Study Proves Middle Aged Adults Can Lose 44% More Weight When Drinking Water

Every weight loss program I’ve ever read about, that works, has preached the benefits of drinking 6-8 glasses of water each day. The reason was because most of us are slightly dehydrated and without drinking enough water we’re actually holding onto water weight that makes us look and weigh in heavier than we actually should.

I recently read a study on Discovery.com that provided some solid proof that drinking water aids in weight loss.

The study had two groups of middle-aged (55-75 years old) dieters. The first group was instructed to drink two cups of cold water about 30 minutes before every meal. The second group was given water, but no exact instructions on when to consume it.

Each participant was eating no more than 1200-1500 calories a day and  instructed to eat only healthy meals.

The study lasted 12 weeks, and all of the participants were overweight at the beginning of the study.

So what did they find out?

Well, too my surprise, the group that wasn’t instructed to drink water before every meal lost on average about 11 pounds. How did the water drinking group do? They lost an average of 15 and a half pounds, that’s 44% more, and the only difference was that they drink water before every meal.

So what does this tell us?

First off, it screams to us that water plays an important role not only in our hydration but also for maintaining a healthy weight.

Second, it tells us that this produces amazing results for middle-aged individuals, but what about us younger folks?

Well, unfortunately, similar experiments done in younger men and women did not yield such drastic results. There are a couple of potential reasons for this.

• It’s possible the gastro tract of middle-aged individuals clears more slowly than that of younger adults.
• Water may create a “feeling full” effect on older people more so than younger people.

Of course, this isn’t to say that you shouldn’t drink water, in fact, it’s quite the opposite. The benefits are there. Drinking more water means you’re less likely to consume high sugar content fruit juices or sodas, which means fewer calories, and that’s a good thing.

The fewer calories we consume from beverages we drink the better since.