An illustration to help understand water weight

CattOfTheGarage
CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,745 Member
edited November 23 in Health and Weight Loss
I know a lot of people struggle with the idea of water weight, and remain convinced that if the scale goes up, they've gained actual fat, and if the scale goes down, they've lost fat, when it just isn't that simple.

In the hope it might help, I've used my mad Powerpoint skillz to create these diagrams, which give a (horribly oversimplified) illustration of what's actually going on. As the slides say, you don't actually have a water tank in your body - the water is distributed through all your tissues - but it makes it easier to visualise.

x3wnnw0huftf.jpg

And I made up this salutary tale of what happens when someone starts losing weight for the first time, and is taken by surprise by the naughty water weight and its mischievous tricks:

ggowwivzhsbu.jpg

I hope this helps! Next time the scale does something weird and frightening, remember - it's probably just your water tank filling up.
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Replies

  • MarziPanda95
    MarziPanda95 Posts: 1,326 Member
    As you said, very simple, but it works! It might be helpful if this were stickied. Some people just don't get it even when you explain it because they learn better with visuals than words.
  • Karen_can_do_this
    Karen_can_do_this Posts: 1,150 Member
    Omfg thank you so much!!!!
  • amyr271
    amyr271 Posts: 343 Member
    This has explained everything that I don't understand.
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    Good work, OP! Super helpful.
  • TheopolisAmbroiseIII
    TheopolisAmbroiseIII Posts: 197 Member
    This explains why I couldn't find the water tank during the surgery I performed last week.
  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,745 Member
    I can't concentrate on what you're saying, because your avatar is a guinea pig, and guinea pigs are all that matters in the world.
  • zoeysasha37
    zoeysasha37 Posts: 7,088 Member
    I love the bottom where it says not for surgery, humans don't have water tanks. That made me smile
  • sheermomentum
    sheermomentum Posts: 827 Member
    skilz. u haz them.
  • kathrynjean_
    kathrynjean_ Posts: 428 Member
    Love this!
  • janentmurray
    janentmurray Posts: 6 Member
    Thankyou for this, my weight is fluctuating yet my body shape has changed, I'll definitely increase my water now
  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,745 Member
    janentmurray wrote: »
    Thankyou for this, my weight is fluctuating yet my body shape has changed, I'll definitely increase my water now

    Increasing water won't stop it fluctuating, I'm afraid! It's just a fact of life. But hopefully this will stop you worrying about it.

  • ditzylittlepixie
    ditzylittlepixie Posts: 6 Member
    So good! I put on 3lbs this week after an awful cold and then suddenly being able to eat again...but I've lost an inch off my waist in the last fee weeks...this is such a good tool to get back perspective and remind myself no real results are instant :)
  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,745 Member
    Really glad people found this helpful
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,149 Member
    Nice disclaimer.
    ts7cuoe6bx39.gif
  • YamiElisa
    YamiElisa Posts: 25 Member
    Very helpful! Good job, I like it, thank you!
  • CattOfTheGarage
    CattOfTheGarage Posts: 2,745 Member
    Gotta keep the old backside covered, eh?

    Like the free coasters I got from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch, decorated with images of marine charts, and at the bottom, in moderately large letters, "Not to be used for navigation."

    On a coaster.
  • Nanogg55
    Nanogg55 Posts: 275 Member
    CattOfTheGarage wrote: »
    Gotta keep the old backside covered, eh?

    Like the free coasters I got from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch, decorated with images of marine charts, and at the bottom, in moderately large letters, "Not to be used for navigation."

    On a coaster.
    Jeez. Liability has become crazy. My fav is the warning I saw on one of those cardboard sunscreens you can put up in your car's windshield to keep the temp down when it's parked. It said: Not to be used while operating car.
  • gemdiver00
    gemdiver00 Posts: 77 Member
    Ok Mr now we need a graphic for people who eat 500 calories a day and exercise 12 hours a day, 8 days a week and they still can't lose the pounds!
  • jtate0212
    jtate0212 Posts: 53 Member
    +2727372718 for mad power point skillz
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
    gemdiver00 wrote: »
    Ok Mr now we need a graphic for people who eat 500 calories a day and exercise 12 hours a day, 8 days a week and they still can't lose the pounds!

