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Dehydration can actually cause your body to retain water, which can make you look bloated. And since thirst can often be confused for hunger, drinking glasses of water throughout the day or before a meal can help you avoid overeating or mindless snacking.

The general guideline you may have heard is eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine recommends the following:

About 15.5 cups of fluids for men
About 11.5 cups of fluids a day for women

Understanding how weight loss works is the first step in shedding those unwanted pounds. While everyone wants to know how to lose weight quickly, there's really no magic pill or shortcut out there. You have to put in the work, and a big part of that is monitoring calories.

Burning more calories than you take in creates a deficit, which is required for weight loss. The size of the deficit will dictate how much and how fast you lose, but doctors and health organizations recommend that weight loss be gradual and steady — no more than 1 to 2 pounds per week.

To achieve that, the Mayo Clinic recommends cutting approximately 500 to 1,000 calories from your daily diet.

Nutrients
Sunflower seeds are rich in protein, potassium and calcium. One cup of the seeds contains 24 g of protein, 89 mg of calcium and 1088 mg of potassium, according to Calorie King. A cup of sunflower seeds also provides you with 22 percent of your daily sodium needs, or 525 mg.

Health Benefits
Sunflower seeds are a high-fiber food, according to MayoClinic.com, and can help regulate your digestive system. One cup of the seeds contains approximately 11.5 g of fiber, as listed in Calorie King.

Summertime is the season for fresh fruits, and blueberries are among the best when it comes to serving up scrumptious flavor and good-for-you nutrients.

Loaded with vitamins A, C, potassium and folate, one cup of blueberries offers up nearly 4 grams of gut-supporting fiber (that's 14 percent of your daily value) for just 84 calories, per the USDA.

"Blueberries have a water content greater than 80 percent, which can help you maintain your hydration levels," says May Zhu, RDN, LDN, founder of Nutrition Happens. This is especially important on hot summer days when you sweat a lot and your body needs extra fluids.

In a world of widespread misinformation, we believe in the power of trustworthy expertise. Our articles are reviewed by doctors, nurses, registered dietitians, certified personal trainers and other qualified experts.