Water Retention

AmandaEdwards1

I know questions about "water weight" have come and gone but...

I am having testing done at the moment to determine if pre-eclampsia during my pregnancy has caused me to go into congestive heart failure. In the meantime, I am trying to lose weight to lower my blood pressure and for vanity purposes. I am currently 5'7". 196 lbs. 31 years old.

I never had water retention issues until my pregnancy but have had it since. Some days it gets so bad that I can feel the water on the pads of my feet as I walk around. My ankles swell up like crazy.

My question is... how do I measure my weight loss when my body holds on to water so easily? It can be discouraging when I've been dieting for a period of a time and know that I haven't gained any weight but when I hit the scale I've gained 3 lbs. but I can tell that it's water because I am swollen. I am trying to base weight loss on my overall trend rather than the exact number. It's just hard because I want to see the exact number. I counted calories a few years ago and went from 220 to 150. It was awesome because I could actually SEE the math in it and I knew that because I had burned X amount of calories I would lose X amount of weight. I just don't think I can see it anymore which has caused me to give up over and over again in recent years because I feel that it is useless. (even though I know it isn't for my overall health)

Any one else have these issues?

Ironandwine69

I had preeclampsia during pregnancy. Gained 82 lbs and my feet grew two sizes.
I still have a lot of issues with water retention. But it is what it is. Drink a ton of water, sweat, dandelion tea is great.

VintageFeline

My weight takes forever to trend at a new low, it is what it is. You're just going to have to have a word with your emotionally tied to the scale self (and I mean that in a nice way). For those of us who have larger fluctuations than others you just have to let go of anything vaguely resembling linear on the scales.

smileyducky

I retain water and bloat easily, and drinking 3L a day helps keep the water weight down. There's free apps available that help track your overall weight trend through the up and down fluctuations, Happy Scale for Apple and Libra for Android

carterbrent

I find that taking your measurements is a better indicator of progress

Seffell

VintageFeline wrote: »

My weight takes forever to trend at a new low, it is what it is. You're just going to have to have a word with your emotionally tied to the scale self (and I mean that in a nice way). For those of us who have larger fluctuations than others you just have to let go of anything vaguely resembling linear on the scales.

This is exactly what happens to me too. It is increadably frustrating to eat at a deficit and not hit a new low for weeks.
But the new low will come and we just need to trust the system and be patient.
I really have no good news for you. Just need to learn to be patient.
I've lost 30lbs and so will you!

tinkerbellang83

Take measurements or progress pictures, use a weight trend app like Libra or Happy Scale.

vismal

Ironandwine69 wrote: »

I had preeclampsia during pregnancy. Gained 82 lbs and my feet grew two sizes.
I still have a lot of issues with water retention. But it is what it is. Drink a ton of water, sweat, dandelion tea is great.

This is not good advice if the OP actually has congestive heart failure. CHF and water retention as it's talked about typically on this forum are fundamentally different. While in typical water retention drinking lots of water is a good strategy, in someone with CHF, over-consumption of fluid can cause a medical emergency. I would speak to your physician about exactly how much fluid you should take in each day.

To answer you original question, you must rely on your weights trendline to assess progress. Everyone's day to day weights fluctuate and your are going to fluctuate more. For this I'd strongly advise that you weigh in daily and log the results at trendweight.com. After a few week's you'll get a nice trendline and an estimate of how much weight you are actually losing per day despite all the fluctuations. I know it's frustrating to step on the scale and be 3 lbs heavier than the day before but that's just how it goes. You just have to trust in the trend and know that it is FAR more important than the day to day weigh ins.

AmandaEdwards1

Thanks, guys! Yes, it can be discouraging but I am determined to get back to where I want to be Thanks!!!