The study participants were between the ages of 55 and 75 and overweight or obese. The researchers had them consume a low-calorie diet (1,200 calories for women or 1,500 calories for men). They were than randomly assigned to either a water or control group. The water group drank 2 cups (16 oz. total) of water before eating each of their meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner), while the control group was just given the low-calorie diet without further instructions.

參與這項(xiàng)研究的人都在55到75歲之間，超重或極度肥胖。研究人員讓他們攝取低卡路里的飲食（女士1200卡路里，男士1500卡路里）。他們被隨即分配成喝水組和對照組。喝水組的人在每頓飯（早餐、午餐、晚餐）前喝2杯水（總共16盎司），而對照組僅僅給予低卡路里食物，沒有其他指示。

Since both groups were consuming fewer calories, both groups lost weight. However, those that drank 2 cups of water before their meals had a faster rate of weight loss and ended up losing 44 percent more weight over a 12-week period than those that didn’t. The biggest changes in calorie consumption were seen at the beginning of the study, indicating that having water before meals might not continue to help reduce caloric intake as much over time.

因?yàn)槎贾皇菙z取較低卡路里，所以兩組人員體重都有下降。但是，喝水組體重下降更快，在12個(gè)星期里下降了比對照組多百分之四十四的體重。兩組在卡路里攝取上的明顯差異僅發(fā)生在研究的最初階段，這說明飯前喝水并不能持續(xù)減少卡路里的攝入。

It’s important to note that this study was fairly small, consisting of only 41 people. However, its results do support the time-honored advice of drinking water before meals. Those with firm weight-loss resolutions may want to try using this technique to boost their efforts. For success, follow these tips.

需要指出的是，這項(xiàng)研究的樣本量相當(dāng)少，只有僅僅41個(gè)人。但是，研究結(jié)果確實(shí)支持飯前喝水這個(gè)傳統(tǒng)的建議。對于減肥決心堅(jiān)定的人來說，或許會(huì)利用這一技巧達(dá)到事半功倍。
那么要想成功減肥，請遵循以下建議：

Make sure that it is water you’re drinking before the meals. Sodas, sports drinks and juice add calories to your intake and slow or stop you from reaching your goals. Diet drinks are not as good an option as water because some evidence indicates they trick our brain into wanting more sweets and other studies show they might contribute to bone loss.

要確保飯前你喝的是純水。蘇打水、運(yùn)動(dòng)飲料、果汁都會(huì)增加你的卡路里攝入并減緩或阻止你實(shí)現(xiàn)目標(biāo)。低卡路里的飲料相對于純水來說也不是一個(gè)好的選擇，有證據(jù)顯示低卡路里飲料會(huì)誘使大腦獲取更多的糖，其他研究則顯示它們還可能導(dǎo)致骨質(zhì)疏松。

Get a 16-oz. bottle, keep it full and in plain sight. Have it on your office desk, by the refrigerator, or anywhere else where it will remind you to drink before you eat.

準(zhǔn)備一個(gè)16盎司的杯子，裝滿水，放在顯眼的地方。把它放在你的辦公桌上、冰箱旁或其他任何能提醒你飯前喝水的地方。

If you don’t like the taste of water, add a 2 tbs. of lemon or lime juice to add flavor. If that doesn’t work, you could add a splash of juice; just make sure you are only splashing, not pouring. If you’re a fan of the bubbly, you could try seltzer water instead.

如果你不喜歡純水的味道，加兩湯匙檸檬或酸橙汁來提味。如果這還不行，你可以加一點(diǎn)點(diǎn)果汁，要保證你僅僅是滴幾滴而不是倒。如果你喜歡多泡，可以嘗試用塞爾查水來代替純水。