by
Dr. Marvin Berenson
Water
can revitalize forgotten diets or become the
mainstay of a new diet. Most diet books advocate
drinking an adequate quantity of water each
day. Water hydrates the body, maintains adequate
flushing of the kidneys, provides fluid to
maintain blood volume, and supports many diet
programs. Yet most people do not drink adequate
amounts of water each day.
Although
water is a necessity for good health it can
also be used to help you lose weight. Many
dieters find that water is their key to losing
weight. How can such a claim be made? The
case for elevating the use of water in all
diets is clearly made in a new book The Five
Keys to Weight Control by Marvin H. Berenson,
M.D.
Filling
the stomach with food or liquid causes stretch
receptors to send a signal to the brain that
you have satisfied your hunger. The first
primary control technique for both losing
weight and maintaining that loss is understanding
that hunger is gradually reduced as the quantity
of food and liquid that you put in your stomach
increases.
The
more food and liquid in your stomach the less
the hunger. This effect is independent of
the caloric intake and has nothing to do with
what constitutes a good diet. It has everything
to do with the bulk content that fills the
stomach. The stomach of the average overweight
person requires approximately one quart or
four full glasses of fluid to fill it. That
amount diminishes to three glasses in a person
who is not overweight.
Many
very obese persons can drink six or more glasses
of fluid before feeling filled. When water
is drunk slowly without food it quickly leaves
the stomach, which accounts for why some overweight
individuals can seemingly drink without cessation.
Fluid drunk with food may remain in the stomach
up to three hours during the first digestive
phase. Drinking just one glass of water before
each meal and one glass of water during the
meal will cut down on your calorie intake
by helping fill the stomach.
Add
low calorie foods, such as vegetables, and
you have an effective technique to reduce
hunger and calories. If you put one pound
of high fat food into your stomach rather
than one pound of mixed vegetables, you would
have consumed as much as ten times the calories
of the vegetable mix. From your stomach's
viewpoint one pound is one pound and the degree
of hunger satisfaction is essentially the
same. But the calorie difference in that pound
of food can be enormous.
If
you are dieting or just trying to maintain
weight control, acting on this information
may make the difference in whether or not
you maintain weight control. When dieting,
the larger the quantity of food with the fewest
calories the greater the weight loss and the
more effective the control.
Thus,
if vegetables, fruits, and grains comprise
a fairly large proportion of your diet this
will tend to reduce the amount of fat-laden
food that goes into your stomach. The greater
the proportion of fruits and vegetables, the
greater is the effect. Knowing that adding
bulk to your stomach contents as part of your
diet will reduce hunger and thus reduce your
food intake; you are now prepared to adapt
water to your diet and weight control method.
There's
nothing particularly new about drinking water
in a healthy diet. Most diets point out and
even stress the value of water. However, how
much and when you drink water is the critical
element in weight control. Upon awakening,
drink one or two eight-ounce glasses of water.
At breakfast drink an additional glass of
water just before you begin to eat. During
your meal drink another glass of water. This
is in addition to any juice, coffee or milk
you drink.
Those
who drink little water or who feel this is
an excessive amount of water to start the
day should start their increased water intake
slowly. The amounts noted above can be half
as much initially. At each additional meal
you eat, whether just lunch and dinner or
multiple small meals each day, drink one glass
of water before you begin eating and at least
one glass during the meal.
Throughout
the day whenever you feel like having a snack,
no matter how small, always precede it with
at least half a glass of water. Whenever you
feel hungry or have an impulse to eat, try
to limit the impulse to only drinking water
and not eating the snack. Eventually you will
be able to drink just water to satisfy your
brief hunger pangs. This will enhance your
control over the amount of food you eat.
You
can drink water freely in your diet without
concern that it may not be healthy. There
is no evidence that drinking fluids of any
kind with food interferes with digestion or
absorption of nutrients. Many foods are made
up of as much as 90% water. Following these
suggestions can truly facilitate weight loss
and weight control.
The
Five Keys to Permanent Weight Control by Dr.
Marvin Berenson, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry
and Behavioral Sciences at the USC School
of Medicine, is available from his website
www.marvinberenson.com
where he offers a free 31 page e-book Self
Growth and the Power of Mental Imagery, or
by calling 800 247 6553, or at bookstores
nationwide.
