Water suppresses the appetite naturally and helps the body metabolize stored fat. Studies have shown that a decrease in water intake will cause fat deposits to increase, while an increase in water intake can actually reduce fat deposits.

Here’s why: The kidneys can’t function properly without enough water. When they don’t work to capacity, some of their load is dumped onto the liver.

One of the liver’s primary functions is to metabolize stored fats into usable energy for the body. But if the liver has to do the kidneys’ work, it can’t operate at full throttle. As a result, less fat is metabolized into energy and more fat remains stored in the body causing weight loss to stop.

Drinking enough water is the best treatment for fluid retention. When the body gets less water than it needs, it perceives this as a threat to survival and begins to hold on to every drop. Water is stored in extra cellular spaces (outside the cells). This shows up as swollen feet, legs and hands. Diuretics offer a temporary solution at best. They force out stored water along with some essential nutrients. Again, the body perceives a threat to survival and will replace the lost water at the first opportunity. Thus, the condition quickly returns.

The best way to overcome the problem of water retention is to give your body what it needs – plenty of water. Only then will stored water be released.

If you have a consistent problem with water retention, then excess salt may be to blame. Your body will tolerate sodium only in a certain concentration. The more salt you eat, the more water your system retains to dilute it.

Getting rid of unneeded salt is easy – just drink more water. As it is forced through your kidneys it takes away the excess sodium.

An overweight person needs more water than an underweight person. Larger people have larger metabolic loads. Since we know that water is the key to fat metabolism, it makes sense that the more a person weighs the more water they will need to drink.

Water helps to maintain proper muscle tone by giving muscles their natural ability to contract and by preventing dehydration. It also helps to prevent the sagging of skin that usually follows weight loss. Water plumps the skin and leaves it clear, healthy and resilient.

Water helps rid the body of waste. During weight loss, the body has a lot more waste to get rid of – all that metabolized fat must be shed. Again adequate water helps to flush out the waste. So far we’ve discovered some remarkable things about water and weight loss:

• Retained water shows up as excess weight.
  
• To get rid of excess water you must drink more water.
  
• Drinking water is essential to weight loss.

How much water is enough? On the average, a person should drink two quarts (8-8oz glasses) of water per day. However, a person who is overweight needs an additional glass for every 20 pounds of excess weight. The amount you drink should be increased if you exercise briskly or if the weather is hot or dry. A good rule is to drink in ounces what half your body weight is in pounds. For example: If you weigh 200 lbs you should drink 100 oz of water.

It is better to drink cold water because it is absorbed into the body faster than warm water. Some evidence suggests that drinking cold water can actually help burn calories.

When the body gets the water it needs to function optimally, its fluids are perfectly balanced. When this happens, you have reached the “breakthrough point.”

• Endocrine gland function improves.
  
• Fluid retention is eliminated and stored water is lost.
  
• More fat is used as fuel because the liver is free to metabolize stored fat.

If you stop drinking enough water your body fluids will be thrown out of balance again. You may experience fluid retention and unexplained weight gain. To remedy the situation, you’ll have to go back and force another “breakthrough.”