water weight

healthyeating555

Why is that when you lose a few pounds most jealous or negative people brush it off as water weight? So when do you actually know if you are burning real fat or just water? Honestly what is the difference as long as the scale shows a loss in weight instead of a gain?

candiceh3

Try body composition scales.

Water weight loss is important because that weight is very easy to regain and hasn't actually recomp'd your body at all - you are basically just dehydrated.

Stage14

Your initial weight loss when you cut your caloric intake usually IS water weight. And, no I'm not jealous. The difference is that it doesn't actually decrease your fat content by any amount and it's a temporary loss, just like extra water weight from a new workout routine is a temporary gain. There's nothing wrong with losing water weight, but most people point it out after a big initial loss (like 8lbs in 2 weeks) because they don't want you to get discouraged and give up when you drop that much weight that fast in the next few weeks or the weeks after that.

My answer is of course based on your rather general questions. But I feel like you may be referring to a specific encounter you had. If you want to give the details of the situation, it might help us know better how to answer.

tilmoph

Honestly what is the difference as long as the scale shows a loss in weight instead of a gain?

The difference is water weight is going to come back whenever you rehydrate or (if applicable) start eating carbs again. This makes it a poor indicator of progress. In the first two weeks or so of a deficit, most of the weight lost is going to be water, since your body stores readily accessible energy with a lot of water (i think its 3 parts water for every one part glucose, but I could be wrong). After that, water weight fluctuations can happen, but aren't dominant.

So if you diet for two weeks, get the scale to where you want it and stop eating at a deficit, you'll see the scale jump right back up to near where you started, less any actual mass lost, Pointing this fact out avoids people with smaller amounts of weight to lose from just dropping and gaining water pounds in a big loop.

healthyeating555

so what your saying is that one needs to stick to a very strict low calorie diet for 6 months or more to actually see fat coming off instead of water ?

RoyBeck

When I weighed 268 and started my new lifestyle I lost 14lb in 2 weeks. I was delighted but knew it was water weight. The next 6lb I lost in the next 3 weeks meant more to me. At the beginning once your weight loss slos down that's when the water weight is done and the hard but satisfying work begins

candiceh3

so what your saying is that one needs to stick to a very strict low calorie diet for 6 months or more to actually see fat coming off instead of water ?

Uh no. Where did anyone say that? Water weight comes and goes and isn't restricted to the first phases of a diet.

Create a reasonable calorie deficit by diet and/or exercise and stick to it. So easy.

healthyeating555

the 15lb give or take a few lbs of water weight was lost during my first month on MFP which was this past april. Those pounds never came back but i havent lost a pound more since then. Not good

Stage14

so what your saying is that one needs to stick to a very strict low calorie diet for 6 months or more to actually see fat coming off instead of water ?

Yes that's exactly what I was saying. /sarcasm

No, I'm just saying that weight loss doesn't happen fast. Losing 6lbs in the first week doesn't mean your body shed 6lbs of fat, more like .5 - 2lbs of fat. So, expecting to lose 6lbs every week (or even every two weeks) is unrealistic.