Dieting to shed the flab? Just drink two glasses of water before having your meal, for a new study says it’s the easiest way to cut calorie intake.
An international team, led by Virginia Tech University in America, has claimed that dieters struggling in the battle of the bulge can put an end to over-eating by simply filling up on half-a-litre of water before meals.
In the study, researchers found that obese people on a calorie-controlled diet lost five pounds more than dieters who were not offered water.
Nutritionist Professor Brenda Davy, who led the study, said water was so effective because it filled the stomach with a substance that has zero calories. It makes people fuller and as a result they eat less calorie-laden food during the meal.
“People should drink more water and less sugary, high-calorie drinks. It is a simple way to facilitate weight management,” he said.
In fact, in the weight loss study, obese people aged between 55 to 75 were divided into two groups. One group drank two cups of water about half an hour before a meal and the other group did not.
The findings revealed that members of the group that drank the water lost nearly five pounds more than the group that had not been offered any water, leading newspaper ‘Daily Express’ reported.
Added Tam Fry of the National Obesity Forum, a health awareness body established to point out the dangers of being overweight says, “What is so reassuring is that anyone researching food consumption and obesity always comes up with same answer. Water is the healthiest drink to go with any meal.”
