It seems that life is getting increasingly complex. As technology expands options there are more and more choices to be made. Although you know that in simplicity lies happiness, it is also true that the world is changing rapidly around you and not much of it is in the direction of simplification. Even food can be complex if you listen to the latest diet guru who advocates only avocado between 1pm and 5pm and then coffee combined with chia and beet leaves as your breakfast (NOTE: this is an officially fabricated diet plan, please don’t try it). So when something comes along that suggests a relatively simple way to maintain healthy weight it is immediately worth considering. Hence a new study suggesting that a glass of water might help with weight loss has piqued the interest.
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The study involved obese adults who take part over 12 weeks. Each of the subjects were given a weight management consultation and were advised how to adapt their lifestyle to improve their weight. Some of the subjects were asked to drink a 500ml glass of water before meals while others were asked to imagine they had a full stomach before eating. The subjects drank tap water only, and even sparkling waters were not allowed.
Those who were asked to drink water before meals lost an average 1.3kg more over the 12 weeks than those who did not. Additionally, those who reported drinking water before all three meals reported a loss of 4.3kg over the 12 weeks compared to an average of 0.8kg among those who only had water once a day or not at all.
The Beauty of this is that not only is the water making you feel full so you eat less, you actually need the water anyway so having it before a meal makes sense.
This is an affordable, achievable and sensible way to address the problem of weight gain in society. It’s wonderful when a plan comes together, especially when it’s a simple plan.
