The ‘overweight’ father who couldn’t tolerate snacks has changed… The secret to losing weight is ‘water’? [수민이가 궁금해요]

‘170cm, 90kg’ man in his 50s, the secret to losing 4kg in two months
‘Water diet’ before meals shows effectiveness in weight loss

Mr. Seo, an office worker in his 50s who recently started a diet. He is 170cm tall and weighs 90kg, making him overweight. I decided to go on a diet after receiving advice from my doctor that I would be exposed to various diseases such as diabetes and arthritis if I did not manage my weight. But putting it into practice is not easy. There are many different options on the market, including the expensive obesity treatment that Tesla CEO Elon Musk is said to have taken. Surprisingly, the diet he chose is to drink a glass of water before meals. This is because it is a simple way to prevent overeating without having to take expensive medications or go through an excessive fasting list. Mr. Seo was satisfied, saying, “I drank water before every meal, and I felt full and was eating less. Surprisingly, I lost 4 kg in two months.” He said, “As I continue to drink coffee and tea, the amount of snacks I enjoy has decreased significantly.”

Research has shown that drinking enough water every day like Seo helps with weight loss.

Research has shown that drinking enough water before meals helps with weight loss. Getty Image Bank

The most notable finding in a study published on the 25th (local time) in the American Medical Association’s journal JAMA Network Open was the effect of water intake on weight loss. An analysis of three existing studies showed that adults are likely to lose weight if they drink about 500 ml of water before a meal. In one experiment, participants who drank water with every meal (for 12 weeks to 12 months) lost up to twice as much weight as a control group who did not increase their water intake. This appears to be because water drunk before a meal increased satiety and contributed to reducing overall food intake.

The effectiveness of the ‘water diet’ before meals is being proven one after another.

Previously, a research team at Queen’s University in Canada divided obese men and women into two groups and had the first group eat a low-calorie meal and control their meal size, and the second group was asked to control their meal size and drink about 500 ml of water before meals.

After 12 weeks, the first group lost 5 to 8 kg, and the second group lost 7 to 10 kg. It was revealed that the group that drank water before meals consumed an average of 40 to 200 kcal less than the group that did not drink water. Drinking water before a meal fills the stomach with water, creates a feeling of fullness, and reduces calorie intake.

A thesis by Dr. Brenda Davey of the Department of Nutrition at Virginia Tech University also found that people who drank two cups of water 20 minutes before breakfast lost about 2 kg more than those who did not drink it.

Sufficient water intake also helps prevent cardiovascular disease and low blood pressure.

What is the reason? Up to 1 liter of water in the body can be lost through sweat or breathing while sleeping. As a result, when the blood becomes sticky, the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases such as myocardial infarction or cerebral infarction increases. Drinking water regularly can help prevent this by lowering blood viscosity.

Research has shown that drinking enough water before meals helps with weight loss. Getty Image Bank

When drinking water, it is best to drink warm water slowly. When warm water enters the body, blood vessels expand. This relaxes blood vessel walls and softens small blood vessels such as capillaries, improving blood flow. Warm water reduces blood viscosity and helps blood circulation.

However, drinking a lot of water during or immediately after a meal dilutes gastric juice and interferes with digestion, so it is best to drink water 2 hours after a meal. The appropriate daily water intake, which reduces the kidneys’ ability to dilute urine, is generally around 2.5 to 3 liters for adult men and 2 to 2.5 liters for adult women.

However, it was found that 6 out of 10 Koreans do not drink enough water.

As a result of Amway Korea conducting a ‘Survey on Koreans’ water drinking behavior’ targeting 1,000 adult men and women aged 20 to 59 nationwide through the consumer data platform Open Survey, it was revealed that 6 out of 10 people felt ‘insufficient water intake’.

In this survey, more than half (52.2%) of all respondents were found to be drinking ‘less than 1 liter’ of water every day. 40.9% of respondents answered that they drink ‘more than 500 ml but less than 1 liter’, and 11.3% said that they drink ‘less than 500 ml’ of water throughout the day.

Reporter Kim Ki-hwan [email protected]

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