A Word on Water

It's a never ending debate in the weight loss world. Water, do you drink it or not?

So, thousands of dollars have been spent researching whether or not it's necessary to drink the equivalent of your body weight daily in water to lose weight. Well, not really your entire body, but, you know those 6-8 glasses per day that have always been "required."

Recently, a study made the rounds on the Internet that said, nope, it's not necessary to drink all this water. Just drink when you're thirsty and be done with it.

Personally, I think they could have saved their money. I mean, really, is it such a bad thing to drink water? Not really. It's cheap, it has no calories, and it does indeed quench your thirst. It also fills you up. And since your body is made up of it, probably a good idea to replenish it every once in a while.

I think we fat chicks need to remember a few things about these studies. Ask yourself, as I do every time one of these studies comes out, who funded the study and how many subjects did it study? I mean, in this instance it could be a study funded by the International Society for the Preservation of Gatorade. It could be funded by the Association of Dehydrated Spinsters. Often times, these studies are released without naming who paid for the study. And often times, these "studies" are paid for by a company looking to provide scientific proof that their product or service is better than a competitors. Or better yet, that the competitor's product or service isn't needed. As well, they may have only studied ten people. Even one hundred people isn't really a good pool to draw a conclusion from.

So, has this study convinced me that I shouldn't drink water? Nope, not in the least. In a few weeks or months, another one will come out once again lauding the value of water. And the cycle will begin again.

To me, there really is nothing that quenches my thirst like water. In the middle of my workouts, I can't imagine wanting anything else. I think overdoing it with caffeine loaded beverages or highly sweetened drinks is a big no-no. Proof in point? Ask anyone with a serious soda addiction what happens when they quit drinking them. They immediately lose weight. As a RN, I know that physiologically, the body processes calories from food differently from calories brought into the body in the form of liquid.

Once again, we come down to moderation. Enjoy other beverages IN MODERATION. For the rest of your liquid consumption, just reach for water. It can't hurt you, so why not?