9 pounds of water weight in a day

JordanS9592

So a week ago, I weighed 337. Saturday, I weighed in at 332. Yesterday was my day off after 6 days of hard exercise. Last night I weighed in at 341! Now, I understand that night time makes you gain a couple, and I drank 2 gallons of water and ate all my calories. However, I drink and eat that much every day. I track my food scrupulously and stay under my original calories for the day, even though I lose 1000-2000 calories per day with exercise. Was I misled by my Saturday weigh in, and am I doing something wrong?

Sabine_Stroehm

So probably neither the 332 weight nor the 341 weight is your "real" weight. Especially a night time weight after drinking two gallons of water and eating. You're probably somewhere south of 337. Keep eating at a deficit, but not too great of one. If you're burning 1k-2k calories a day with exercise, how many are you eating?

JordanS9592

I eat 3000 calories per day so I can get enough protein to maintain muscle. I eat clean though, typically something like eggs, Cheerios, almond milk, cherries, oranges, blueberries, tuna, almonds, protein powder, pure protein bar, ground beef, pasta, etc.

OGingerBeardMan

Stop weighing so much! Weight fluctuates a good bit from day to day. I'd focus on only weighing in once a week, without clothes, first thing in the morning, and on the same day. Put the scale somewhere you can't step on it every day if you have to.

missysippy930

^^this, and why so much water and exercise? How sure are you about calories burned?

JordanS9592

missysippy930 wrote: »

^^this, and why so much water and exercise? How sure are you about calories burned?

So much water because I’m 6 3 and over 300 pounds, so much exercise because I want to lose weight and I enjoy it. To give an example, last Friday I swam 60 laps in 75 minutes, lifted weights for 30, and ran a mile in 11 minutes.

tlpina82

Jordan. Good Afternoon.
First and perhaps the most important thing that NO ONE tells you. Everyone sells you a fix, but no one tells you like it is.

Losing weight is simple, hard work, but it is simple.

By your description, I am assuming that your goal is to lose the extra weight and for that, you will have to tackle your body as separate things. Fat loss and Muscle maintenance have very different needs.
A few things you need to know:

1 - There's no losing weight and maintaining muscle.
NEVER.
Now, given your, most likely, sedentary life, you will see some strength growth and you can minimize the muscle loss with proper nutrition, but ultimately, if you're under your "maintenance", there's no way to maintain.
That doesn't mean you'll get weaker, as your muscle fibers will adapt, BUT, there's just not enough to sustain the muscle.

2 - As hard as it is to lose weight, gaining muscle is pleasurable.
That's because you will do the reverse.
You will work your butt off at the gym, lifting heavy, and you will eat your maintenance + more.

3 - Resistance training is a must. Not because you're going to maintain or build muscle.
Resistance training will alter the way you deal with Nutrients, specifically Sugar.

So, in my honest opinion, you should focus on losing the weight, as quickly as possible.
Lose a bunch of weight first, then, when you're at a healthy point, build it all to the point that muscles support lose skin, if any.

wilson10102018

^^^ This.

Lose the weight to improve overall body health at a reasonable rate with good nutrition. When you get to a non-obese number, or close enough, add exercise to build muscle for tone and fitness health. You can't do both at one time. Your body will take the extra calories and retain the fat and you just be tired and hungry all the time.

dewd2

wilson10102018 wrote: »

^^^ This.

Lose the weight to improve overall body health at a reasonable rate with good nutrition. When you get to a non-obese number, or close enough, add exercise to build muscle for tone and fitness health. You can't do both at one time. Your body will take the extra calories and retain the fat and you just be tired and hungry all the time.

*kitten*

Talk to the folks here who were successful long term. Ignore the bro-science.

sytchequeen

JordanS9592 wrote: »

Yesterday was my day off after 6 days of hard exercise.

Ok. After 6 days hard exercise your muscles will be repairing any micro-tears and this involves fluid retention as part of the repair process. It will come off.

LyndaBSS

Was it 100 degrees with high humidity in your neighborhood these past few days like it was mine? I always retain water in the heat and humidity.

And do yourself a HUGE favor. Don't weigh at night unless you don't really care what the scale says.

Rule of thumb: if a night time weight leads you to start a thread about it, don't do it. 😉

puffbrat

Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »

So probably neither the 332 weight nor the 341 weight is your "real" weight. Especially a night time weight after drinking two gallons of water and eating. You're probably somewhere south of 337. Keep eating at a deficit, but not too great of one. If you're burning 1k-2k calories a day with exercise, how many are you eating?

This.

If you are going to weigh everyday, do it first thing in the morning after using the bathroom and either naked or wearing the same clothes every time. You will still see scale fluctuations for a variety of reasons, but this method will eliminate some of the variables.

Please be careful that you are drinking to stay hydrated and not over-hydrating because you heard it is healthy or helpful for weight loss. Yes, over hydration is a real thing. As an example, my aunt was in the ER on Friday for overhydration. It was severe enough that doctors wanted to admit her to the hospital. She was just drinking a lot of water throughout the day because she constantly hears it is good for you and good for weight loss.

