WATER WORKS

Thirst can masquerade as hunger, which is one reason dieters should stay hydrated. Now German researchers have found another reason: Water fuels your body’s fat burners. For 90 minutes after drinking 16 ounces of chilled H2O, adults saw their metabolisms rise by 24 percent over their average rates. According to the study author, Jens Jordan, M.D., the mechanism is partly due to the energy your body generates to warm the water during digestion.

It may be as easy as replacing your glass of apple juice with an apple. A small study published in the International Journal of Obesity reports that people reduced their daily calorie intake by as much as 20 percent if they substituted a piece of fruit for fruit juice with their lunch. The reason: Chewing stimulates satiety hormones better, say the study authors, while the whole food takes longer for your intestines to process, helping you stay full. The benefit was also observed when participants ate cheese instead of drinking milk.

LOSE BIG, STAY SMALL
If your goal is longterm success, perhaps the “best” diet is simply the one you can best stick to. In a recent study, Brown University scientists tracked the diets of people who had dropped at least 30 pounds and maintained their new weight for 3 years. Contrary to popular opinion, the researchers discovered A mouthful of fruit prevents you from stuffing your face. that low-carbohydrate dieters were just as successful at keeping weight off as dieters who followed a low-fat approach. Which just goes to show that more than one weight-loss method can be effective. Interestingly, the carb cutters— who didn’t bother to count calories—reported feeling less deprived than their low-fat counterparts.