So, let’s answer the burning question: can you actually burn off weight by drinking water? The answer (for most people): it depends.
Drinking clean, fresh water is an essential component of a healthy diet and lifestyle…and yes, it may help diminish fat in the body if you’re properly hydrated. So if drinking a glass of water before meals helps you make healthier food choices, then you can count that as a workout for your water logbook.
While there’s no magical water-weight loss combo waiting in a bottle, there are some very real benefits that come from staying hydrated…or hot …or cold.
This article answers and debunks three major myths: Can you lose belly fat by drinking water? Does drinking hot water burn fat? Does drinking hot water with lemon burn belly fat? And, does honey and warm water reduce belly fat?
Can You Lose Belly Fat by Drinking Water?
Some people think that drinking water is a sure-fire way to flush the fat right out of your midsection, but unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way.
Water can help you lose weight by regulating your metabolism, keeping you full so that you don’t overeat, improving your digestion, and cleaning out your system so that it works more efficiently—but all of those benefits are indirect.
Water is not a magic bullet that dissolves belly fat or forces you to burn extra calories.
Developing a healthy weight-loss plan should be based on the entire picture: a combination of diet and exercise that includes things like cutting back on foods that have empty calories and avoiding processed foods, as well as getting regular exercise and eating nutritious meals.
For good health, most experts agree that half your body weight in ounces is a good benchmark for how much water you should drink every day. So if you weigh 150 pounds, aim for 75 ounces of water every day—but how do you get it?
You can get hydration from food like fruits and vegetables as well as drinks like milk and juice. You can also add water to your meals by eating soups, stews, and casseroles with lots of vegetables.
Does Drinking Hot Water Burn Fat?
Whether it’s a hot yoga class or your morning routine of a cup of coffee and a shower, many have at least once fallen for the idea that heat can help us lose weight.
Unfortunately, this is just another fitness myth. In fact, drinking hot water can actually do more harm than good.
There are several reasons why drinking hot water will not help you burn fat. First and foremost, your body cannot “burn” fat in the same way that a fire burns wood or coal.
Humans are constantly breaking down their own tissue to make energy, a process called catabolism. The byproducts created during this process are known as ketones.
The human body uses ketones as an alternative fuel source if blood sugar is low, which happens when you haven’t eaten for a while (like when you’re sleeping).
Drinking cold water has no effect on this process; your body will continue to use the ketones it produces whether you drink cold water or not.
The other reason that drinking hot water won’t help with weight loss is that when it comes to losing weight, the most important factor isn’t what you eat or how much exercise you get; rather, it’s how many calories you burn versus how many calories you consume.
As long as your calories burned are greater than your calories consumed, you will lose weight. Drinking hot water won’t increase your metabolism; it won’t make you burn more calories than you would otherwise.
Can Drinking Hot Lemon Water Help in Fat Loss?
While many people like the taste of lemon water, it might not actually be helpful for weight loss. However, lemon water can still be used as a low-calorie replacement for other high-calorie beverages. This can potentially promote weight loss.
Lemon water has been used for centuries as a beverage with health benefits. It is said to help with digestion and detoxification, improve skin texture, and promote weight loss.
There is some evidence that supports these claims, but few studies have directly tested the effects of drinking lemon water on weight loss.
A study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that drinking lemon juice before meals may help reduce body fat percentage by increasing satiety and decreasing calorie intake during meals.
The same study also found that drinking an 8 oz glass of lemon juice before breakfast increased satiety during breakfast compared to drinking plain water or black tea (but not orange juice).
However, none of these studies directly tested whether lemon juice can actually help you lose weight.
How Much Water Should You Drink to Lose Weight?
The truth is that the amount of water you consume daily depends on your activity level and overall health. If you’re sedentary or have low-level activity, then you may only need about two liters (roughly 8 cups) of water each day.
But if you’re an active person who exercises regularly, you may need more than double that amount.
According to the National Academy of Sciences, men should be drinking roughly 3 liters (about 13 cups) per day and women 2.2 liters (about 9 cups) per day.
This recommendation was based on age, weight, and activity level — so it’s not necessarily in reference to weight loss specifically.
But because people tend to assume that drinking more water will help them lose weight quicker or easier when trying to lose fat, many are confused about how much water they should actually be drinking every day for optimal health and wellness benefits — especially when it comes to losing weight fast through diet and exercise programs.
There is no hard and fast rule for how much water you should drink each day, but there are some basic guidelines you can follow to help ensure that you’re getting enough.
Does Honey and Warm Water Reduce Belly Fat?
This seems like a pretty good idea in theory—mix equal parts honey and warm water, drink it, and get to work toning up those abs. But despite how appealing that sounds when you’re getting ready for a beach day or attending your best friend’s summer wedding, it’s actually not healthy at all (and probably counterproductive too).
Honey is a form of almost pure fructose. Fructose is a sugar, which means it can be processed by our bodies very quickly in the liver into a form of energy called glucose. This conversion process is what makes honey so sweet.
While this may seem helpful in the morning when we need some energy to start our day, it actually causes us to gain weight if we consume too much sugar throughout the day. Consuming excess calories causes our body to store them as fat—not exactly the goal when we’re trying to tone up!
It’s also important to keep in mind that honey isn’t just honey—it’s also mixed with other types of sugars, such as glucose and sucrose. These sugars can be processed through our digestive system more slowly than fructose, but they still end up as glucose after they’ve been digested. This means that while you might feel energized after drinking your honey-water concoction, you’ll also feel hungry again soon after.
The bottom line is that while honey isn’t necessarily bad for your diet, it won’t help you lose weight. It’s still a sweetener, which means it contains calories and carbohydrates—and if you’re trying to cut calories in order to slim down, you should avoid adding honey or other types of sugar to your water.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much water should one drink to lose weight in 3 days?
While there is no exact amount of water that will help you lose weight in 3 days, it’s recommended that men drink at least 13 cups and women consume 9 cups of water each day. However, if you’re trying to lose weight fast through diet and exercise programs, then drinking more than this will likely have a negligible effect on how quickly you see results.
Can drinking water help you lose weight without exercise?
While it’s true that drinking water can help you lose weight, it won’t do much without exercise. The reason is simple: Water helps your body rid itself of toxins and burn fat by flushing out waste products such as uric acid and other metabolic byproducts. While this process does use calories, it doesn’t burn enough to warrant any significant weight loss unless you’re exercising regularly as well.
How do you make lemon water to burn belly fat?
To make lemon water to burn belly fat, mix 1 cup of water with the juice of half a lemon. Drink this mixture first thing in the morning before eating anything else. Do this every day for at least three weeks (or until you see desired results).
Does drinking water make you gain weight at first?
No, drinking water does not make you gain weight at first. Drinking water actually helps to flush out toxins and waste products such as uric acid and other metabolic byproducts. This process uses calories but doesn’t burn enough to warrant any significant weight loss unless you’re exercising regularly as well.
Does drinking hot water reduce belly fat?
No, drinking hot water does not reduce belly fat. It may increase your metabolism slightly if you are drinking it in place of another beverage, but this effect is not large enough to make a significant difference in weight loss.
Conclusion
In the end, when it comes to weight loss, there is no substitute for proper dieting. Of course, drinking water can play an important role in this process, as it’s essential for living a healthy lifestyle.
But while hot lemon water or warm water might help you shed pounds if you’re trying to lose weight—they can’t do the job by themselves. And that’s really the key takeaway here: you must be proactive and make healthier lifestyle choices if you want to lose weight.
Drinking warm water (or hot lemon water) is great for your overall health, but for losing weight, be sure to focus on a balanced eating plan and plenty of exercises.