JordanS9592 wrote: »

I eat clean though, typically something like eggs, Cheerios, almond milk, cherries, oranges, blueberries, tuna, almonds, protein powder, pure protein bar, ground beef, pasta, etc.

This is irrelevant to the number on the scale. What matters is your net calories. What you eat can affect your overall health, how you feel, water retention from sodium, etc.

cmriverside

First, don't listen to wilson or tlpina82. Good job on your workouts and keep it going!

Then, I agree that one time per week is enough for weighing and that exercise and heat are both reasons why you would be retaining a lot of water. Nine pounds is well within water fluctuations for a 6'3" 300+ pound man.

Just keep your food in line, keep exercising and don't stress the fluctuations right now. It's a long game.

http://physiqonomics.com/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-weight-and-fluctuations/

JordanS9592

Thanks for all the advice and support. Much appreciated.

souschefsam

Maybe it's time for a new scale?.... #precision #accuracy

WickedPineapple

One gallon of water weighs a little over 8 lbs. This is why weighing in after drinking/eating is misleading, and why people suggest doing weigh-ins first thing in the morning (fasted).

MikePTY

Weighing in at the same time every day is a must. In the morning after the bathroom, before you eat, is usually the most recommended time because it is the most stable as it is not as affected by food and water intake. 2 gallons of water weights 16 pounds. Plus your food intake. So weighing at different times can show a wide range of scale fluctuations. I am not surprised at all by 9 pounds.

Even if you are weighing at the same time in the morning daily, scale fluctuations are still to be expected, so I wouldn't be surprised if it changes a few pounds daily given the large water intake you have. The important thing to do is track the overall trend downwards, not the daily fluctuations.

wilson10102018

cmriverside wrote: »

First, don't listen to wilson or tlpina82. Good job on your workouts and keep it going!

Then, I agree that one time per week is enough for weighing and that exercise and heat are both reasons why you would be retaining a lot of water. Nine pounds is well within water fluctuations for a 6'3" 300+ pound man.

Just keep your food in line, keep exercising and don't stress the fluctuations right now. It's a long game.

http://physiqonomics.com/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-weight-and-fluctuations/

Unlike others, I got my "science" from a nutritionist at the Cleveland Clinic. And, I have lost 39 lb in 300 days.

sammidelvecchio

It has really helped me to weigh in everyday. It can be really hard for some people, and at first its really confusing. But it might be worth a shot for you. I have been weighing in nearly every day for almost 5 months and it has really helped me understand fluctuations and how MY body loses weight. For example, I usually lose majority of my monthly weight in week 3 of each month. I have gotten to see how my weight reacts to different weather (humidity, etc) and how it reacts to different types of food and eating schedules like a normal routine, versus vacation eating, versus holding water weight from really salty foods.

It's not for everyone, but I highly suggest trying it. Some people use a trending app, I think one is called Happy Scale (?) but I just use MFP and my calendar on my fridge to track it.

apullum

JordanS9592 wrote: »

missysippy930 wrote: »

^^this, and why so much water and exercise? How sure are you about calories burned?

So much water because I’m 6 3 and over 300 pounds, so much exercise because I want to lose weight and I enjoy it. To give an example, last Friday I swam 60 laps in 75 minutes, lifted weights for 30, and ran a mile in 11 minutes.

I'm still not clear on why you drink 2 gallons of water every day. Are you sweating a lot due to your workout and/or the weather? If you're sweating so much that you need 2 gallons of water every single day, then you probably need to be thinking about replacing electrolytes rather than drinking plain water.

If you're not sweating a lot and you're just going by things you've read or heard about water intake, try going by the color of your urine instead. If it's pale yellow, you're properly hydrated. If it's dark other than first thing in the morning, drink more water.

If you're not sweating a lot and you're so thirsty that you must drink 2 gallons of water a day, then you should check with your doctor, since excessive thirst can be a symptom of diabetes.

TrishSeren

2 gallons of water? That's INSANE.

AnnPT77

wilson10102018 wrote: »

cmriverside wrote: »

First, don't listen to wilson or tlpina82. Good job on your workouts and keep it going!

Then, I agree that one time per week is enough for weighing and that exercise and heat are both reasons why you would be retaining a lot of water. Nine pounds is well within water fluctuations for a 6'3" 300+ pound man.

Just keep your food in line, keep exercising and don't stress the fluctuations right now. It's a long game.

http://physiqonomics.com/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-weight-and-fluctuations/

Unlike others, I got my "science" from a nutritionist at the Cleveland Clinic. And, I have lost 39 lb in 300 days.

There isn't any reason to put off reasonable exercise until after one has lost weight. Being obese and active has better health outcomes than being obese and inactive.

And if weight loss is the measure of insight (it isn't ), I'll just point out that I lost 50 pounds in 193 days.

