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According to familydoctor.org, half of your body weight is water. Some other organizations say it’s as much as two thirds water.

Your body depends on water to survive. Every cell, tissue and organ in your body needs water to work properly. For example, your body uses water to maintain its temperature, remove waste and lubricate your joints. Water is needed for overall good health.

There are questions about how much water to drink, when to drink it, and does it really have to be water.

I’m going to clear up some misconceptions and give you some new hints. There are the old school things we learned over the years, and then there’s the newest information. Let me relate both.

Old School: Drink 6 – 8, 12 oz glasses of water per day. That’s plenty.

New Perspective: The latest theory is we really need more. If you divide your weight by 2, that tells you ideally how much water YOU should be drinking each day. Obviously, since weight is factored in, this varies by individual.

One way I look at it is to set a goal to drink 100-125 oz per day. For most overweight people that’s pretty much on target. We found out here at Plan Z that if you do drink 100-125 oz per day, you lose 30% more weight than those who drink 70 oz or less in a day. That’s a significant difference!

Be sure to drink all day. Don’t flood your system with a lot of water at once. Keep a bottle of water handy or a pitcher of water on your desk and keep filling it and sipping throughout the day.

Old School: If you’re on a diet, drink water. It will keep you full.

My Perspective: I personally found that to be hogwash. I’d starve myself and when I felt hungry I’d down a bunch of water in an effort to fill up my stomach. That did the trick, but it only lasts about 15 minutes and then the hunger is back. That is true when it’s true hunger. Studies show many folks mistake being thirsty for being hungry. If you go right for food to satisfy this craving, you’ll just eat too much and gain weight. Try water first.

One study showed that if you wake at night hungry, that glass of water you drink just might satisfy you long enough to get back to sleep. That’s the only case where I can see water being a way to squelch hunger. But that’s not likely to last long either if you are actually hungry. You’re likely to wake up again.

How can you tell if you’re drinking enough water? Look in the toilet. If your urine is clear or pale yellow you are hydrated. If it’s golden or amber, you are either not getting enough water or something else is going on. Be aware.

What if you don’t like water? I suggest you work on this effort. You can add flavorings to your water like lemon, lime, cucumber; even a few mashed strawberries. Once you start to drink enough water, often enough, you begin to crave water. Over time you’ll prefer water. Some like it cold, some on ice and some room temperature. If you drink it cold or on ice your body has to heat it and that burns a few more calories each day.

I suggest you get at least 70 ounces of water like I describe above. Then you can incorporate things like sparkling water. You can buy flavors of sparkling water that have no calories, no carbohydrates and no artificial sweeteners or artificial flavorings — or buy plain sparkling water and flavor it with stevia drops. Those taste just like soda. They even make cola, cherry, and vanilla. Imagine a cherry coke or vanilla makes cream soda. You don’t need to drink soda; ever again. That stuff is nasty. Other things to skip include: fruit juices (fructose is sugar), energy drinks (those can be dangerous) and sports drinks. Sports drinks should only be a resource for heavy (and I mean heavy) exercisers – like people who run marathons or are professional athletes who are working out in very hot weather. They are the only ones who will burn off the calories consumed without gaining weight. They also have nasty ingredients your body does not want.

Things like organic tea and sparkling water count toward your 100 oz.

If you drink coffee, factor in that regular coffee is a dehydrator so you need to drink even more to make up for it.

For weight loss: water is magic. Water helps eliminate waste. When you burn fat it’s got to come out somehow. It comes out in your waste; mostly your urine.

And one more thing: As you get older your body is more at risk of dehydration. Your brain doesn’t recognize the thirst signal as well as you age. So if you are older (or know someone who is), pour a glass of water. And drink up.

Cheers,

Orange Vanilla Water

When you miss soda but know in your heart it’s bad for you, try this.