I know for a fact that, regardless of weight loss, drinking water is healthy for a number of reasons. As far as losing weight goes, though, does water really help flush fat out of the body when drunk regularily and in proper quantities?? What happens in one works out for an hour, sweats a lot and doesn't compensate for the lost fluid after the workout? See, my weight is really crazy. I know H2O has no calories, but when I drink it after I work out, my stomach begins to feel so bloated and the next 24 hrs. (approx.), I look like my body is retaining it.

Also, I recently saw on one of those women's fitness competitions ladies who were supposed to lose weight in a short period of time. They said they spent 2-4 hours a day in the gym, ate very few carbs and weren't allowed to drink water (only very little)! I know this who procedure is very extreme, but what's this about water??? I find it so confusing!

No, water won't flush fat out of your body. That's impossible. You can only move fat by having a good diet and exercising. Water will however flush toxins out of your body, rev up you metabolism so fat loss is easier, keep you hydrated so you can work out more efficiently, and will stave off hunger. The body often mistakes thirst for hunger so when you're feeling hungry, your body may actually be after water, not food. 2 litres per day is the minimum you should aim to drink but if you've worked out, more would be better. If you don't replace the water you lose from sweating, you body won't be able to burn calories as well and won't be able to flush toxins out properly, putting extra strain on your kidneys. You can also start to feel tired, nauseous and dizzy. You don't need to replace it all in one go, which might explain why you feel bloated. Just make sure you get enough spread out through the whole day.

As far as fitness competition men/women, professional competitors will dehydrate themselves before a competition in order to remove any water they may have under the skin and produce more definition. This isn't healthy and they don't do it between competitions, only in the couple of weeks before one to give them a slight edge. After this, they'll return to drinking copious amounts of water again. For any normal person, this procedure isn't necessary.