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Nagging Question
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Does Drinking Ice Water Burn Calories?Hydration, maybe; weight loss, doubtful |
It’s true that when you drink ice water, your body uses energy (calories) to raise the liquid’s temperature to body temperature. But not very much.
Roger Clemens, DrPH (doctor of public health) in nutrition and biological chemistry, and associate director of regulatory science at the USC School of Pharmacy, walked us through the math. For the sake of simplicity, he didn’t take thermodynamics into account, which would change the numbers very slightly.
You have an 8-ounce glass of ice-cold water in front of you. That’s about 240 grams of water.
When you drink the ice water, which is roughly 4 degrees Celsius, your body will expend calories to bring it to body temperature, which is about 37.5 degrees Celsius; that’s a difference of 33.5 degrees. To raise 1 gram of water 1 degree Celsius, 1 calorie is expended. (This is a “little” calorie—what scientists use to measure small units of energy. The calories we refer to colloquially are actually 1,000 of these and are known as kilocalories in the science world.)
Raising 240 grams of water by 33.5 degrees Celsius will take 33.5 calories x 240 grams of water, which equals 8,040 little calories.
Dividing 8,040 by 1,000 gives us 8.04 food calories (kilocalories). Therefore, you’ll burn about 8 calories for each glass of iced calorie-free beverage you drink. That’s equal to about one Life Saver: not exactly a weight-loss miracle.
Using Clemens’s figures, it would take about 435 8-ounce glasses of ice water to lose a pound.
And do we have to tell you? Consuming large quantities of cold water can have serious health effects, such as an overall lowering of body temperature, a decrease in the functionality of the gastrointestinal tract, and, in extreme cases, anemia. Drinking a lot of water can also lead to water intoxication.
CHOW’s Nagging Question column appears every Friday.
It can also trigger diabetes. My dad started drinking tons of ice water to lose weight, and dropped like 30 pounds in a month. Turns out he was diabetic, and his blood sugar was totally out of control. His endocrinologist said she knew of several people who had discovered they were diabetic that way--apparently it messes with your glucose metabolism.
ok so it adds under normal condition even if you just do 4 glasses a day ,about 2-3 pounds of weight loss too you in a yr
whoopie doo
If this were true, I'd have a tanker full of Aquafina in the driveway.
Interesting thing about the diabetes. In Eastern medicine, drinking or eating a lot of cold things leads to a lot of digestive problems (which diabetes is linked to).
And lowering your body temperature by drinking cold water generally will make you gain weight by lowering your metabolism.
I drink a lot of ice water, but it hasn't made me lose weight . . . kinda wish it did, though! I do find that if I am especially stressed out a good glass of ice-cold water helps me calm down!
scoobyhed, drinking too much water can't cause diabetes. Two symptoms of diabetes are unexplained rapid weight loss and excessive thirst. It's likely your dad had diabetes before his "water diet," and he just didn't know it yet. For more symptoms of diabetes go here: http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-symp...
Has an actual means of losing weight it isn't going to work. But if you're going to drink something anyway, why not drink it cold?
the health experts say drink 8 glasses a day
diet /no diet don't matter but....
water at room temp is not enjoyable for MOST people. i think COLD is an incentive to drink the proper amount every day
it is for me
Drinking water doesn't directly cause you to loose weight, but its an essential part of the overall process of losing weight (exercise, nutrition, water). Your body REQUIRES water for ALL of its biological processes, metabolism being one of them, muscle recovery and growth being another. Since muscle is what allows you to lose weight (by burning energy) you must supply your body with the amount of water it needs or it will slow that process down.
Will cold water do any more than warm water, well, probably not, as indicated by this article, but water is water, warm or cold. Even tea and coffee are a good source of water in general, but 64oz of those is quite a bit so the rest can be plain water.
Actually, you don't absolutely need to drink 8 glasses of water a day. The general rule of thumb is: if you're thirsty, drink. And you all are right-as far as I know, drinking water doesn't cause diabetes. It is very possible, Scoobyhed, that your father's thirst was caused by his diabetes (diabetes causes your body to excrete sugar in your urine, and the sugar pulls lots of water out with it). Keeping hydrated during workouts is also very important.
