rom special diets... to special diet pills... and drills at the gym... the quest to lose weight has ballooned into a multi-billion dollar industry.
But scientists are reporting weight loss success with an elixir that costs next to nothing.
Ordinary tap water.
"It's volume without calories."
A new study from Virginia Tech had 48 people eat low-calorie diets for about 3 months. They all lost at least 11 pounds.
But half of the participants also drank 2 cups of water before their meals... and lost an additional 5 pounds.
Experts say water could be an effective weight-loss tool for several reasons... it's zero calories, and may replace high-calorie sugary drinks like sodas.
It could be that water makes people feel fuller -- causing them to eat less.
Clinical dietitians also say a lot of people eat when they're actually thirsty. "You may find that once you drink the water, you really weren't as hungry as you thought you were," says Lisa Cimperman - clinical dietitian, UH case medical center, Cleveland.
Whatever the reason for the weight loss -- it doesn't seem like there is anything magical about water that might cause a person to shed pounds.
But paired with a healthy diet and exercise -- experts say water could be a good weight loss strategy. "And it's one that has absolutely no side effects so.. there's no harm in people drinking 2 cups of water before meals."
No harm -- but perhaps hope -- for an easier way to tap into weight loss success.
To stay hydrated... the general rule is to get at least 8 cups of liquid a day. But that doesn't mean just plain old water. You can also get hydration from many fruits and vegetables with high water content.
