!!!Gallon of Water a Day for Two Weeks, GAINED weight !!!
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domineer4life
Posts: 17 Member
Hi MFP,
Two weeks ago I started the 30 day gallon of water a day challenge in an effort to drop weight and get a boost in energy. I have done a lot of cardio (13 times) over
the past two weeks. My workouts have consisted of 90 min walks in the neighborhood or 35 min elliptical machine training in the gym. I have done a few weight machines over this time as well but not as much as the cardio. As far as my water intake is concerned, I normally drank 50 to 80 oz a day before the challenge. After drinking a gallon a day, I’ve noticed immediate improvements to my energy and quality of sleep. My motivation to go to the gym, even on my rest days, have been a real boon to my confidence level. Last Thursday morning (Thanksgiving Morning before any food or drink) I actually lost 1.5 lbs from the prior week. I attributed that to the uptick in water consumption and fitness activity. I made it a point during the Thanksgiving period to workout often as to offset some of the incoming calories. The gallon of water a day commitment has contributed to a decreased consumption of food and although I might of had some “cheat” snacks during that time, I’ve been active and fasting for 16 hours a day (IF) for three days a week.
I felt discouraged this morning when I stepped on the scale and gained 6 lbs when I’ve been feeling and witnessing positive cognitive effects. Physically I feel heavier and I feel like my body still has a ton of water to dispel from my body but just hasn’t yet. Has any one of you experienced this and what have you done to get your body back to losing weight with the gallon of water a day routine? I am a male, 5’10” 246 lbs as of last week’s weigh in and I have tried on clothes and they don’t feel tighter so I know my body is holding on to serious water weight. I just feel bloated with water and my body is reluctant in releasing it.
Any guidance, advice, or encouragement right now would be much appreciated.
Two weeks ago I started the 30 day gallon of water a day challenge in an effort to drop weight and get a boost in energy. I have done a lot of cardio (13 times) over
the past two weeks. My workouts have consisted of 90 min walks in the neighborhood or 35 min elliptical machine training in the gym. I have done a few weight machines over this time as well but not as much as the cardio. As far as my water intake is concerned, I normally drank 50 to 80 oz a day before the challenge. After drinking a gallon a day, I’ve noticed immediate improvements to my energy and quality of sleep. My motivation to go to the gym, even on my rest days, have been a real boon to my confidence level. Last Thursday morning (Thanksgiving Morning before any food or drink) I actually lost 1.5 lbs from the prior week. I attributed that to the uptick in water consumption and fitness activity. I made it a point during the Thanksgiving period to workout often as to offset some of the incoming calories. The gallon of water a day commitment has contributed to a decreased consumption of food and although I might of had some “cheat” snacks during that time, I’ve been active and fasting for 16 hours a day (IF) for three days a week.
I felt discouraged this morning when I stepped on the scale and gained 6 lbs when I’ve been feeling and witnessing positive cognitive effects. Physically I feel heavier and I feel like my body still has a ton of water to dispel from my body but just hasn’t yet. Has any one of you experienced this and what have you done to get your body back to losing weight with the gallon of water a day routine? I am a male, 5’10” 246 lbs as of last week’s weigh in and I have tried on clothes and they don’t feel tighter so I know my body is holding on to serious water weight. I just feel bloated with water and my body is reluctant in releasing it.
Any guidance, advice, or encouragement right now would be much appreciated.
3
Replies
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Water is great, though to be honest a gallon a day seems excessive. If it works for you on most levels, go for it, but realize that a gallon of water weighs over 8 pounds and your body doesn't always expel all that it takes in right away. Certain foods, especially salty ones will cause you to retain water. Weight lifting can also cause temporary water retention. Chances are that 6 pounds will drop over the next few days.
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To lose weight, you need to eat less calories than your body burns. Are you weighing and measuring and logging everything you eat and drink, accurately? Are you eating at a calorie deficit?
Exercise is great for overall health, but won’t affect weight loss unless it puts you in a calorie deficit.
Why so much water?34 -
Doing a little math:
16 cups = 1 gallon
16 cups = 8 ounces each
16 x 8 = 128 ounces in a gallon
In addition to all that water, you're also getting some water/liquid in your food and any other drinks.
Hydration is very important, but I've always been afraid of over hydrating myself. You can seriously hurt yourself. I would knock off the extra water and let my body slowly get rid of it. Good luck to you.23 -
It's likely that what you experienced is normal weight fluctuation. Check your weight again in a few days. However, if you truly feel that you are retaining water to the point that your body isn't functioning correctly, see a doctor.
Drinking water has many benefits but it alone does not lead to weight loss. Intermittent fasting will not result in weight loss if you are eating more calories than you burn. Log your food accurately, weigh everything, and stay within your calorie goal. You should begin to see results.7 -
missysippy930 wrote: »To lose weight, you need to eat less calories than your body burns. Are you weighing and measuring and logging everything you eat and drink, accurately? Are you eating at a calorie deficit?
Exercise is great for overall health, but won’t affect weight loss unless it puts you in a calorie deficit.
Why so much water?
