Lose more than 9 pounds in 12 weeks.
By Raif Karerat
Researchers have bolstered the notion that drinking water is one of the keys to losing weight with a new study that indicates drinking just a pint of water before mealtimes can have a significant effect.
In a study conducted by scientists at the University of Birmingham in the U.K., obese adults who consumed 500 milliliters of water half an hour before eating their main meals saw them report an average loss of 9.48 pounds over a 12-week period.
According to News Medical, each of the participants was given a weight management consultation, where they were advised on how to adapt their lifestyle and diet and improve their levels of physical activity.
Around half were also asked to “pre-load” before meals with water, and half advised to imagine that they had a full stomach before eating.
Those in the group who were instructed to preload with water lost, on average, 2.87 pounds more than those in the control group.
Those who reported preloading before all three main meals in the day reported a loss of 9.48 pounds over the 12 weeks, whereas those who only preloaded once, or not at all, only lost an average of 1.76 pounds.
Dr. Helen Parretti, National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) clinical lecturer at the University of Birmingham, wrote, “The beauty of these findings is in the simplicity. Just drinking a pint of water, three times a day, before your main meals may help reduce your weight.”
“It’s something that doesn’t take much work to integrate into our busy everyday lives. … Losing a few extra pounds over the course of a year can be significant to an individual, and this could be an easy way to help with that weight loss,” she continued. “It’s a simple message that has the potential to make a real contribution to public health.”
The study, published in the journal Obesity, showed promising initial results during the trial phase, and the team hopes that the findings will encourage further research into the benefits of hydrating before meals.