Whilst drinking ice water does not have a direct link to calorie burning, keeping well hydrated does have links to weight loss. If your body is dehydrated the liver does not work as efficiently at its job, which can be summed up by metabolism control. So you're dehydrated? Your metabolism drops.
You could accomplish the same thermodynamic effect by removing all your clothes. Your body would burn calories to maintain the heat lost due to convection.
Women should take this recommendation seriously. I am a scientist, it is okay.
Will If u were drink ice water and ur weight don't less. Now it will be less..because its like psychological thing. coz now u know about this information..Have A Slim Body :P
As a wildland firefighter, we were asked to drink a gallon of water a day before and during training. I noticed a big difference between drinking and not drinking the gallon. During the fire season, we were required to carry 2 gallons of water for the desert fires, which we easily drank. On really hot days I drank 3 gallons a day. In the higher cooler altitudes we were required to carry 1.5 gallons, which most days I would go through most to all it. My body healed much faster and I was able to perform high energy activities for long periods when I was well hydrated (and fed). Thirst is the not the first sign of dehydration, but usually it is the one we notice first. Being properly hydrated allows your body to perform/metabolize at its best. If you drink lots of water, remember to consume electrolytes once in a while (sodium=salt, calcium, potassium, chlorine, phosphate, magnesium). Side note: Do not focus on loosing weight; focus on BEING your perfect weight.
Well it depends on waht water you drink and if you work out alot and for me i drink water all day besides tea and coffee but i love my water and i work out or not
Miss Needle is incorrect in her statement that drinking cold water will LOWER your metabolism. There is an actual study that showed drinking 16 oz. of ice water in less than 5 minutes causes your body's metabolism to jump almost 40% for up to 90 minutes.
And WHancox is incorrect. Drinking Ice Cold water does have a direct link to fat burning. Your metabolism actually INCREASES because your core temp has dropped drastically and your body starts burning BROWN ADIPOSE tissue (fat) to generate heat to bring your organs back to 98.6 degrees.
{Normal Adipose tissue (subcutaneous fat) stored in your skin is used by muscles for energy when there are no other sources of energy (carbs, proteins, fats) in your blood}
So by drinking ICE water (32 degrees), you cause your body to jump it's metabolic rate overall, you burn FAT, and you replenish your cells to a more hydrated state for optimal efficiency.
If people get a triple bonus for drinking ice water, better hydration, fat burning and a metabolic boost, then there is no doubt, drinking ice water in certain quantities can HELP burn body fat.
The post by "BIL", the scientist, is incorrect in that it is NOT the same as removing your clothes. That makes your body colder on the outside and blood flows away from your skin surface to the core to retain heat for the core and your brain. That reduces your metabolism to keep the blood from carrying heat from your core to the extremities. The result is that your body will burn less fuel as your exterior temperature drops. Then, as you get into a hypothermic condition, NOT GOOD, you get into dangerous territory. So, "BIL" may be a scientist, but probably NOT in the biological sciences. I am guessing that he is an engineer either ME or CE. So DO not think it is the same as taking off your clothes when it is ICE cold outside.
The first poster (scoobyhed) that said this "can also trigger diabetes" is incorrect as mollyjade pointed out. As you see the doctor said that they "DISCOVER" they are diabetic by drinking ice water. That is the same as any other diagnostic tool to "discover" a problem. The diagnostic tool is NOT the cause of the problem. So drinking ice water will NOT cause you to be diabetic.
Drinking anything but pure water, like tea or coffee is NOT a substitute for water as the chemicals of tea and coffee LEACH water molecules and can actually cause you to LOSE water faster and make you dehydrated. Caffeine, alcohol and salt all dehydrate the body. If you are drinking these, then you need to make sure you drink pure water to compensate for the dehydration effect.
