Why Water is the Absolute BEST Tool for Weight Loss

Weight loss can get overwhelming and intimidating, right? Sometimes I feel like there are about 100 things I should be doing to be healthier and I'm failing most of them. Well folks, we can't be perfect. As much as I'd like to be the shining example of perfection in just about every area of my life, it ain't happening. So here's what you gotta do. Add in one thing at a time until it becomes a habit. Do it until you don't have to think about it any more. Do it until it is just part of your day, part of you. This week I've added this simple thing: DRINKING MORE WATER.

Water. You forgot what it looked like, didn't you? ;) [from Google]

Seriously? Seriously, guys. That's it. And you know what? I lost 6 pounds this week. Six. Freakin'. Pounds. I can't even believe it myself. I don't think I've EVER lost that much in one week. 

Do you know what that number tells me? It tells me I was pretty dehydrated! Not so great. Here are some things you might find interesting about this miracle worker, water.

Your entire body relies on water to function properly. This includes your metabolism! Even the slightest amount of dehydration can slow your metabolism, something you definitely do not want to do. To explain this further, think about your muscles. A well-known fact is that muscles are made up of about 70% water. Muscles are energy creators. How do they create energy? They burn calories. If your muscles are dehydrated, they fail at their job, and you fail at losing weight. 

Do you need more convincing? Let's take a look at the liver. Just one of the functions of the liver is to help digest fats. The liver is a fat burning organ! Dehydration affects every system, remember? Yes, dehydration negatively affects the liver's ability to convert fat into energy, which -- you guessed it -- slows your metabolism. 

There is so much science behind that good advice to drink more water. I'm one of those people that has to know that science for myself, even if it's just the simple version. Just hearing that water aids weight loss wasn't enough for me to keep that water bottle in my hands; I had to know WHY. Do a little research about this yourself. You might be surprised what you learn!

And don't forget to keep sipping that water all day!

Just a note to my friends...

It's been a year and a half since I last posted. So much has happened in that time. I've had another baby, moved twice, and gone through another deployment. I've gained some weight, lost some weight, and now I'm stagnant. It's about twice as hard to make the time to exercise now that I have two kids. I always feel that the time could be better spent, that I'm taking that time from my kids, or from the house and chores, or from my husband. I rationalize that I'm healthier than I was when I first started this journey, but deep down I know that's not enough. I want to set the proper example for my children so they don't have the same problems I've had. I don't want them to have to work so hard to form healthy habits.

I feel like the same woman who lost 50 pounds, the one who is confident in herself and not ashamed of her body, but when I look in the mirror I'm disappointed. I know I can be better. I know it'll sound strange, but my self-image has actually improved after having children. I can see my body for all it does -- the stretched out tummy that housed two growing babies for 9 months, the chest that has fed my newest for 7 months, the arms that carry babies and hold my pre-schooler when only Mommy will do. 

This isn't about being skinny; this is about living up to the standards I've set for myself. It's the extra headaches, tiredness, moodiness, and back pain that have found a way to creep into my life again, even though I know what to do about them. It's that feeling that I've let myself down. 

I'm heading back out on this journey starting today. I know I have friends who are still on this journey. It's a life-time commitment, isn't it? So many things in life are. If you are fighting along too, or thinking about it, would you drop me a line? Let me know you are there. Pass me some encouraging words, perhaps something that has helped you. 

Thanks for reading, friends! Thanks for always encouraging me and seeing me for more than my weight. Love you all! Let's start this new year right!