is it fat loss or water loss

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mgarrett1985
mgarrett1985 Posts: 6 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
ive lost 26.2lbs (11.9kgs) i'm just wondering if if most of that is fat loss or is all water weight loss how can you tell? i do notice a few changes in how my clothes fit now i'm more slimmer around the waist and clothes are a bit looser but other than that not a big difference should i be noticing a lot more since i've nearly lost 30lbs?

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  • tomcustombuilder
    tomcustombuilder Posts: 1,868 Member
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    How long did it take to lose the 26 kg's?
  • mgarrett1985
    mgarrett1985 Posts: 6 Member
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    ive been dieting since November 20th 2022
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,355 Member
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    30lbs can make a small difference on a larger body and a bigger difference on a smaller body. 30lbs lost also looks different depending on where it's lost from (small amounts all over the body, or larger amounts in specific areas).
    You don't mention how much you with, or anything about your weight loss (over what period, how much you're eating, whether you changed what you're eating or not, whether you're exercising or not...) so it's hard to answer.
    But it's unlikely to only be water.weight.

    Fat loss is determined by your calorie deficit (around 7000 calories per lb of body weight/7700 calories per kg). Other reasons you're losing weight is less food waste in your digestive tract (because of lower food volume) and less water weight (from reduced carbs and/or salt).
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,355 Member
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    I saw the past about the timeline: water weight loss can be large in the short term, at the start of weight loss, but longer term weight loss (over 2 months) is more indicative of significant fat loss alongside the water weight loss.
  • tomcustombuilder
    tomcustombuilder Posts: 1,868 Member
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    mgarrett1985 wrote: »
    ive been dieting since November 20th 2022
    if the loss has been consistent then you’re losing mostly fat however if the majority of the weight came off in the first couple of weeks then that was water. And whatever came off after that would have been predominantly fat and/or muscle.
  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 13,615 Member
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    There are devices that are notoriously inaccurate called bio-electrical impedance scales. They run a mild current through your body, and from the time it takes for the signal to get through, it estimates your fat content, your water content, and sometimes your bone density.

    Yes, they give a number that on its own shouldn't be taken as truth, but if you use the same device over time, you can see trends. You can see if your body fat content is decreasing. Some of these scales aren't even very expensive.

    Water weight loss comes from a few things. One is from glycogen; a way the body stores energy. You can also see an initial decrease in weight from simply having less food in the canal that is technically outside your body that goes from your mouth to the exit point out back.

    Some people find using a tailor's measuring tape to see how their body is changing over time can show success in a different way. You said your clothes fit differently; that's similar. I wish I had started taking measurements sooner.

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