Many years ago (in late January before golf season), I met a golfer who was desperate.
He loved to play golf, was pretty good at it, but was having trouble with his swing due to his “enormous” size.
It seems the fat in his arms and torso was literally making it hard for him to lift the club far enough into the back swing to swing the club fast enough to get any decent launch or distance.
“Is there anything simple I can do to start losing some of this weight before golf season starts? I’m barely 5 foot 6 and well over 200 pounds now.”
Since he hadn’t officially become a client and started my program yet, I simply asked, “How much water do you drink?”
“Maybe a couple glasses per day,” he said.
“That’s not nearly enough. Based on your weight you need to work up to drinking at least 12 cups per day.
Just fill a water bottle up and drink it in the morning and afternoon, and repeat throughout your day until a few hours before bed. Then let me know how it goes.”
Long story short… within a few weeks he had dropped an entire clothes size!
By the time golf season started, he was physically leaner and hitting the ball better.
Now, maybe you’re thinking, “Can drinking water really do that? Can you lose some weight just by drinking more water?”
And the answer is YES! Many of us habitually EAT when we actually are not really hungry but need to DRINK more.
Fact is, most of us are not well hydrated, even if we THINK we are.
Here’s why:
The recommended formula for optimal fluid intake in a nutshell is… consume half your weight in ounces of water per day.
In other words, if you are 200 pounds…work up to 100 oz. of water per day. (That’s a little over 12 cups a day — just like what I advised the man above to do.)
And just keep adjusting up or down based on your weight.
Maybe that seems like a lot of water to drink.
Which is why I always try and get ahead of the game each day by drinking 2 big glasses of water upon rising each morning (that’s about three cups).
I then make it a point to drink a glass or 2 in between meals and snacks, too. (Yes urination will increase initially, don’t worry about it, it’s good to get those fat-causing toxins out of your body anyway.)
And whatever you do, do NOT weigh yourself.
Always measure, instead.
Why?
Because one of the reasons getting on the scale is a dead end (in my opinion) is that a cup of water weighs approximately 1 pound.
So as you hydrate yourself, your weight fluctuates. Mine, for example, fluctuates during the day between 162 and 169 pounds (and sometimes even higher depending on when I drank or peed last).
That’s why size, body fat percentage and how your clothes fit is a much better indicator of how you are doing.
So here’s the bottom line:
1. If you want to start to lose some weight, drink more water, work up to 50% of your body weight in ounces.
2. Don’t weigh yourself, if your clothes are fitting better than you are on the right track.
Do those two things and and you’re off to a good start.
Here’s one more thing…
A good tip for picking a weight loss goal is this:
1. What size clothes are you currently wearing?
2. What size clothes would you like to be wearing?
Why size and not pounds?
Because Weight Loss Success is about getting smaller and getting fit, going from a size 18+ to a 10 or from a 12 to a 6 (for a woman) or from a 44 waist to a 38 or from a 39 waist to a 33 or 34 (for a man) Whatever your numbers are it¢s all relative.
Think about it. If you could just comfortably fit into the size clothes you¢’d like to wear, you felt better, and your doctor, family and friends took notice –and you liked the way you look in the mirror, wouldn’t that do it for you?
Larry “Jake” Jacobs
