Drink This And Lose An Extra 5 Pounds!

If you don't already know by now, we'll tell you in big blaring letters - WATER IS REALLY REALLY GOOD FOR YOU! You don't need the fancy flavored stuff. Or the bottles from exotic mountain tops. We're talking plain, regular water. Besides being really awesome for your skin, water will also help those interested in losing weight to shed some pounds. Research shows that drinking two cups of water before each meal will help you lose up to five pounds in a year! 

Fact: your body confuses thirst for hunger. So... drink up!

Here are the tips to help you maximize your water intake for weight loss. 

1) Know how much you weigh. The amount of water you'll want to drink in order to lose weight will vary depending on your weight. Take a quick pop onto a scale (no matter the number, you are beautiful as you are!) and make a mental note of what it says. 

2) Multiply your weight by 2/3. Do the math. (You can use the calculator on your phone!) For example, a 150 lb woman would want to aim to drink around 112 ounces of water every day. 

3) Calculate your activity. If you workout, you'll want to add extra water to your daily intake. Remember all that sweat? For each 30 minutes you are exercising, be sure to add 18 ounces per day!

Try this little chart, courtesy of Slender Kitchen for a guide: 

• Need some help adding H2O into your diet? Here are some suggestions!
• Drink two cups before each meal. Doing this three times a day will add 48 ounces to your intake!
• Sunrise and sunset! Drink 16 ounces when you wake up every morning and another 8 before going to bed. Keep a bottle of water near you so that it's handy. 
• Infuse it! Add fruit, herbs and flavors to your water. Try cucumber, strawberries, lemons and limes for an extra kick. 

• Fizz it up! Zero calorie sparkling water is a great addition and helps you swap out any soda addiction you may have. Consider an at-home seltzer water maker for convenience. 
• Count it up! There are special containers out there that help you keep track of your water intake.