Drinking a Pint of Water Before Eating Will Help You Lose Weight

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While we now know that we don't actually need to be pounding eight glasses of water a day, there's a new water rule we should be following, and it's pretty simple, too.

According to a study done at the University of Birmingham, drinking 500ml (or about 16.9oz) of water half an hour before a meal is the key to losing weight.

For the study, obese adult participants were broken into two groups and monitored over 12 weeks. One group was "pre-loaded" with water, and the other was told to imagine they were full before eating. Those who drank water lost about 2.87lbs more than those in the control group.

The final results showed that those who drank water prior to breakfast, lunch, and dinner lost 9.48lbs over 12 weeks. Conversely, those who drank water prior to just one meal, or not at all, only lost about 1.76lbs.

Dr Helen Parretti, NIHR Clinical Lecturer at the University of Birmingham, said, "The beauty of these findings is in the simplicity. Just drinking a pint of water, three times a day, before your main meals may help reduce your weight."

So... does this mean a pint of water before Taco Bell will wash away a little bit of that Cheesy Gordita shame?

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Lucy Meilus is a staff writer for Thrillist and has no Taco Bell shame, ever. Follow her on Twitter at @Lucymeilus and send news tips to news@thrillist.com.