Whether your weight loss plan espouses carbohydrates with no fat or protein with a few carbohydrates, there is water your strategy most certainly recommends. From the vegetable based diet to steak loving Atkins and all the diets in between drink lots of water is part of the mantra.

It is scientific evidence that water really can help you in boosting metabolism. Researchers in Germany suggested that water consumption increases the rate at which you burn calories. Despite the fact that most diets suggest drinking at least eight, eight-ounce glasses of water each day; several studies have been done to determine if the practice actually speeds your metabolism. In an effort to answer this question, research tracked energy expenditures among 7 men and 7 women who were healthy and not overweight.  After drinking approximately 16 ounces of water, the participants’ metabolic rates, or that rate at which calories are burned, increased by 32% for both women and men. The increases occurred within ten minutes of drinking water and reached a maximum after about 25 to 35 minutes.

The study also revealed that the increase in metabolic rate was different in women and men. In women, an increased breakdown of carbohydrates caused the increase in metabolism, whereas in men, burning fat fueled the increase in metabolism seen.

The researchers estimate that over the course of one year, a person who increases his water consumption by 2 liters a day will burn an extra 17,500 calories, for a weight loss of approximately 5 pounds. They note that up to 50% of the increase in calorie burning is caused by the attempt of your body to heat the ingested water. So if you are one out there trying to lose weight, water will boost your metabolism and help you feel fuller. Replace beverages filled with calorie with water and drink one glass before every meal to help you stay fit. Drinking more water especially if the glass is icy cold will burn a few extra calories during the process of your body working to warm the cold water up.

Several studies are clearly needed to confirm this extremely modest weight loss effect. Nutritionists and Dietetic Association say even if the findings are not confirmed the clinical implications are obvious. Obviously people are looking for ways to increase their metabolism and this is a very, very big effect. We are talking about not just some few calories a day. The standard weight loss plan dictates encouraging people to drink more water stems from the belief that the liquid fills the gut to make people feel fuller. Some plans say that drinking water flushes fat out of your body, which is not far from being true.

And are you drinking enough water? Most healthy people get enough to drink by letting their thirst guide them. But the proper amount you need depends on your level of activity, size, your general health and the weather. You may need more water if you work out or sweat heavily in hot days.