16 Days of Lemon Water for Weight Loss

It always feels great to lose a few pounds but the long list of crazy diets out there can sometimes be more discouraging than helpful. Drinking lemon water has shown to be one of the easiest and most beneficial habits you can instill to see some rapid results when it comes to shaving off extra fat. It may sound too good to be true but several scientific studies prove otherwise, encouraging  16 days of lemon water for weight loss.

Quick Lemon History

Lemons are actually a combination of the citron and the bitter orange originating in Asia and brought to the New World by Cristopher Columbus in 1493. Used to prevent scurvy (a disease caused by lack of vitamin C) lemon juice was given to sailors who would be without essential nutrition for months at a time. Originally used as an ornamental food, lemons eventually made it into various food recipes and beverages. Currently the harvest of lemons comes from California, Arizona, the Mediterranean, South Africa and Australia.

The Perfect Detox

As you smell the sour of a lemon your mouth immediately puckers and fills with saliva. However, this is a reaction that kicks your whole digestive system into gear creating production of essential digestive enzymes and acids. Because of this systemic reaction, drinking lemon juice was studied in the lab on mice that had liver damage due to induced alcohol consumption.

One study by Chinese researchers published in BioMed Research International (4/16/17) concluded that,

“…we found that treatment with lemon juice exerted hepatoprotective (liver protection) effects on alcohol-induced liver injury in mice…we speculate that the hepatoprotective effects might be related to the antioxidant capacities of lemon juice. The results showed that lemon juice might be a potential dietary supplement for the prevention and treatment of liver injury related to chronic alcohol consumption.”

Yet, there were prior studies showing the systemic effects of lemon juice having the ability to fight obesity but it isn’t until now that mainstream diet gurus have taken notice. Japanese scientists conducted research titled, “Lemon Polyphenols Suppress Diet-induced Obesity…” published in the journal of Clinical Biochemistry and Nutrition (10/31/08) which stated,

“In conclusion, we suggest in the present study that the supplementation with lemon polyphenols suppressed body weight gain and body fat accumulation…the levels of serum insulin, glucose and leptin were significantly improved by lemon polyphenols, thereby improving the insulin resistance…We suggest that a supplementation with lemon polyphenols may prevent or improve obesity and insulin resistance by modulating lipid metabolism and preventing metabolic syndrome as a representative, lifestyle-related cluster of diseases caused by an excessively high fat diet.”

These are just a few examples of the science behind lemon juice. Using lemon juice in your own life to lose weight can easily be applied.

Take the 16 Day Lemon Challenge

Apply these lemon additions to your life for 16 days and see if the weight begins to fall off.

• Daily Ritual – Mix the juice of half a lemon with room temperature or even warm water and drink first thing in the morning and before each meal. You will feel fuller so you wont eat as much while the lemon water works its detox magic and fat burning properties throughout the day.
• Mouthwash – Losing weight can cause your body to push out all sorts of toxins often resulting in bad breathe. Lemons can help. Use the juice of half a lemon, one teaspoon each of cinnamon and baking soda, two teaspoons raw honey and one cup of hot water. Mix together and keep in the refrigerator in a glass jar. Rinse your mouth with water after use to remove acid which could damage your enamel.
• Salad dressing – Instead of oil laden, fattening salad dressings incorporate lemons into your salads. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon and add two or three tablespoons of olive oil, some sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Mix well with a fork or whisk and drizzle over a salad or lightly cooked greens.
• Lemon Fast – If you really want to commit to weight loss using lemon juice, then talk to your health professional about fasting. Whether it is one day or two weeks, giving your body a break from digestion can result in all sorts of benefits. Adding lemon juice to the mix can essentially “clean house” and reset your system to fat burning mode.

Note: It is important to maintain exercise and healthy meals (no packaged processed foods, sugars, etc) in conjunction with lemon juice intake when not fasting.

Using lemons for weight loss is an excellent way to rev up your body for better health. It will detox your system while adding good doses of disease fighting vitamin C at the same time (one cup of lemon juice contains 187% of the recommended daily intake). Try 16 days of lemon water  for weight loss and enjoy the results.