Water weight when starting/stopping low carb eating
cchild2
Posts: 47 Member
If you are like me, there are times that you go off your diet/WOE. I've often gone off for a few days before getting back on. When this happens, my glycogen stores get filled up with all of the carbs I'm eating or get depleted during the first few days of low carb eating. And with the glycogen, there is a lot of water that goes with it.
When I do this, I either gain or lose maybe 5 lbs of water weight. Sometimes it could be 3 and sometimes could be 7. It's hard to tell what since there are various levels of hydration/dehydration, full/empty bowels/bladder, morning/night in addition to true fat loss. This is why any short term change in scale weight may not be fat loss. Especially when you just did a significant change in your diet.
With that said, I decided to do an interesting experiment. I am eating the same meals for an entire week. Going into the week, I was on a cheat weekend (boo) so I was carbed up. But for the 4 days so far, I've lost 12 lbs! Much more than normal... and my starting weight was taken in the morning, after peeing (my normal weigh in time...). I have no idea how much is true fat loss or water weight, but it has been interesting.
A somewhat related tidbit that I've discovered is that I routinely lose 1.2 lbs overnight while sleeping and another 1.2 lbs after my morning pee. This water weight is then put back on during the day. Keep in mind I'm a big person
How much water weight do you lose/gain when going on/off low carb?
When I do this, I either gain or lose maybe 5 lbs of water weight. Sometimes it could be 3 and sometimes could be 7. It's hard to tell what since there are various levels of hydration/dehydration, full/empty bowels/bladder, morning/night in addition to true fat loss. This is why any short term change in scale weight may not be fat loss. Especially when you just did a significant change in your diet.
With that said, I decided to do an interesting experiment. I am eating the same meals for an entire week. Going into the week, I was on a cheat weekend (boo) so I was carbed up. But for the 4 days so far, I've lost 12 lbs! Much more than normal... and my starting weight was taken in the morning, after peeing (my normal weigh in time...). I have no idea how much is true fat loss or water weight, but it has been interesting.
A somewhat related tidbit that I've discovered is that I routinely lose 1.2 lbs overnight while sleeping and another 1.2 lbs after my morning pee. This water weight is then put back on during the day. Keep in mind I'm a big person
How much water weight do you lose/gain when going on/off low carb?
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I've gone up as much as 10lbs in two days of "cheating". I love low-carb but my weaknesses tend to get the best of me sometimes. In the last month or so, I've "cheated' as much as twice a week and have lost and gained the same 6lbs for some time before I went back down past a "plateau". I only plateaued due to the cheating. I have seen my weight go up overnight to the tune of 4lbs after eating french fries for dinner. It's weird.0
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Wow, such massive fluctuations. Mine are in/ around the 1lb mark, the water weight fluctuations that is, and usually after a lot of carbs in one day (ie refeeds/ planned days off). Food/ waste can add up to 6 or even 8lbs sometimes, and is usually at it's highest after lunch, when I probably have the most food & liquids in my body (lunch, and still some breakfast). It's certainly interesting alright, especially when you keep and analyse your own personal data
Curiously enough, to answer your last question, not much actually. I was curiously concerned about how much water weight I might regain after deciding to go off low carb around the end of September, but I couldn't find any. Granted, I tapered off, so no massive changes overnight, but rather let my carbs creep up naturally. Still, it was a surprise, and wondered if having been on low carb for a period of time (in my case 4 months or so), that my glycogen levels hadn't gradually refilled a little over that time. Sometimes I think I am the exception to a lot of people here on MFP, as my weight readings tend to be so consistent, lol. Well, aside from the expected weight losses, they can slow down for a few days or even a week sometimes, before falling 0 -
I gained about 4 lbs after this weekend. I was going to ask for a pep talk but I see that we're all in the same boat and it's been good for me to see people having the same struggle. I don't even like eating so my weekends get blown. I may eat a keto breakfast but all bets are off for the rest of the day. I've been stuck at 306/305 for about two weeks now and it's getting old. I'm interested in seeing what happens this week. Thanks for kinda being like me. LOL!0
