Water weight gain

Lyssagwinn72

Is anyone else having this problem? I seemed to have gained 4lbs over night and it won't budge!

soldiergrl_101

Hi Lyss,

I tried looking at your diary and its closed so I cant see it to judge by what you eat...But I read this artical the other day that said for every 2000mg of salt you consume your body holds on to 4lbs of water weight...It takes about 2Liters of water to counteract that and flush out the 2000mg of salt. According to MFP you should stay at or under 2000mg of salt daily (Most people dont) So just think if you eat one mail at McDonalds at 4000mg of salt that is 8lbs you just packed on in excess water weight!!!! Thats alot so watch your sodium closely it has a huge impact.

Also, I dont know what your workout plan is so other advice to get rid of excess water is to sweat it out with some good cardio, maybe relax in the sauna, and eat foods high in fiber to act as a diuretic. You can also try those pills at wallmart that help you not bloat by making you pee more.

Good luck

Liftng4Lis

Constantly retaining. Sodium loves me for some reason.

ilfaith

Sodium always makes me retain water. It seems every time I dine out in a restaurant, the scale reads about two pounds higher in the morning and I can't take off my rings because my fingers swell. At home, I seldom cook with added salt, so perhaps my body has become more sensitive to it when I do eat more heavily salted foods.

shai74

I'd be curious to know the science behind that statement about 2000mg making you gain 4lbs. I mean, I know it's repeated on the internet, but I can't find any actual scientific basis for it.

I don't watch my salt intake, and in fact science has proven the whole "salt is bad for you and will harden your ateries" thing is quite frankly a grossly exaggerated story. Salt doesn't hurt you and in fact if you feel weak or tired or headachy upping your salt can help alot, especially if you eat low carb. Even my horse likes a good old fashioned salt lick.

I do however notice I retain water if it's nearly TTOTM. A diet too high in carbs also makes you gain excess water weight. I don't eat any more than 20g a day and my stomach is flat, not bloated like it used to be.

chrisdavey

I would say that 2000mg to 4lbs is BS.

What happens if your potassium intake is 2000mg extra also?

Sodium/potassium ratio matters as does your habitual intake e.g. if someone who normally consumes 1500mg of sodium each day eats 5000mg one day, they will likely retain water. If someone habitually eats 4000mg/day and consumes 5000mg the water retention is likely to be much less.

Add to this, that water retention does not mean your aren't losing fat (if that is your goal).

Just another reason why you shouldn't rely on scales only for progress checks.