It can also affect your weight.

That’s because even a mild dehydration or loss of body water will slow your metabolic rate or the rate at which your body burns calories. Fortunately, you can reverse this process- and lose weight by drinking water.

This was recently demonstrated by a group of German researchers who showed that after drinking 17 ounces (a little more than two cups) of water, the metabolic rates of both men and women increased by 30%! From these results the researchers estimated that, over the course of a year, a person who increases his water consumption by just 1.5 liters (about 6 and a half cups) a day would burn an extra 17,400 calories.

That translates to a weight lose of about 5 pounds. Not a lot perhaps, but increasing your metabolic rate isn't the only way that you lose weight by drinking water.

Because dehydration can cause daytime fatigue drinking water can also helps you lose weight by increasing your energy and activity levels. Increasing your water intake can also help you avoid overeating: Studies have shown that drinking just one glass of water can satisfy late night hunger pangs and reduced night time snacking.

How Much Is Enough?

So, for example, if you weigh 140 pounds you should be drinking 70 ounces or about nine cups of water a day. And you’ll need to drink even more in hot environments, with exercise and following alcohol and caffeine consumption since these things increase your body’s water loss.

While this may seem like mission impossible, particularly if you are one of the millions of Americans who rarely drink water, it’s not really as difficult as it sounds. The trick is to make a conscious effort to drink water throughout the day even when you do not feel thirsty. Here are a few tips to get you started.

• Make water your primary beverage. Drink it with all of your meals and snacks and in place of sodas and other beverages.

• Keep a water bottle as a constant companion. Carry it with you everywhere.

• For variety, use sparkling water and fruit-flavored waters or occasionally squeeze the juice of a lemon or lime into your regular water.

• If you're serious about trying to lose weight by drinking water, consider purchasing a water cooler/purification system for your home. If you don’t want to invest in an industrial–sized cooler, you may want to check out Cuisinart’s table-top model. It uses plain tap water, filters it and then dispenses it with the touch of a button.

• You also want to be sure the water you drink is cold. The researchers who determined that water can make you lose weight by increasing your metabolic rate theorized that much of this effect was due the body's need to heat the ingested water.

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