Although, Tea and Coffee BOTH have been shown to increase your short-term metabolic rate to help lose body fat. The problem is, lipolysis (fat break down) requires water for the reaction. If you are in a dehydrated state because you drank coffee or tea, your body will catabolize (break down) muscle tissue to get water. Then you lose muscle mass, which is the major user of body fat. Less muscle means less metabolism and less use of stored body fat. So drinking coffee and tea can cause dehydration and indirectly cause a long-term metabolic drop, i.e. FAT storage (more weight). Which means you really do need to drink those 8 - 10 glasses of pure water to make sure your hydration levels are always as high as possible.
And the firefighter is correct. The US military also requires soldiers to "HYDRATE" all through the day even if they are NOT thirsty, because thirst is the LAST indicator that you are in a more severe dehydration position. It like the RED light on your car that FINALLY goes on just before your engine overheats and cooks. The temp gauge slowly goes up and you rarely look or notice that, but when the RED Light finally goes on, it is too late and you need to shut off your engine RIGHT THEN. Same with thirst, your body is slowly going into the red and then finally when you are in a critical situation, your brain finally gets the THIRST red light to get some water NOW!. But you are already dehydrated.
The best athletes and coaches know this. The best athletes have the least amount of fat. The best athletes are CONTINUALLY drinking water all day and always have a water bottle with them. Think there may be a correlation between the most fit, least fat bodies that drink water continually and those fat laden bodies that are drinking tea and coffee???? Yup, there is, but I have blabbed enough.
Recent studies have actually demonstrated that drinking caffeinated beverages won't make you dehydrated. While it is true that caffeine has a diuretic effect, the amount of water actually lost from caffeine is less than the amount of water your body received from the caffeinated beverage in the first place.
Also, with hydration-you have to be careful that you don't drink too much water. If you are thirsty (or showing other signs of dehydration, such as decreased urine output or dark urine) then you should drink. However, drinking too much water can cause a condition called water intoxication, where your blood electrolyte levels become too diluted. You can develop serious complications, such as seizures. I know of at least three cases where people literally died from water intoxication-and one of the people in question WAS an athlete!
The RuralNurse is correct in that the amount of water lost is not as much as you drank if drinking caffeinated beverages. It should be noted that many sodas also have SALT included as ingredients (potassium chloride and sodium chloride are both salts) that increase your dehydration level when you drink them so that you are MORE thirsty and thereby buy more sodas.
There is a net hydration effect in drinking most beverages including alcoholic. That however is VERY misleading to state out of context and why many people think that drinking coffee or tea is like drinking water or a good substitute for water.
I am sure the nurse would agree that NO doctor ever prescribed coffee or tea for anyone who was dehydrated. Also, the medical community is not prone to having hospital patients getting Coffee or Tea IVs. Rather, they use Saline or Glucose dripped IVs to make sure the patients have enough fluids (water) to recover. As such, coffee and tea are NOT a substitute for pure water when it comes to the necessary requirements for active living. Nobody should think that they can substitute 8 glasses of coffee or tea for 8 glasses of water and expect to have the same hydration effects or that their bodies will run just as well on coffee and tea as they will on water. Do not trust my word for this, ask any nutritionist or Olympic level coach or athlete if there is any real substitute for water including electrolyte drinks such as gatorade or powerade.
As for the water intoxication, that is very true. This fact is used out of context by many people to justify not drinking much water. That is similar to the truth that if you breathe too much air, too fast, you can die from hyperventilation, where your body does not create a successful enough exchange of CO2 out of your body until the toxicity of CO2 buildup overwhelms the system. That is about as rare as Water Intoxication. But that is no excuse for not breathing deeply and exercising hard that increases your breathing to rapid levels.
It is VERY difficult to reach water intoxication levels unless you are being forced to drink way past the point that you normally stop. I would go so far as to say, it is so rare that anyone reaches water intoxication levels in normal life, that it has never happened to anyone. However, the few cases that I know of water intoxication deaths, were for example a woman in California that was in a water drinking competition sponsored by a Radio station to see who could drink the most water in a short time frame. She lost and hours later died of water intoxication. The DJs were actually warned about this during the competition and they were later fired from the station, but the lady of a couple children was still dead from doing something very un-natural. I would say that is not a normal circumstance of every day life.
