Water plays a vital role in losing weight: It helps you feel full so you don't eat as much, it helps all of the important organs in your body dispose of waste, which in turn allows your body to burn fat better and faster.

Water has no calories, so you can have as much of it as you'd like. It also helps flush toxins out of the body, gives you more energy, and keeps your skin healthy too. Since it also helps you feel fuller, drinking water will prevent you from eating more food than you should. And of course, eating less helps you lose weight.

Some say that drinking cold water also helps boost your metabolism slightly. Theoretically: Your body needs a tiny bit more energy to warm the water, thus it could use a fraction more energy when processing it. I don't know if this is true or not unfortunately, but I personally don't think it hurts.

Here are a couple of easy ways to be sure you're drinking enough water:

First: Start your day with a glass of water. As soon as you wake up, gulp down a glass of cool water. Your body has been without fluids for 6-8 hours, so it's probably dehydrated. Drinking a tall, cool glass of water as soon as you wake up is a wonderful way to start you day. It also helps make you feel full, so you'll eat less for breakfast.

A glass of water also lets out all your digestive juices and jump starts your internal organ functionality, plus it gets your metabolism kicked in. So even if you want coffee or tea first thing in the morning, have that glass of water too. It's a great step towards losing weight.

I personally drink a big cup of water while waiting for the coffee to finish brewing.

Next: Drink a glass of water before you start a meal. Water helps make your stomach feel full, so drinking a glass before eating - or at the very least while eating - will help you eat less food.

Have another glass of water while you're having the meal. Again this is another way of making yourself full so that you can actually rise from the table eating less but feeling full just the same. Instead of drinking it one gulp, take sips after each morsel. It will help the food to settle faster so that you get that feeling that you are full faster.

Last but not least: Use a straw when you're drinking water. It actually helps you drink more without even realizing it.

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About the author:

© 2005, Kathy Burns-Millyard. Kathy is a professional published writer who covers a variety of popular topics such as health, fitness, decorating, and gardening. Find more articles by Kathy at http://www.electronicperceptions.com/new/category/free-cont ent/