The road to losing weight is simple and hard Part 2

I'm detailing as much as I can about how I lost weight, as that is often the question I get from long-time friends, especially those who have tried unsuccessfully.

The real key is in controlling our water intake. I can't stress enough how important this is in order to start losing weight. How much water you should drink depends on your height and current weight. Search for the many water intake calculators online to find out yours.

You might think that the main reason I drink a lot of water is to detox my body, right? Actually, the main reason I focus on water intake first is foremost is to restore my metabolism. No matter how little you eat or how often you work out, if your metabolism is low, then you will struggle with MAINTAINING your ideal weight. This is, I think, the cause for the yo-yo effect of weight loss. Exercising is great to increase metabolism but only to a certain extent. Food calorie control works to lessen the amount of energy that enters your body but only to a certain extent, too.

(img src)

Without enough water intake, you'll find that you will reach a plateau where your weight loss will either slow down or stay the same. This is another frustration my friends tell me.
You have to understand, though. Your body has accumulated god knows how many years of fat, so you need to give your body enough time to lose that much fat, too. Mine has been an accumulation of fat since I was 22, which was right after I graduated from college, so that's almost 20 years' worth of fat to lose.
Give your body a break and be realistic.

A dietitian friend of mine tells me that the water is also great in "softening" our fat so that it dissolves and disappears faster. Check out your body parts with the most fat, like your belly or your bicep, and try to poke at it. A "soft" body fat will jiggle with a jelly-like texture. This means that you will lose the particular body fat the fastest.
If your fat feels firm and muscle-like which is similar to your other body parts, it means that the fat is still "solid" and it will take a longer time to dissolve. The "solid" needs to soften before it can dissolve, which is why our belly and thigh are the hardest body parts to slim down; most of the "solid" fats are stored there.
Your belly size may not change, but you will feel that with time, it'll become softer. That's a very good sign and something you should look forward to.

All these fat melting process can be made possible if you drink enough water.

Don't worry so much about "the best time to drink water" or "how often to drink water". Drink them according to the recommended amount and as comfortable as you can.

I make it a habit to drink at least a glass of water once I wake up and another before I go to sleep. I also make it a habit that whenever I step into a kitchen or pass by a pantry, to drink a glass of water. I'm horrible at measuring and keeping track of stuff I do, so making water drinking a habit helps a lot. Maybe if you drive often, make it a habit to drink 5 gulps of water before you drive, and another 5 gulps of water before stepping out of your car. Or, drink before and after going to the washroom. Habits like that will help.

Habits trigger behaviours, and when behaviours are done often, they become habits, and they feel comfortable and effortless.
This is why I say losing weight is simple.

Check out my other post on me losing weight:
Part 1: https://steemit.com/life/@webgrrrl/the-road-to-losing-weight-is-simple-and-hard

LIKE WHAT YOU READ? Then check out my previous post: https://steemit.com/life/@webgrrrl/wordnesia-and-a-moment-of-panic