Water Weight Loss Formula?

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johaleesi
johaleesi Posts: 55 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
My co-worker who is competing with me on the Biggest Loser competition we have going at work just told me he's lost 4 lbs of fat, but that he won't say how much he's lost altogether with water weight. I asked him how he could tell how many pounds lost were water weight and how many were fat, and he says that there is a formula to figure that out. He didn't give me any more details though because we are getting very competitive with each other. Does anyone know if there's any truth to this and where I could find that formula if it in fact exists?

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  • julsdolphin
    julsdolphin Posts: 32 Member
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    A lot of scales can tell you percentage of body fat versus overall weight. And the military has a formula they use for figuring body fat based on sex, height, and measurements of your neck, waist and hips but I don't know the formula. Sorry.
  • Benjr755
    Benjr755 Posts: 14
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    nutrition.about.com/library/blwatercalculator.htm - Cached - Similar This site tells you how much you should drink. I didnt find anything to your question. Also keep your sodium intake down that will keep you from retaining water.
  • TrainingWithTonya
    TrainingWithTonya Posts: 1,741 Member
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    He's probably figuring his body fat percentage, converting it to pounds and seeing the difference between now and when he first started, and assuming that the other weight he's lost is water weight. You can do that with some scales (some even give body water percentage too, but it can change in 5 minutes with the consumption of a glass of water so I don't trust them), with handheld devices, calipers, formulas using measurements, and several different ways in a lab setting. Unfortunately, the water weight estimation is probably wrong. Like I said, the % of the body that is water fluctuates with habits rather quickly. So you will be less water in the morning then after you've eaten or had anything to drink for breakfast. Also the assumption that anything that isn't fat loss is water loss is wrong because most forms of body composition analysis focus on a two compartment system--fat and lean. Lean could be fecal matter, glycogen, or muscle in addition to water. That weight doesn't really matter in the realm of health, it's the body fat that increases risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer, etc. not glycogen stored with water in the muscles, not extra muscle fibers, and not even fecal matter unless it is massive amounts because of a blockage or other issue in the bowels. So, I track the body fat changes in my clients and tell them to focus on increasing the lean mass because it is generally healthier to build that then to lose it. I can give you the formulas for estimating body composition from measurements or calipers if you want. Just let me know how you are going to measure it (measuring tape vs. calipers). Oh, and grab a calculator because it is a long formula no matter which way you go with it.
  • johaleesi
    johaleesi Posts: 55 Member
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    Hi Tonya,

    Yes I would love to have that formula. I will be measuring with measuring tape. Thanks so much for clearing that up for me :)
  • tvanderberg
    tvanderberg Posts: 59
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    I actually own a scale that reads your weight, body fat, bone, and water %. I asked for it for Christmas. It was a great gift!!!
  • TrainingWithTonya
    TrainingWithTonya Posts: 1,741 Member
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    Hi Tonya,

    Yes I would love to have that formula. I will be measuring with measuring tape. Thanks so much for clearing that up for me :)

    I will have to get it to you on Sunday. I'm not at home right now. I'm at a fitness conference for the weekend and don't have the book with the formulas in it with me. Unfortunately they aren't formulas you can memorize. Lets just say, have a calculator with good batteries. LOL

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