The only other case I know of personally was the result of a misguided young man in San Antonio that had decided to PURIFY his body by drinking as much water as he could force himself to drink and he also died of water intoxication. That is also not a normal part of life and he drank over 3 gallons in less than 2 hours. Even some body builders will drink 3 gallons of water over an entire DAY and not have intoxication problems. The firefighter mentioned that he was required to drink 2 gallons, much more than 8 glasses of water, and he had no problem.
Without hesitation I would say, NOBODY should worry about drinking too much water when you are thirsty anymore than you should worry about breathing too much when you get winded.
Still, this thread is about the effects of drinking cold water on burning calories. Answer. Yes it does.
good to know about that
Also, the medical community is not prone to having hospital patients getting Coffee or Tea IVs.
True; though, just as an aside, we do use IV ethanol (the same kind of alcohol found in wine, beer, and liquor) to treat methanol poisoning, which can occur, for instance, if someone drinks antifreeze.
"I am sure the nurse would agree that NO doctor ever prescribed coffee or tea for anyone who was dehydrated. Also, the medical community is not prone to having hospital patients getting Coffee or Tea IVs. Rather, they use Saline or Glucose dripped IVs to make sure the patients have enough fluids (water) to recover."
@tukong: What an idiotic example. Of course you won't use coffee or tea in an IV. Why, when there are saline bags around?
Actually, how many people really think coffee or tea is as good a hydrator than that clear, refreshing stuff called water? I say it's better to think that they hydrate than the misconception that coffee/tea, will dehydrate you. Since you're fond of idiotic examples, would you deny someone stuck in the desert coffee/tea if that was all you had?
And your rail against SALT in carbonated beverages surely is beyond stupid. Yes, they may contain salts, but you're so tunnel-visioned as to imply it's a consipiracy to dehydrate you more so that you buy and drink more. Total bullcrap.
A web search on nutritional info shows that an 8 ounce serving of Coke has 33mg of sodium and 0mg of potassium. How about your vaunted sports drinks? Gatorade has 37mg of sodium and about 90mg of potassium. Oh my, according to your paranoid logic, those sports drinks companies (btw, powerade is from coke and gatorade from pepsi) are dehydrating you even more than in both body and wallet! You should stop drinking them.
Oh, one last thing, if salt really is such a nasty dehydrator, then why are people hooked up to Saline IV solutions -- saline = salt solution!
So folks, take what tukong says with a grain of ...umm... salt!
(yes, registered on Chow just to speak my mind against stupid examples)
Oh, one last thing, if salt really is such a nasty dehydrator, then why are people hooked up to Saline IV solutions -- saline = salt solution!
Actually, the reason we use saline is because it's isotonic (the concentration of ions-sodium chloride, or table salt in this case-is the same as the concentration of ions in the body). If we used just sterile water, we'd be using a hypotonic solution (the concentration of ions is less than what's in the body) and we'd actually start swelling and destroying blood cells. This is why we normally use 0.9% sodium chloride (aka normal saline) to rehydrate a patient. (Sugar solutions are pretty much only used if the patient is diabetic and we're trying to control his blood sugar; we may also use a combination sugar and salt solution-typically 3.3% sugar and 0.3% saline, also called 2/3 1/3-if the patient isn't taking anything by mouth and we want to keep his energy up.)
If salt were NOT such a "nasty dehydrator" then slugs would not die from dehydration when you put salt on them. But they do die when salt is placed on then because salt dehydrates slugs to death.
I think you are confused.
There is a very HUGE difference between a saline solution and salt added to some other liquid than pure water or ingested through your GI. I think if you 'google' "hygroscopic desiccant salt" you will understand that salt IS a "nasty dehydrator." It is even used to absorb moisture for mummification. Knowledgeable people have known of and used salts dehydrating properties for thousands of years.
