All that one needs to try the water diet is access to cold water. The directions are simple. In addition to regular meals and beverages, one should consume 8 ounces of very cold water eight times per day (64 ounces total). Diet proponents believe weight loss will be achieved because the body requires extra energy (calories) to raise the temperature of cold water once it’s consumed. Those using the water diet to lose weight also believe the water flushes toxins from the body.
While some have seen water diet weight loss, the results are debatable. For instance, one who consumes a large amount of sodium may retain water. Drinking additional water will flush the sodium and extra water out of the system. But should that water weight be considered “weight loss?” The individual is losing no body mass by flushing the system.
Doubts About Water Diet
Also, how many calories are used to warm cold water? Not enough to matter. To lose one pound of body mass, one must consume 3,500 less calories than the body uses. According to the Mayo Clinic, a 160-pound person burns about 1,000 calories while running on a treadmill at 8 miles per hour for one full hour. Looking at those statistics, one should not be surprised to learn that the body burns only 74 calories while warming 64 ounces of cold water. So while it is true that more calories are burned when drinking cold water, the amount of time it would take to lose any significant amount of weight using this method makes the water diet a poor choice for those who are looking to slim down.
That aside, one of the benefits to drinking water is that it may make the stomach feel full, so you may eat less. If water diet weight loss is observed, it is likely due to this effect that water has on the body.
Lemon Water Diet
Recently, something called the lemon water diet (often referred to as The Master Cleanse) became popular. It combines water with lemon, honey and cayenne pepper. The difference between the water diet and this diet is that most people do not eat anything other than a small amount of fruit and nuts when on the lemon water diet, which explains the weight loss. There is nothing magical about the ingredients used. If you eat virtually nothing for a week, you will lose weight.
Two Final Notes And Tips
Dieters using the water diet to lose weight should be warned that drinking more than 64 ounces of water can be dangerous. Water poisoning causes an unsafe balance in electrolytes and shuts down the kidneys. Additionally, it has been proven that no sustainable weight loss is possible without eating healthy and exercising regularly. If you want to try this diet, follow those tips:
- drink around 64 ounces of water every day
- the water should be cold, around 50 degrees F
- drink water throughout the day, not once
- water must be pure, don’t drink sweetened / flavoured water
- don’t be on water diet for more days
Have you tried this diet? If so, then let us know in comments bellow how it went! I am very curious about the results.
Great post with lots of importnat stuff.