I’m extra motivated to lose weight this month. That‘s because I’ve been pretty good at maintaining my weight up until the holidays. Guys, I lost all self control as soon as the chocolate gourmet boxes, cakes, and lechon started appearing at every holiday celebration parties haha! I gained a few pounds which should be a “no biggie” to lose for some but since I have health complications (details here) that makes it hard for my body to lose weight. I take every effective way for weight loss seriously. One of them is by drinking water frequently. I know, sounds so cliche, but it’s been proven very effective.

I recently had a nice workout / pamper day with Sip Purified Water at the Marina Bay Spa. They make bottles of pure water filtered through volcanic rocks you can use to hydrate everywhere you go. I got introduced to it during our Cardio MMA workout. Which BTW was fun, but I had to step out and skip most of it cos of my spine problem (details here). The event inspired me to share one of the most important thing I do to lose / maintain my weight which is to drink a lot of water everyday. It’s so timely pa, since we’re all on a “New Year, New Me” motivation phase. Water has many health benefits and these are my top 5 ways I use it help my weight loss.

I drink at least eight glasses of water a day. I have a slow metabolism cos of my hypothyroidism and PCOS. So I drink a lot of water to help speed up my metabolic rate and boost my body’s ability to burn fat. Every time we eat or drink, our body has to work (burn calories) to process whatever’s coming in. I eat 5 meals in small portions a day, so I drink at least 2 glasses of water each meal to make sure I cover parts of my daily water consumption.

I drink one glass of water before and after meals. Water is a very good appetite suppressant. Drinking water before meals makes me feel fuller, therefore reduces my appetite, helps me eat less, and  helps me avoid over eating. Drinking water after meals naman also helps me avoid eating a slice of cake for dessert. Make sure you don’t use soda to do this. It won’t have the same effect since water has zero calories, and sodas are high in calories.

I drink water first when I suddenly crave for food. It’s difficult for me to distinguish hunger,  cravings, and thirst. Sometimes I feel like I need to eat a full meal of chicken and veggies, when in fact I was just really thirsty. Since water helps me feel full, drinking water as soon as I crave food also helps me pinpoint my hunger level more accurately. So as much as possible, when I feel hungry I drink first and that gives myself more time to conjure up self control after that (if needed!).

I drink water to avoid soft drinks. My mom loves Coke, so growing up we always had a bottle of it at home. It’s a good thing I realized that drinking Coke doesn’t really quench my thirst. It actually makes me more thirsty after awhile. So I trained myself to drink plain water every time I’m thirsty, and I’ve grown to love it’s “plain” taste. My friends would go for a Coke or Wendy’s iced tea (Ah! That used to be my favorite drink!) but over the years I learned to go for the healthier choice and just drink water instead. Eliminating high-calorie beverages like soft drinks off my diet was one of the best things i did to loss weight fast. If you think water tastes boring, add a slice of lemon to make it more tasty.

I drink water before heading to the gym. I go to the gym three times a week and I drink at least one glass of water before I leave the house to go to the gym. It’s refreshing and it boosts my energy to accomplish more of my work out. It also prevents muscle cramps and keeps your joints lubricated, you can work out longer and harder.

Hope these help!