Given my body weight, drinking a gallon a day is on par with what many health articles online have said is ideal. I do not count calories like I used to but I generalize portion sizes fairly well from the years I consistently did it. I find that counting calories to the T is not fun for me. I fast a few days out of the week and I move my body a lot. I have decreased the amount of food I consume so I should be seeing decreases in weight.
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domineer4life wrote: »Hi MFP,
I am a male, 5’10” 246 lbs as of last week’s weigh in and I have tried on clothes and they don’t feel tighter so I know my body is holding on to serious water weight. I just feel bloated with water and my body is reluctant in releasing it.
The bolded sentence jumped out at me. You don't feel well. That would be my answer. I would leave the extra water alone for a while and see how you feel then.
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domineer4life wrote: »Given my body weight, drinking a gallon a day is on par with what many health articles online have said is ideal. I do not count calories like I used to but I generalize portion sizes fairly well from the years I consistently did it. I find that counting calories to the T is not fun for me. I fast a few days out of the week and I move my body a lot. I have decreased the amount of food I consume so I should be seeing decreases in weight.
You are correct that your water intake is close to what is recommended. It's a bit more than you need but not dangerously more. I would argue that you may think you are doing a good job with limiting your calories but if you are not seeing loss, you should revisit weighing and counting you calories. It's about calories in and out. Water and fasting is not magic...the calories still matter.16 -
domineer4life wrote: »missysippy930 wrote: »To lose weight, you need to eat less calories than your body burns. Are you weighing and measuring and logging everything you eat and drink, accurately? Are you eating at a calorie deficit?
Exercise is great for overall health, but won’t affect weight loss unless it puts you in a calorie deficit.
Why so much water?
Given my body weight, drinking a gallon a day is on par with what many health articles online have said is ideal. I do not count calories like I used to but I generalize portion sizes fairly well from the years I consistently did it. I find that counting calories to the T is not fun for me. I fast a few days out of the week and I move my body a lot. I have decreased the amount of food I consume so I should be seeing decreases in weight.
Along with what the other posters commented, you are almost certainly retaining water from the exercise you just started doing in the last two weeks.6 -
People tend to over complicate hydration. Determining whether or not you're hydrating sufficiently couldn't be easier. Look at the color of your pee. If it's a pale yellow then you're golden (no pun intended). The only exception to this is if you're taking riboflavin or some other supplement/vitamin/food that makes it's way into your urine and causes color changes. Then just lay off that item for a day to see where you're at.
Take it from a guy who passed a kidney stone a few years ago due to not hydrating properly with all the running I was doing at the time. I have done a lot of research on how to never let that happen again. The pain was an unbelievable motivator for learning how to judge my hydration level properly.
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The only way to lose fat is to be in a calorie deficit. I guess there are many ways to get into a calorie deficit (calorie counting is the most direct way to know if you are in one), but you have to have one to lose fat.
Drinking water may help fill you up with 0 calories, but you can still eat more calories than you are burning. Working out can help burn a little extra calories than you may have without working out (I burn 95 calories in a half hour of heavy weight lifting), but you can easily eat more calories than you are burning (a pack of 2 Reese's cups is 210 calories).
You need a calorie deficit (energy deficit) to lose fat (excess stored energy). It is as simple as that. Are you tracking food?13 -
peachvine29 wrote: »The only way to lose fat is to be in a calorie deficit. I guess there are many ways to get into a calorie deficit (calorie counting is the most direct way to know if you are in one), but you have to have one to lose fat.
Drinking water may help fill you up with 0 calories, but you can still eat more calories than you are burning. Working out can help burn a little extra calories than you may have without working out (I burn 95 calories in a half hour of heavy weight lifting), but you can easily eat more calories than you are burning (a pack of 2 Reese's cups is 210 calories).
You need a calorie deficit (energy deficit) to lose fat (excess stored energy). It is as simple as that. Are you tracking food?
I track calories but not for every meal. I am not a big fan of it because although it works (I’ve done it in the past), it is not a sustainable habit for me. I’ve been going the route of eating smaller portions of food, fasting, upping water consumption, working out, and getting more sleep. I did Keto earlier this year and cut 20 lbs (I wasn’t counting calories or working out and I fasted 5 days a week).
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domineer4life wrote: »peachvine29 wrote: »The only way to lose fat is to be in a calorie deficit. I guess there are many ways to get into a calorie deficit (calorie counting is the most direct way to know if you are in one), but you have to have one to lose fat.
Drinking water may help fill you up with 0 calories, but you can still eat more calories than you are burning. Working out can help burn a little extra calories than you may have without working out (I burn 95 calories in a half hour of heavy weight lifting), but you can easily eat more calories than you are burning (a pack of 2 Reese's cups is 210 calories).
You need a calorie deficit (energy deficit) to lose fat (excess stored energy). It is as simple as that. Are you tracking food?
I track calories but not for every meal. I am not a big fan of it because although it works (I’ve done it in the past), it is not a sustainable habit for me. I’ve been going the route of eating smaller portions of food, fasting, upping water consumption, working out, and getting more sleep. I did Keto earlier this year and cut 20 lbs (I wasn’t counting calories or working out and I fasted 5 days a week).
