Here is a take on water importance.
Water Importance: The Quick and the Detailed
Quick: Water is one of the most important elements. If you are not getting a proper balance of water, then you are not going to get good fat loss results. Drinking enough water for your body, is beyond important and will make a big difference. If you are 40lbs overweight, don't workout really, and diet is sketchy, are you going to notice a huge physical appearance difference...no. Though it will provide you with what you need to continue. If you are slightly over your desired body fat and you have been skimping on the water, lifting weights, doing cardio and eating pretty clean, are you going to see and feel a difference. HUGE YES. Big Difference.
More: The liver is our fat traffic cross guard if you will. It helps break down the fat and sort where the body needs it for energy. So what happens if there is a traffic jam? The cross guard gets flustered, and tells people to park on the side till he get things sorted out and moving again. Those parked cars in this (again I know weird analogy) is our fat.
Why did the traffic jam occur? Because the kidney (traffic lights down the street) went haywire and stop functioning right. Water is the magic that gets the kidney happy and pumping. If its not happy or is overworked, it sends all its extra load to the liver, when that happens the liver gets overloaded and starts to store that fat because it just doesn't have the room or time to sort out everything properly.
So simple and plan, drink enough water, kidney is working normal and happy, liver sorts fat, toxins get released and you have a well oiled fat burning machine.
Now why if this is so simple, is it so neglected?
Well a lot of people don't like to drink water, forget to drink water, or don't understand its importance. Now that you understand its importance lets look at what happens when you start drinking it and what to look for i how you know your getting enough. First off, a lot of people start drinking more water and their number one complaint is "I go to the bathroom all the time, I just can't pee that much" Well this is going to happen. You body is regulating, its going to take a little while (usually a few weeks) to flush out the toxins and get rid of the water storage. 8/10 people are partially dehydrated at all times. When you are dehydrated you store water, just as you do in starvation mode with fat. It takes a little while for your body to believe that its going to continue getting that water, so for a little while its going to really do a in and out system. However it will adjust and once it does, the bathroom runs will be less and less.
Color: There is a reason why everyone automatically thinks pee should be bright yellow, because again most of the population is partially dehydrated.
When you first start out drinking a lot of water your urine color will be mostly clear. Again your body is adjusting and flushing out. However the goal is to have a very very light off yellow, almost clear but with a yellow tint. This is a sign of good hydration. The more yellow, the more dehydrated.
How much water is enough?: Keep it simple. For a women who exercises a gallon a day. For a man who exercise its 1.5 to 2 gallons a day. If you find after a few weeks you are still very clear and using the bathroom a lot then lower it some. If still really yellow raise it some. For marathon runners and trainers make sure if you are taking in more than 3 gallons of water a day to really add sodium to your intake to regulate as to not put your body in a hyperdemia state.
Tips-
-don't drink a little water and then a huge amount at one time to make up for your day needs. Its just like eating 5-6 meals a day. Get your water broken up through out the day.
-If you have been dehydrated expect some bloating and water weight the first week or so. Its just the same as if you stopped eating food after being in starvation mode. Its going to hold on to it. So if bloating occurs, its natural and will pass in a short time.
-cold/warm which one? Some say cooler water is absorbed quicker and helps burn fat faster. Some say warm is easier to drink and delays cramping. Overall it doesn't really matter to much. Just find a way to get it down.
-Leigh Peele