As for sugar in an IV, it is usually NOT used for diabetics who, by definition of being a diabetic, have problems with sugar metabolism. But let's be very clear, the sugar in the IV is the lowest form of sugar that is produced by metabolism, glucose. The IV does not contain a solution of sucrose (table sugar) or dextrose, fructose, maltose, lactose, etc... The glucose is the final stage of any sugar before it is used in glycosis before it enters the Krebs cycle and converted to Adenosine-5'-triphosphate (ATP) for use in the mitochondria in cells.
This glucose in an IV, is usually used to give patients (any patient) 'carbohydrates' for energy, recuperation, and to help the patient think better and more clearly, when they are unable to take carbohydrates in another form. The brain (the most metabolically active tissue in the body) runs best on carbohydrates, but can run on ketones during ketoic states.
Diabetics DO NOT need 'sugar' while in a hospital any more than any other patients. In fact, it is better that they do NOT get 'sugar' for obvious reasons, i.e. their dysfunction that makes them a diabetic. Diabetics in hospitals, can easily live off of their own body fat if they are not dehydrated and cannot eat normally. All they require is water which is usually given in a glass or IV as a saline solution if they cannot drink normally.
But there is as much a difference between sugar you eat and a glucose IV as there is salt you eat that dehydrates you and a saline IV. Glad I could help you understand that better. Sorry for the slugs though. Too much imagery for some.
The thread is about if drinking cold water burns calories. The answer is simply, Yes.
As to the assumption by @kftgr, that the examples are "stupid", you seem to think highly of your opinion. I am glad someone does.
If you take ANY example out of context, such as the tea and coffee IV example, and then place it in an EXTREME context but eliminate any other options, then I would think anyone could make any of your examples as "stupid" as you state mine are. Let me give you something to ponder unless you have more medical education that I think you do.
If you and I were in a desert and we had neither water, tea nor coffee and you were dehydrated and I was not, then, to save your life, I would simply piss in your mouth and make you drink it. Ask a doctor or a cellular biologist before you open your mouth and insert your foot again please about the results of me pissing in your mouth to save your life. You also might ask several of the Special Forces military that I have trained in desert survival. But of course, piss contains uric salts. However, since you are dehydrated, giving you a saline solution like piss, would still save your life. I would have no hesitation to piss in your mouth to save you if I had nothing else. ;)
Stating facts such as water is better to drink that sodas for the average person, is not paranoia. Check your search for that one. I actually do not drink Gatorade or Powerade.
Also, you should know that Coke did not make Gatorade. It was developed by a professor at the university of Florida for the athletes there to give them carbohydrates for energy and replace lost electrolytes during competition in the hot Florida weather as they sweat and become dehydrated. Under those conditions, the body will actually use the dehydrating properties of SALT to pull water to the surface of your skin for evaporation to cool the blood that goes to your brain. Many athletes have died on the filed and in practices because they were dehydrated and/or overheating due to inadequate cooling for their body heat production that basically cooks their brain. That is why sweat tastes salty. So not only are dehydrating when you sweat, you are also losing essential salts that run your nervous system. Should you be come too depleted of sodium and/or potassium, your nerves will become dysfunctional and you could die. Powerade was developed for those that are simply sweating and do not need any carbohydrates like athletes in a competition.
In the future, please refrain from insults on this site and speak with a little more decorum. Additionally, if you want a specific answer to a specific situation of what I would do to either help, console, injure, cure or kill someone, please ask me that question, instead of suggesting my answer to one question applies to every situation you can imagine. I consider that pretty rude to be insulting and assuming, but maybe you were raised differently.
So folks, before you take advice from me and definitely before you take advice from ktfr, please consult your local cellular biologist or internist for confirmation of everything I have said.
A coffee IV sounds awesome. Where can i get one?
