Staying Hydrated for Weight Loss
Posted: Feb 18 in Post-Bariatric Diet by Staff
Bariatric surgery is more than a weight loss method. It is a strategy for improved wellness; a way to boost your health and increase your quality of life.
Whether you live in Macon, Atlanta or Albany, your bariatric surgeon has provided you with lifestyle strategies and healthy habits that can boost your efforts to improve your health. These strategies include exercising regularly and eating smaller portion sizes. Before or after getting bariatric surgery you can take the advice of your weight loss surgeon to heart and use it to experience significant results.
Keeping up with your exercise goals and following a healthy diet and crucial components of your weight loss plan, but they aren’t the entire story. Another healthy habit that you need to be keeping track of is how much water you are drinking every day.
Being properly hydrated is essential before, during and after bariatric surgery, though the exact rules on how much water to drink and when to drink it will change as you transition after bariatric surgery. Your bariatric surgeon will advise you as to the particular hydration habits you should be maintaining, such as how much water is ideal for your size and activity level, and when is and is not a good idea to be filling up on liquids.
Water and Weight Loss
Water is an essential nutrient that your body requires to thrive. Many people forego water so they can enjoy things like tea, coffee and soda instead, but water is the ideal beverage for weight loss: it will curb your thirst, replenish your bodily fluids and flush out toxins from your body without adding a single calorie.
Beyond this, drinking enough water can actually enhance your weight loss efforts—even after bariatric surgery. Water energizes the body and helps you function optimally. When you are dehydrated, certain aspects of your body slow down to conserve energy. Your metabolism is one of these functions. A number of studies have confirmed that staying hydrated encourages the metabolism to run optimally, which can mean an increase in metabolic activity by about 30 percent.
Your metabolism is what will burn calories and help you lose weight even while sitting still. Taking care of your metabolism is paramount to keeping a healthy weight long-term. This is just one more reason why drinking water is so important for your health.