The Ultimate Weight-Loss Beverage

Can the simple strategy of drinking more water help you lose extra pounds?

Researchers have shown that drinking 500ml of water ( a little more than two cups) half an hour before eating the main meal may help obese adults to lose weight. In one study, obese participants were given a weight management consultation being advised on how to adapt their lifestyle and improve their diet and levels of physical activity. Forty-one participants were asked to preload with water, and 43 were advised to imagine that they had a full stomach before eating.

Those in the group that drank 500 ml of water 30 minutes prior to all three meals lost on the average 1.3kg (2.87lbs) more than those in the control group. At the end of 12 weeks those individuals who reported preloading water before all three main meals in the day had a loss of 4.3kg (9.48lbs). Those who only preloaded water before one meal, or not at all, only lost an average of 0.8kg (1.76lbs).¹

Less Calories Consumed

Earlier studies showed that middle aged and older people who drank two cups of water right before eating a meal, ate between 75 and 90 fewer calories during that meal.² Another study found that at the end of a 12-week period, dieters who drank water before meals, three times per day, lost about 5 pounds more than dieters who did not increase their water intake.³

Increases Metabolism

Boschman and associates discovered that drinking 500 ml of water increases metabolic rate by 30% in both men and women. The increase in metabolic rate was observed within 10 minutes after completion and reached a maximum metabolic rate 30–40 minutes after water drinking. This effect was sustained for an hour.⁴

Please note: Water incorporated into a food (i.e.. soup) but not served with a food decreases energy intake. In other words, eating a soup shortly before a meal decreases caloric intake  Using the same, identical ingredients in a casserole and drinking water during the meal has no effect on energy intake.⁵ Eating watery vegetables (lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, or summer squash) improves satiety.

More Advantages

Water drinking offers another advantage for obese individuals. Obesity significantly increases the risk for blood clots. Water is a natural blood thinner. So, if you are obese, why not try to drink two cups of pure water 30 minutes before each meal? Your results will be even better if you eat mainly whole, unrefined plant foods, and engage in regular exercise!

Water Safety

Because some forever chemicals in water are obesogenic, filtered water is preferable. Store water in glass or stainless steel containers when possible. Why? Obesogens are endocrine-disrupting chemicals that disturb the hormones in such a way as to promote obesity.

Microplastics and plastic-associated chemicals are considered obesogens because they have the capacity to induce weight gain and lead to insulin resistance, metabolic dysfunction, and increase the risk cardiovascular diseases.⁶ Boiling water helps to remove microplastics. Boiling soft water removed only around 25 percent of microplastics, while boiling hard water removed as much as 90 percent.⁷ Let the water cool and then filtered it using a charcoal or zero-water filter for additional protection from microplastics.

Conclusions:

Drinking two cups of water a short period of time before meals is an additional strategy to help lose extra pounds. Drinking during a meal does not seen to help.

1. Efficacy of water preloading before main meals as a strategy for weight loss in primary care patients with obesity: RCT. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2015 Sep;23(9):1785-91.91 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/oby.21167[↩]
2. Clinical trial confirms effectiveness of simple appetite control method. www.acs.org. Aug 23, 2010[↩]
3. American Chemical Society. “Drink water to curb weight gain? Clinical trial confirms effectiveness of simple appetite control method.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 23 August 2010. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100823142929.htm[↩]
4. Boschmann. M. Water-Induced Thermogenesis. JCEM DOI: dx.doi.org/10.1210/jc.2003-030780 August 14, 2003[↩]
5. Rolls, Barbara, Water incorporated into a food but not served with a food decreases energy intake in lean women. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Volume 70, Issue 4, October 1999, Pages 448-455 [↩]
6. Warger J. Assessing the contribution of plastic-associated obesogenic compounds to cardiometabolic diseases. Curr Opin Endocrinol Diabetes Obes. 2024 Apr 1;31(2):98-103. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10911259/[↩]
7. https://e360.yale.edu/digest/microplastics-tap-water-boiling [↩]