I support your point about losing at a reasonable (moderate) rate, with good nutrition: Good advice. Exercise in addition is fine (ideal, really), if also phased in at a reasonable, moderate rate, and adequately fueled.

JordanS9592

Maybe it’s a lot for you, but I’m 340 pounds and I sweat about a gallon of water with every workout.

NovusDies

wilson10102018 wrote: »

cmriverside wrote: »

First, don't listen to wilson or tlpina82. Good job on your workouts and keep it going!

Then, I agree that one time per week is enough for weighing and that exercise and heat are both reasons why you would be retaining a lot of water. Nine pounds is well within water fluctuations for a 6'3" 300+ pound man.

Just keep your food in line, keep exercising and don't stress the fluctuations right now. It's a long game.

http://physiqonomics.com/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-weight-and-fluctuations/

Unlike others, I got my "science" from a nutritionist at the Cleveland Clinic. And, I have lost 39 lb in 300 days.

Nutritionists can be wrong. Yours is very wrong or you misunderstood.

Good job on the 39 pounds.

TrishSeren

JordanS9592 wrote: »

Maybe it’s a lot for you, but I’m 340 pounds and I sweat about a gallon of water with every workout.

How do you know you sweat a gallon?

JordanS9592

I don’t see how the exact measurement is relevant. I sweat an abnormal amount of water during a workout, which I’ve weighed to be about 3-5 pounds, oftentimes equaling close to a gallon. Drinking 2 gallons of water has not had an adverse effect on my abnormally large body thus far. However, if someone has research to show that it would be harmful on someone my size and height, I’m open to adjusting that.

PAV8888

First of all congratulations to everyone who is losing or is well on their way to losing excess weight. Especially to the many voices who are advocating reasonable loss rates!

There is no sane reason to postpone exercise unless exercise results in excess stress, or counter-productive eating behavior, or induces less long term adherence.

What nutritionists tell their clients may or may not always be completely understood, or it may be addressing the client's specific circumstances, or be an answer to a specific question that sounds similar but is not the same as what someone else is asking.

The reaction of people to the water intake is probably because people often have the mistaken impression that they NEED to drink EXCESS water to lose weight. As long as you urinate "straw color" your hydration levels are probably good enough.

If you are regularly sweating excessively and are also drinking excess amounts of water please don't reduce your sodium intake to the low levels that a lot of "clean eaters" do. In fact a level higher than MFP's default may be required to maintain your electrolyte balance.

Please note that it is completely irrelevant FOR THE PURPOSE OF EFFECTIVE WEIGHT LOSS whether you are eating clean or not--whichever way you may be defining clean.

I urge you to evaluate your food intake *dispassionately* and to consider alternatives for anything that seems to you to be offering low levels of satiation and satisfaction for the amount of calories it demands.

Calories vs satiation and satisfaction will be your friend for a long time to come and, at least for me, was the key to me achieving my goals. Yes, once I was well on my way to losing weight then I started becoming more curious and seeking to achieve an overall healthier diet, while still ensuring that I get more than my fair share of "treats".

If you want to eat "healthier" you may want to consider the food guidelines of various countries, including your own. You can find a comprehensive list of dietary guidelines here: http://www.fao.org/nutrition/education/food-dietary-guidelines/en/ In addition to the guides from Canada, US, Australia, NZ, and UK which I looked at due to my own cultural bias (I live in Canada), I found that the Brazilian and Japanese guides were quite interesting too. I can't claim that I follow any of them, though I have most certainly increased my vegetable and fruit consumption as compared to in the past.

My personal approach to weighing in is to weigh daily in the morning before eating and drinking and after using the bathroom wearing the same attire (or lack thereof) and recording my daily weigh into my fitbit.com account which pushes it to both MFP and trendweight.com which is the tool I use to look at my weight level's trend over time!

I heartily endorse the use of food scales, and strongly suggest confirming the database entries you are using with both package labels and authoritative databases such as the usda standard reference database. Zero calorie foods just... aren't. Not in large enough quantities!

Take care and best of luck.

nooboots

How many litres is a gallon?

JordanS9592

@PAV8888 Thanks for the thorough response. I will take these things into consideration. I’m thinking of consulting a nutritionist to devise a personalized plan.

apullum

JordanS9592 wrote: »

I don’t see how the exact measurement is relevant. I sweat an abnormal amount of water during a workout, which I’ve weighed to be about 3-5 pounds, oftentimes equaling close to a gallon. Drinking 2 gallons of water has not had an adverse effect on my abnormally large body thus far. However, if someone has research to show that it would be harmful on someone my size and height, I’m open to adjusting that.

My concern is not that your water intake is hurting you; it’s that excessive thirst is a common diabetes symptom. That’s why I asked about water loss through sweating, which might mean this amount of liquid intake is not “excessive” for you.

If one was so thirsty that they needed two gallons of water per day, and there was no good explanation for why they needed so much, then that would merit a trip to the doctor.

LyndaBSS

nooboots wrote: »

How many litres is a gallon?

3.785