Water

Along with protein and oat bran, the other obligation is drinking water. 

Most people don't drink enough water. Water is the main chemical component of our bodies. Depending on one's size, we are made up of 55-78%. That's from slightly more than half to slightly over three-quarters water. We are more than simply skin bags of water however. The water is involved in all the processes of our body. We are using it and therefore need to keep topping up the water.

A lack of water - dehydration - adversely affects many things. We think slower, our muscles are weaker and our digestive processes work less efficiently to start with. If you keep your water levels correct you will feel better and stronger and you will look better. Another effect of dehydration is unhealthy skin. While you are spending your cash on creams and skin treatments, you might just need to drink a glass of water.

Drinking water, plenty of it, is fundamental to losing weight. It is particularly important if you are taking a lot of protein. Digesting protein puts additional stress on your kidneys. Drinking extra water will flush your kidneys out and make your body deal with this process more efficiently.

Smelly breath is sometimes mentioned as an adverse side effect of a high protein diet. It is more likely to be a side effect of dehydration while following a high proten diet. If your mouth feels dry or your breath is smelly, before getting worried and thinking you can't follow the diet, drink more water and see if the problem is resolved.

Another curiosity of dehydration is that we tend to mistake our thirst for hunger and eat when we really want a glass of water. Remember water is filling, because it adds volume, but it has neither calories not fats nor anything else. Think about that. Next time you fancy a quick bite, have a glass of water (or a cup of tea) and see if you are still hungry after that. 

When you are properly hydrated your metabolism will be more effective. When your body is in the ketosis process I described previously, it needs plenty of water to help your metabolism turn the stored fat back into calories to be used for energy.

Constipation is a side effect of dehydration. Some people experience constipation difficulties when going through the Attack and Cruise phases of the Dukan plan. This can be a simple result of dehydration and even if it isn't, drinking more water to increase the volume of what's going through your gut can resolve the problem.

This is the important point you should take from this blog. I can confirm this from my experience. Keeping the water levels up speeded up my weightloss. Keep water handy and keep sipping, if that works for you. Water passes through your system helping everything working for you. Have a bottle of water by your bedside. You can use a glass, of course, but cover it to ensure any insects or dust don't drop in it. I used to monitor how much water I drank during the weightloss phase (the Cruise) and I honestly found I lost less weight on the days when for whatever reason I drank less than normal. In consequence I was strict with myself and did not have days when I drank too little. I still maintain the water consumption.

How much should you drink? A litre and a half minimum. There is nothing wrong with drinking more. Drinking double that would be fine if you want to. If you are active, or it is hot, drink more to compensate for your perspiration. Do not drink less. 

How much is a litre and a half? Well, if a standard glass is about a quarter of a litre (or half a pint) it's about six glasses. If you have a couple of glasses with your lunch and again with your dinner, then you'll only need to drink another couple of glasses in between. That's not so much, is it? It would be a simple thing to up that to eight glasses and then you will be up to two litres.

Water does not just mean plain water. It means your fluids. Cups of coffee and tea, for example. Make sure you use skimmed milk (if you don't prefer your tea and coffee black) and if you normally take sugar, you'll either have to go without or use a sweetener. How much tea and coffee do you drink? Do you drink iced tea? Provided it is unsweetened, or artificially sweetened, that is fine. 

Dukan also suggests you can include diet soft drinks (Coke Zero, etc). He advises that you should not drink too much of these products, but if you cannot more plain water, these carbonated products can help you hydrate. I am not keen on them myself and I don't believe drinking large amounts of acidic carbonated drinks can do you or your teeth any good. the sugared versions are certainly a huge source of calories - the kind you can exploit too easily - and therefore a bad component in poor diets. Treat then with caution.

See for yourself. Work out how much you are drinking now? If you are not drinking a litre and a half, you must drink more. Even if you already do drink that much, drink more, drink as much of it as you can as natural, plain water, and see what effects this has on your weightloss and your health and your appearance. It can be a shock.