Google weight loss methods and one of the first things that will come up is to drink more water. From a very young, we have been told to complete our daily quota of 8 glasses a day, and while the debate on the number continues, the argument that we should drink more still holds strong.
But we often are not able to meet our ‘water goals’ due to a variety of reasons – it’s hard to keep track, it’s not fun or easy to do, and some in the younger generation claim that water is just not tasty enough to set a habit of. The last category would simply like to indulge in sodas, or other sugary drinks. And you have to admit it, we have all been there, because the temptation of a pretty drink is far more than a plain looking glass of water.
Which is where this newest social media weight loss trend comes in. Various US users have garnered millions of views on social media application TikTok for creating a ‘creative version’ of flavoured waters – using sugarfree syrups.
The trend is called ‘Watertok’. According to a report by Rolling Stones, the hashtag depicts a variety of happy, primarily white ladies in athleisure with endearing Southern accents showcasing their flavoured water recipes in their enormous metal Stanley cups. The hashtag has received approximately 94.1 million views, the report says. And the flavours and flavour names of these zero calorie beverages are very creative – there is Green Apple Mermaid, Peach Ring, Dole Whip, Banana Split, and…wait for it, Birthday Cake.
How is this ‘Tasty Water’ Made?
One of these famous ‘Watertokers’ is Tonya Spanglo.
Spanglo’s videos see her ‘making the water’ with her putting pebbled ice in a tumbler, which she labels as “the good ice,” implying that there is also “bad ice”. Then, she chooses from her variety of zero-calorie powdered flavor packets — strawberry, pineapple, and blue raspberry, among others — that she combines with one or two of the zero-calorie syrups — dragon fruit acai, peach, coconut, unicorn, raspberry, pistachio latte, vanilla almond etc. to create the water of the day, as per a report by Vox. Each recipe calls for one packet and one or two syrups.
She tells Vox that she used to fat, and would drink five regular Cokes a day. But now, she has been able to meet her water requirements by swapping the soda for her flavoured water.
By switching from the empty calories of sodas to zero-calorie, zero-sugar beverages, Spanglo was able to accomplish two goals at once, she claims. She was able to quell her cravings for sweet drinks and get the recommended levels of water.
Spanglo told Vox that the best compliment she had ever received was that she had helped people in giving up soda. She said a recent follower told her that they were addicted to sugary beverages available at American chain Sonic. That person claimed that they haven’t visited Sonic in four days since starting to follow Spanglo.
Fad or a Good Hack?
To examine whether this is just another one of those fads or an actual good hack one would have to look at whether:
1) Drinking water actually causes weight loss
2) Sugarfree drinks are good or bad for you
The First Question
As per reports, drinking a required amount of water is just one of the pieces in the puzzle of losing weight. (Note that we are only talking about the benefits of drinking water in terms of weight loss and not general health)
One of the ways that it does help us in weight loss is by maintaining a calorie deficit. (Consuming calories fewer than what you burn in a day). We will not simply not consume as many calories when we consume more water and our system is comparatively more satiated than before.
There are also reports that claim that one’s resting energy expenditure — also known as calorie burn — increases when you drink water.
According to a report by the health and wellness daily Healthline, within 10 minutes of consuming water, humans’ resting energy expenditure has been observed to rise by 24–30% in a study.
This, the report says, is corroborated by a research of overweight and obese children who drank cold water thereafter, which indicated a 25% increase in resting energy expenditure. The effects of drinking more water—more than 1 litre per day—were investigated in a study of obese women. They discovered that this led to an additional 2 kg of weight loss over the course of a year. These women had not made any additional changes to their lifestyle such as diet changes or increased exercise.
However, water alone would probably not help you lose weight. One would have to combine it with other reccomended methods such as exercising, or consuming more protein, etc.
Are Sugar Free Drinks Good or Bad for You?
Vox says in its report that the research is inconclusive on this one.
Martha Field, an assistant professor of nutritional sciences at Cornell University told Vox that there isn’t enough conclusive long-term research to say whether artificial sweeteners are beneficial or detrimental. She claims that this paucity of study can scare some individuals.
So, What’s the Conclusion?
It’s hard to say. But one thing is clear- the most ideal goal for a person looking to lose weight would be to consume normal water in the required amount (since we are not sure whether sugarfree is good or bad for you).
But, strictly in terms of weight loss, switching from soda to a flavoured sugarfree water beverage (which are made by many brands too nowadays) seems like a better option until it is a gateway into developing the healthiest habit of drinking plain water.
However, the problem does not lie in that question of weight loss.
Lisa Young, a writer and adjunct professor of nutrition at NYU told Vox that the popularisation of “water goals” and the emphasis on calorie- and sugar-free beverages are equating calorie restriction with healthy living.
According to her, counting calories has a strong link to weight loss but is simply one aspect of a person’s overall health. Young is uncomfortable when the main indicator of health is weight loss since it is too near to disordered eating or other disordered behaviours.
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