And if you’re trying to get back into your skinny jeans, you probably should be sipping more often than you already are. Here are three surprising facts that’ll make you reach for your reusable bottle. (Get the secret to banishing belly bulge from WH readers who’ve done it with Take It All Off! Keep It All Off!
1. Drinking Water Can Help You Eat Less At Mealtime
Downing a big glass of water won’t just help you cut back on the snacks. It’s also an effortless way to feel satisfied for fewer calories at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Overweight adults who chugged 16 ounces of water half an hour before mealtime for 12 weeks lost three more pounds compared to those who were told to imagine that their stomachs were full before mealtime, according to research published in the journal Obesity. This is most likely because your stomach can only hold so much stuff at once. If it’s already partly filled with water, there’s less room for food.
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2. Water Gives Your Metabolism A Jolt
A couple glasses of water are like a shot of espresso for your body’s fat-burning system. It kicks that thing into high gear—pronto. One German study found that subjects who swigged two full glasses of room temperature water experienced a 30 percent spike in their metabolic rate in just half an hour. Much of the jolt came from the subject’s bodies having to expend energy to warm the water to body temperature.
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Torch fat with these calorie-burning moves.
3. Ice Water Is Even More Potent
Sip very cold water and your body will have to work even harder to cope with the chilly influx. Warming an eight-ounce glass of ice-cold water to body temperature burns about seven calories, according to research published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. Drink 10 chilly glasses a day for a week (try one of these sassy water recipes), and you’ll burn an extra 490 calories in a week. Over the course of a year, that adds up to more than seven pounds lost—just for staying hydrated. Now, that’s some advice that’s easy to swallow.
The article “This Drink Helps You Burn An Extra 490 Calories Per Week“ originally appeared on Prevention.