Water Weight?

light_bloom

Hey guys. Yesterday was bad. I ate 260g of carbs and a boatload of sodium, and this morning I was up 3lbs, despite consuming 1,986kcals (my TDEE is about 1650kcals, so I did go over).

I guess what I'm asking is, how much of those 3lbs is water weight? Can I expect it to stick around for a long time? How can I get rid of it? Also, can I burn through glycogen stores even if I don't exercise today? I won't be able to get to the gym until tomorrow and this is really bugging me.

VintageFeline

Probably all of them at the moment, the body doesn't suddenly start storing fat from a small amount of excess in one day, it's over time. Just get back to normal and it will come off again. You can't force it out by exercising either, don't forget the body retains water for muscle repair post exercise too.

If these fluctuations are going to bother you so much don't step on the scale for a few days after such events. And drink plenty of water to help the body release the excess.

cwolfman13

light_bloom wrote: »

Hey guys. Yesterday was bad. I ate 260g of carbs and a boatload of sodium, and this morning I was up 3lbs, despite consuming 1,986kcals (my TDEE is about 1650kcals, so I did go over).

I guess what I'm asking is, how much of those 3lbs is water weight? Can I expect it to stick around for a long time? How can I get rid of it? Also, can I burn through glycogen stores even if I don't exercise today? I won't be able to get to the gym until tomorrow and this is really bugging me.

It's all a combination of water weight and more waste than usual...you don't put on fat overnight, even if you go over...that's not how your body works. losing fat or putting on fat requires consistently under or over feeding to override your body's ability to maintain homeostasis...it doesn't happen overnight.

Why are you concerned with burning off glycogen stores...seems to me that you're fussing about things that don't matter...

janejellyroll

There's really no way of knowing. Some of it is water, some of it is just the food you ate working its way through your body. It can last 1-6 days if the experiences of myself and others are any indication. Time will get rid of it.

If daily weight fluctuations are going to bug you a lot, consider not weighing yourself after you eat a lot of carbohydrates and/or sodium. This is just the way that bodies are.

spiriteagle99

If your weight is up 3 pounds since yesterday, then of course it's water weight. You didn't eat 10,500 calories over your TDEE. The weight should come off pretty quickly, depending on what you eat and drink today. More protein, less carbs (especially sugar) and sodium would help. Don't stress about it though.

Spliner1969

light_bloom wrote: »

Hey guys. Yesterday was bad. I ate 260g of carbs and a boatload of sodium, and this morning I was up 3lbs, despite consuming 1,986kcals (my TDEE is about 1650kcals, so I did go over).

I guess what I'm asking is, how much of those 3lbs is water weight? Can I expect it to stick around for a long time? How can I get rid of it? Also, can I burn through glycogen stores even if I don't exercise today? I won't be able to get to the gym until tomorrow and this is really bugging me.

Yup, all of it is likely water weight or water weight and waste. Another day and it may even be a higher gain because of added water retention. Usually takes 3 days for me to start to undo water weight gain from high sodium meals unless I drank a boat load of water those days as well. It takes a good week of screw ups to gain a pound or more of fat, one day simply isn't enough. Eat over 500 cals a day above your maintenance level for 7 days in a row and yea, you could gain a pound of fat. But your deficit is already below maintenance, so you'd have to eat 500 a day plus whatever deficit you already had set, for an entire week to gain real pound of fat.

light_bloom

cwolfman13 wrote: »

Why are you concerned with burning off glycogen stores...seems to me that you're fussing about things that don't matter...

I heard a number somewhere that every gram of glycogen requires three grams of water, so my logic is that less glycogen = less water. Which would be great, because I feel a bit like a balloon today.

CattOfTheGarage

Did you eat 10,500 calories over maintenance? Then you didn't gain 3lb of fat.

Stop trying to find ways to shed water weight. Leave the water alone. It will come and go, it doesn't matter. We're here to lose fat, not water. And leave the glycogen alone, too. It's there for a reason. What harm did it ever do to you? Water doesn't make you overweight, glycogen doesn't make you overweight. Fat is what makes you overweight.

If you're feeling bloated, best idea is to drink plenty, if it's down to salt then your body will need some extra water to get rid of that.