like bloating or maybe your ankles and legs look kind of swollen. Well before you freak and drop the water it’s not permanent! My doctor explained this to me. When you don’t drink enough water your body (mainly liver & kidneys) struggle to get the water it needs. It tries to strain what little it can get out of what you ate or drank that day. Since it knows its probably not getting anymore it stores that water for hard times. Which is what those mushy lumps in your skin are that resemble swelling. Heck they may have been there so long you don’t even realize they aren’t just fat. So when you do start drinking water or if you already did, but dramatically increase the amount it still holds it a little while at first, in a way to make sure it isn’t a tease and that you aren’t going to cut it off again. If you keep it up after a couple weeks or so it will not only release that new water it held on to out of fear, but also it will release all the long stored reserves of old water.
You will be amazed at where you lose inches.

I hope this was helpful to some people took me awhile to put it into the right words. Also just to let everyone know I didn’t copy paste this from a website I wrote it myself so if it’s something you want to reference back to save or print. *Sorry for any typo's i may have missed*

[chaquira]

so interesting article thanks.!!!!

[pigpen065]

What a wonderful explanation! I did not know most of that information, and I sure am glad that you shared that. I was one of those people that just thought it helped flush out your system...wow, you are right, so much more than that.

I used to really hate drinking water too, and had to start slow with going to the flavored waters at first. Up until I started taking the phen, I was a confirmed Dr Pepper addict...so I'm sure that by going to drinking only water now has been a real shocker to my system. Especially after 43 years of all the other stuff! lol!!

You did a great job putting that all together! Thanks again for sharing it. It really does make a lot more sense now why it is so important. Way to go!

[valarie_28]

Thanks I thought you might find this helpful because i too am a Dr. Pepper or all soda addict but mostly dr pepper. I still cant drink plain water but i figure propel at a tiny 10 calories a bottle is way better than 150-200 for 1 dr pepper that i was drinking at least 3 of a day or more lol

[pigpen065]

If you like the propel, you ought to try the fruit 2 o. I think it is no calorie and very little sodium. It took me a while to get to where I drink plain water.....almost 2 or 3 months. Once you get there, though, it feels good. Good luck!

And thanks again for the great post!

[susanpesek]

WOW. That was great, Girl. Thank you so much for taking the time to do that for us!