    Why should we make a graphic for something that doesn't exist?
  • OsricTheKnight
    OsricTheKnight Posts: 340 Member
    stevencloser wrote: »
    gemdiver00 wrote: »
    Ok Mr now we need a graphic for people who eat 500 calories a day and exercise 12 hours a day, 8 days a week and they still can't lose the pounds!

    Why should we make a graphic for something that doesn't exist?

    There is one already, it's the video that's posted on dozens of threads.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY

    And also this

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA9AdlhB18o

    Osric

  • Ponkeen
    Ponkeen Posts: 147 Member
    Bump.
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
    Bumpity bump. This needs more visibility.
  • BurnWithBarn2015
    BurnWithBarn2015 Posts: 1,026 Member
    gemdiver00 wrote: »
    Ok Mr now we need a graphic for people who eat 500 calories a day and exercise 12 hours a day, 8 days a week and they still can't lose the pounds!

    Couple of groups for those kinda people

    1. People who think they only eat 500 calories and not weigh their food.
    2. And some of them are also the kind of people who come here and tell they only eat 500 calories while they eat and not log.
    3. Than you have also the group that trolls around and post those kind of threads.





  • myheartsabattleground
    myheartsabattleground Posts: 2,040 Member
    bump that ishhh.
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    I like it, nice and simple. However, I am a little disappointed that I can't use it to teach anatomy. Can someone provide a more accurate map of where the water tank is located?
    OsricTheKnight wrote: »
    stevencloser wrote: »
    gemdiver00 wrote: »
    Ok Mr now we need a graphic for people who eat 500 calories a day and exercise 12 hours a day, 8 days a week and they still can't lose the pounds!

    Why should we make a graphic for something that doesn't exist?


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA9AdlhB18o

    Osric

    I want some of this doubly labelled water. Just for a few days. It would help take some of the guesswork out.
  • OsricTheKnight
    OsricTheKnight Posts: 340 Member
    nutmegoreo wrote: »
    I want some of this doubly labelled water. Just for a few days. It would help take some of the guesswork out.

    This UK based business will send you the water and do the labwork for you. I am not sure it'd be worth the cost, but there is a way to get a quote from them on the page I have linked.

    For myself, I rely on trendweight.com's analysis. I think it's plenty accurate once you have a straight trendline. For me it currently says:

    You are losing 2.0 lbs/week of total weight.
    You are burning 977 cal/day more than you eat.

    My trendline currently looks like this:

    4w.png

    My last 14 days of deficit, according to my logging vs my bodymedia tracking, average 1285. Do I think I could be failing to log 300 kcals/day? Absolutely. I guesstimate a lot, and I believe the 977 deficit based on my chart is much more accurate than the 1285 deficit based on my logging. But the two are close enough given all the possible sources of error.

    Osric


  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    I've read on here from several users who like trendweight. I will look at it. I miss my BodyMedia. The band broke after they stopped making them. I haven't been able to replace it. Currently looking at some options for my recent recommitment to the process. Thank-you! :smile:
  • Karen_can_do_this
    Karen_can_do_this Posts: 1,150 Member
    OsricTheKnight wrote: »
    stevencloser wrote: »
    gemdiver00 wrote: »
    Ok Mr now we need a graphic for people who eat 500 calories a day and exercise 12 hours a day, 8 days a week and they still can't lose the pounds!

    Why should we make a graphic for something that doesn't exist?

    There is one already, it's the video that's posted on dozens of threads.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY

    And also this

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA9AdlhB18o

    Osric

    Wowee why haven't I seen these before?
  • icemaiden37
    icemaiden37 Posts: 238 Member
    OsricTheKnight wrote: »
    stevencloser wrote: »
    gemdiver00 wrote: »
    Ok Mr now we need a graphic for people who eat 500 calories a day and exercise 12 hours a day, 8 days a week and they still can't lose the pounds!

    Why should we make a graphic for something that doesn't exist?

    There is one already, it's the video that's posted on dozens of threads.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY

    And also this

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA9AdlhB18o

    Osric

    Those videos are awesome!
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