So you're favoring other temporary and marginally unrelated measures vs. a known-effective methodology?
Why do you find logging to be such an unsustainable habit?14 -
Personally for me doing keto and fasting 5 out of 7 days a week sounds really extreme and unsustainable to me. I honestly don't know how you did that. Obviously that was unsustainable, or else you would be still doing that...domineer4life wrote: »peachvine29 wrote: »The only way to lose fat is to be in a calorie deficit. I guess there are many ways to get into a calorie deficit (calorie counting is the most direct way to know if you are in one), but you have to have one to lose fat.
Drinking water may help fill you up with 0 calories, but you can still eat more calories than you are burning. Working out can help burn a little extra calories than you may have without working out (I burn 95 calories in a half hour of heavy weight lifting), but you can easily eat more calories than you are burning (a pack of 2 Reese's cups is 210 calories).
You need a calorie deficit (energy deficit) to lose fat (excess stored energy). It is as simple as that. Are you tracking food?
I track calories but not for every meal. I am not a big fan of it because although it works (I’ve done it in the past), it is not a sustainable habit for me. I’ve been going the route of eating smaller portions of food, fasting, upping water consumption, working out, and getting more sleep. I did Keto earlier this year and cut 20 lbs (I wasn’t counting calories or working out and I fasted 5 days a week).14 -
[/quote]
Personally for me doing keto and fasting 5 out of 7 days a week sounds really extreme and unsustainable to me. I honestly don't know how you did that.[/quote]
Will power. I have strong will power and it actually became easier to do over time. I felt like I was plateauing on it so I switched back to the base of 3 days a week. I had to stop Keto because it wasn’t good for my cholesterol levels.
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The notion behind this is that you feel full from all that water and won't eat as much - increasing the potential to create a caloric deficit. Water intake has little to do with weight management - other than the fact one should stay hydrated, which really isn't an issue in the Western world.
I get the rationale behind not tracking, because faced with objective information one has nothing else to blame on their situation other than themselves. Time to break this cycle and track your intake.14 -
[/quote]
So you're favoring other temporary and marginally unrelated measures vs. a known-effective methodology?
Why do you find logging to be such an unsustainable habit?[/quote]
Calorie counting works but Is not the only way to lose or maintain weight. It is not sustainable for me because I don’t enjoy counting every calorie in each morsel of food I consume. I want to find enjoyment in what I eat and as long as I am aware of the portion size, that is something I can stick to during this lifestyle habit.
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Personally for me doing keto and fasting 5 out of 7 days a week sounds really extreme and unsustainable to me. I honestly don't know how you did that.[/quote]domineer4life wrote: »
Will power. I have strong will power and it actually became easier to do over time. I felt like I was plateauing on it so I switched back to the base of 3 days a week. I had to stop Keto because it wasn’t good for my cholesterol levels.
[/quote]
So you can will yourself to fast and do keto but logging your food is a bridge too far?28 -
domineer4life wrote: »Will power. I have strong will power and it actually became easier to do over time. I felt like I was plateauing on it so I switched back to the base of 3 days a week. I had to stop Keto because it wasn’t good for my cholesterol levels.
So...you have done Keto. You are doing IF. You are trying the gallon a day challenge. It sounds to me like you are looking for the magic answer to losing weight without being accountable for the calories you are consuming. I know you say that counting calories is not sustainable for you but bouncing from one diet to another can't be sustainable either.
You have received some valuable advice here. Hopefully, you reassess your needs and make changes that work for you in the long run.20 -
domineer4life wrote: »
So you're favoring other temporary and marginally unrelated measures vs. a known-effective methodology?
Why do you find logging to be such an unsustainable habit?[/quote]
Calorie counting works but Is not the only way to lose or maintain weight. It is not sustainable for me because I don’t enjoy counting every calorie in each morsel of food I consume. I want to find enjoyment in what I eat and as long as I am aware of the portion size, that is something I can stick to during this lifestyle habit.
[/quote]
You certainly don't have to count. You have to eat less calories than your body burns tho. And if the way you are using to control that isn't effectively doing it, it doesn't matter how much water you drink. Calorie deficit lose weight, not anything else.17 -
Personally for me doing keto and fasting 5 out of 7 days a week sounds really extreme and unsustainable to me. I honestly don't know how you did that.domineer4life wrote: »
Will power. I have strong will power and it actually became easier to do over time. I felt like I was plateauing on it so I switched back to the base of 3 days a week. I had to stop Keto because it wasn’t good for my cholesterol levels.
[/quote]
So you can will yourself to fast and do keto but logging your food is a bridge too far? [/quote]
For me, fasting is easier than counting calories. Keto was great because I could eat foods that I found delicious and satiating. Also I felt fuller for longer periods of time. Logging your food is like doing homework. Although it is great for keeping track of what you put into your body, it is not always easy to do when you are out and about or when you just want to eat without the task of logging and recording. Great advice but that solution is not the only one. I wouldn’t say logging is a bridge too far it’s just one of many bridges.
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