WATER BEFORE MEALS... YES OR NO?

I was talking with a client this morning and we were discussing drinking water before meals.  She mentioned that she should probably drink some water before she eats to limit the amount she eats.  We always hear that don't we?... "Drink a big glass of water before a meal to help reduce the amount you eat".. right?  Well sometimes this is right...sometimes this is wrong.Let me explain..First of all, there is a BIG difference between being mentally hungry and physically hungry.  We get mentally hungry at times where we are bored, or maybe its a typical 'meal time' and we assume we should eat, but we are not necessarily physically in need of food.  Being physically hungry is when your body is deficient of energy, typically low in blood sugar and it needs you to resupply it with more calories.If you are MENTALLY HUNGRY I would absolutely recommend to have a big glass of cold water before your meal.  When the lining of your stomach stretches out to accommodate for the water intake, it send messages to your brain telling you that you are full.  Great!  You weren't in need of calories anyways....so this is perfect!   (Your body uses some calories to warm up the water in your body too!)However, if you are PHYSICALLY HUNGRY I would absolutely NOT recommend to have any water before your meal.  What this actually does is lowers your blood sugar even further than it already was.  What happens next is the worst.  When we have low blood sugar our body tends to crave carbs and sugar.  This results in a higher amount of calories taken in!  With those extra calories taken in, we end up storing more calories.  This is because an excess was taken in, and low blood sugar can account for higher fat storage.  NOT GOOD!!So before you go chugging a glass of cold water before your meal....ask yourself.  Am I PHYSICALLY hungry?  Or MENTALLY hungry?To find out how much water you should be drinking... read my post Are You Drinking Enough Water?I hope this information is useful!XO, Brittany