We could use them at work sometimes...
i've been doing this and excerising over my limit,
but i check in witht he doctor about the cold water,
and stuff, she says im not at risk for diabetes, but im
being unhealty by just eating a couple tictacs as food
and just drinking water and doing to much of exsecise,
but yeah, while im sitting down, or hanging out, water
is actually pretty good for when your not excersiing.
(sorry for the mispelling, hehe.)
i've been doing this and excerising over my limit,
but i check in witht he doctor about the cold water,
and stuff, she says im not at risk for diabetes, but im
being unhealty by just eating a couple tictacs as food
and just drinking water and doing to much of exsecise,
but yeah, while im sitting down, or hanging out, water
is actually pretty good for when your not excersiing.
(sorry for the mispelling, hehe.)
Boy, you think you're asking a simple question and the damndest theories crop up!
Boy, you think you're asking a simple question and the damndest theories crop up!
Let me clarify about glucose in the IV. In general, tukong, you're right-if we had a diabetic in just with dehydration we generally wouldn't use a glucose IV. Having said that, if he were a diabetic admitted with hyperglycemia (too high of a blood sugar) and ketoacidosis, then at some point we would start an IV of glucose. We would usually run a combination of insulin and glucose. I recognize this sounds counterintuitive, but the reason is to avoid electrolyte imbalances (very high blood glucose increases your potassium levels; insulin decreases them, but decreasing blood glucose too fast can cause problems with an abnormal potassium level) and also to avoid decreasing the blood sugar too fast. If you have somebody who has a BGL of 32 (normal is 5-7) and you drop him to 15 in an hour, he's going to experience hypoglycemic symptoms, even though he technically still has a high blood sugar. So you have to be very careful about lowering blood glucose to an acceptable level slowly and gradually. Usually, you're doing frequent (every couple of hours, in some cases, or even more frequent) blood glucose checks and adjusting the rates of his drips accordingly. We can also use the IV insulin/glucose combination in somebody with a very high potassium level if he/she has a normal blood glucose.
In general, I agree with you about the coffee and tea too. The point I'm trying to make though, is that if you're not thirsty or showing other signs of dehydration (e.g. poor skin elasticity, decreased urine output) you probably are doing okay for hydration. Some of the water we take in is absorbed in the food we eat, as well. Usually, if you know how much water you need total, you can calculate how much there is in your food, and you can figure out from that how much free water you need. Of course, this will be different depending on activity level and other problems (e.g. illness-fever increases your metabolic rate, meaning that you need more fluids).
I think this thread has devolved into something that is not relevant. Cold water does burn calories more than non-cold water.
Fat burning is the quest here I believe and not information on what is given to sick people in a hospital bed. To that end I give you the 8 Keys to Optimum FAST Fat Burning.
1) Hydration - Most people believe they are hydrated and drink enough pure water, but few are actually fully hydrated. Just because you are peeing 5 times a day does not mean your cells have enough water to function optimally for FAT usage as fuel.
2) Eating fewer calories than you burn without your body going into a starvation mode and shutting down your metabolism. Starvation mode with reduced metabolism usually happens if you are eating fewer than 700 - 1000 calories (Depends on your Lean Muscle Mass). But you can actually burn 3500 calories day above your calorie intake and not lower your metabolism if you have the right training and technique. Boxers, wrestlers and body builders can lose 1 lb of fat a day, but it is not easy and you need a very watchful coach/nutritionist to monitor you to accomplish this safely. Some who thought they could do it, did it wrong and died.
3) Muscular exercise that makes your metabolism increase like weight training and cardio.
4) Cardio exercise 30 minutes AFTER you eat 80% - 90% of the amount of calories you will burn during the cardio program and super hydrate your body.
Simple sugars from breads or desserts like cookies and even ice cream are okay for this. All foods are broken down to glucose any way for your muscles, but simple sugars breakdown faster. Consuming 300-500 calories from cookies, 15-30 minutes before cardio is okay and you will not gain weight if you burn all that muscle fuel during cardio class.
