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November through January -- when 'tis the season to eat is also the season for gluttony. But here's a relatively simple step you can take to help minimize excessive holiday weight gain. Drink water, and a lot of it.
This is no surprise for chronic dieters, who've long been exhorted to drink at least eight glasses of water a day to aid their quest for dieting success. The reason? Water fills the stomach and reduces hunger. It turns out this is no myth.
In a study published in the journal Obesity in February, scientists at Virginia Tech tracked a group of overweight subjects (age 55 and older) on low-calorie diets for about three months. Half the subjects were asked to drink two cups of water before every meal and the other half were not. At the end of the study, the group drinking the water had lost an average of 15.5 pounds, while the "dry" group lost only 11.
A 2008 study showed a similar effect, finding a 13 percent reduction in calorie intake in overweight subjects who consumed water before breakfast.
But a third study had scientists scratching their heads. Conducted in 2007, researchers learned that drinking water 30 minutes before a meal reduced calorie intake and feelings of hunger in older adults, but had little effect on subjects under 35.
And staving off pounds during the holiday season might be prudent, as studies have shown the average person gains about a pound between Thanksgiving and January. Additionally, some adults gain up to six pounds a year over a lifetime. Pass the water, please.
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