Good carbs like beans, potatoes, pasta, etc... take too long to digest to get converted by your liver for fuel in 15 minutes. Simple sugars convert quickly enough, but try to avoid high sugar content like icing, candy, etc... Carrot cake slices are good. :)
5) Eating the correct amount of complete protein for the muscular and bodily tissues (Blood, Hormones, Neurotransmitters, enzymes, etc...) you must repair or build. Egg whites are considered the best source of protein above chicken, fish, protein drinks, red meat, nuts, etc... The Yokes add more calories, but they are filled with everything else needed by a fast metabolic growth into a healthy young chick. :)
If you can take a good, EFA supplement to get omega fats, then good. Otherwise, Salmon and other fish are really good besides flax seed oil.
You need approximately 1 - 1.5 grams per pound Lean Body Mass, depending on the amount and intensity that you exercise as well as stress on your other systems from disease fighting, menstrual periods, injuries, etc...
Hydration and Protein consumption just before and after sleeping.
6) Making sure to spread your total calorie consumption across 6 - 7 meals with the largest consumption of carbohydrates before the most active physical requirements. Usually eating every 3 hours is a good measure of when to eat. Try to make sure your total calories with protein, carbs, and FAT (yes it is necessary to have fat in your diet to lose the most body fat fastest) is not below 1200 - 1500 calories. Below that level, your body will generally push the "starvation" mechanism and shut down your metabolism to save energy.
7) Getting proper vitamin and mineral (and trace minerals) supplements that allow your body to utilize FAT for energy. Taking tablet or capsule form is worst, chelated versions (http://www.vaxa.com/library/miner.cfm) are good and colloidal is best form for absorption and utilization.
8) Get enough sleep for recovery and total body rest.
Using those guide lines with proper instruction on exercise can give people a program that can burn 2 - 3 lbs or white adipose tissue (3500 calories = 1 pound of FAT) a week while retaining and increasing their skeletal muscle tissue that increases metabolism.
It is important to remember that during cardio exercise the body does NOT burn body FAT. That occurs only AFTER the heart goes below cardio levels. If you do not eat 30 minutes before doing Cardio, you are most probably destroying your skeletal muscle for energy and water required by your body. It is NEVER good to lose any weight from Cardio exercise. That means you are either dehydrated or lost muscle mass or both. it is EXTREMELY important that you eat enough calories BEFORE your do cardio to avoid losing muscle.
Like wise, super hydrate before during and after cardio. Better to have extra water in your bladder than having your body breaking down muscle tissue (70% water) to get water to cool your blood through sweating that is heating your brain above 98.6.
If you can GAIN weight from water intake before and during cardio, that is very good.
The best form of exercise that burns the highest percentage FAT is anything that keeps your heart rate just below cardio levels. Walking fast, cycling, ballroom dancing, fly swatting at picnics.... etc...
I have seen some people lose up to 1 pound a day without losing muscle tissue, but they had 8 meals each day and did low intensity exercise for 4 hours each day besides weight lifting daily and cardio 3 times a week. At the end of 3 weeks, they had lost 21 lbs. of fat and added almost one pound of muscle. Those measurements have error factors of course but they were very close. Those guys on BIGGEST LOSER are losing A LOT of muscle when they lose 5 - 15 lbs in a week. They are doing tons of cardio and burning up their muscle fast for energy and water. Not really good, but muscle is a very high maintenance tissue for your body that is would prefer not to have.
Try to avoid losing more than 1% - 2% of your total body weight a week. Go for the long haul and don't think short-term. Adjust your life style to keep the FAT dropping off and staying off.
Does anyone else get heartburn from drinking water or iced tea?
By the way, the better way to lose small calories is by melting ice in your mouth. The latent heat of fusion is something like 540 cal / gram if I remember the number correctly (note there are no degrees in this equation and this takes place only at 32 degF or 0 degC). Drinking 100 grams of cold water at 10 deg C will cause you to lose 1 cal / deg / gram or 37(body temp) - 10 = 27 deg C. The result would be 2700 cal. Melting 100 grams ice to water will cause you to lose 540 x 100 = 54,000 calories.