water weight

ape087
ape087 Posts: 30 Member
edited September 30 in Health and Weight Loss
So I Know water is good for me, but its sooo frustrating to gain water weight. I mean Im drinking about 80oz of water a day, and doing the 20 day shred (day 2) but I feel like Im gaining. maybe I should just stay away from the scale except once a week? Anyone else this frustrated?

Replies

  • Heatherbelle_87
    Heatherbelle_87 Posts: 1,078 Member
    stay away from the scale an evaluate your sodium consumption. Even with that workout regimine there's really no reason to go over 1500 mg
  • KrissyChefBaby
    KrissyChefBaby Posts: 68 Member
    If you get scale obsessed, you are setting yourself up for disappointment. Weight fluctuates to an extent daily so You don't want to hound the scale searching for each pound lost (speaking from experience) I literally have to struggle to walk past the scale like I have to struggle to walk past some of my favorite food lol. Water will help you flush your system. Don't be scared of it. :)
  • nitka653
    nitka653 Posts: 97 Member
    Don't quite the water, whatever you do!!! I agree with Heatherbelle, but also wanted to point out something my former Weight Watchers leader said. Apparently, you can often weigh a bit more after strenuous exercise because your body hordes water for healing. I can't promise this to be true, but it makes sense. Exercise damages muscle tissue, that's how it gets stronger by damaging and healing over and over... Well, damaged tissue swells.

    Go for it! Drink the Water, do the workout! It's really really hard to stay away from the scales. I recommend it myself, but often find myself on it a few times a day, which can be detrimental (at least to myself).

    Good Luck ape087!
  • RainyMel
    RainyMel Posts: 16
    That's a lot of water. You're not forcing yourself to drink, are you?
    There's no rule in any medical textbook that says you NEED to drink 8 glasses or more of water a day, that's just a trick to make yourself feel more full so you won't eat as much. It's good for you, but you don't NEED to drink water unless you're thirsty.

    If you're forcing yourself to drink water when you're not thirsty and you don't like gaining from it, stop doing it. Start drinking water only when you're actually thirsty. *no, I'm not saying STOP drinking water.. just that you don't need to drink large amounts if you're not super-thirsty. if you ARE really thirsty from your working out, go ahead and drink away ;)*

    And yes, you shouldn't weigh yourself all the time.. try to weigh yourself once a week at exactly the same time (I weigh myself on monday mornings after waking up and using the bathroom). Your weight naturally fluctuates throughout the week and each day from things like water and the type of food you're eating. Checking your weight every day can give you the wrong ideas.
  • gardenimp
    gardenimp Posts: 185 Member
    Also exercise tears muscles, muscles retain water to heal. So good news is that you are building muscle.:-) In addition to sodium, watch you carb intake too. Too many carbs or too much process carbs will cause you to retain water also.

    Good luck and stay off the scale for at least a week!
  • sc1572
    sc1572 Posts: 2,309 Member
    Yes, I hate water weight! I try to only weight myself once a week, same day and same clothes. :)
  • RoseBlanc
    RoseBlanc Posts: 140
    That's a lot of water. You're not forcing yourself to drink, are you?
    There's no rule in any medical textbook that says you NEED to drink 8 glasses or more of water a day, that's just a trick to make yourself feel more full so you won't eat as much. It's good for you, but you don't NEED to drink water unless you're thirsty.

    If you're forcing yourself to drink water when you're not thirsty and you don't like gaining from it, stop doing it. Start drinking water only when you're actually thirsty. *no, I'm not saying STOP drinking water.. just that you don't need to drink large amounts if you're not super-thirsty. if you ARE really thirsty from your working out, go ahead and drink away ;)*

    Uh... where are you getting your information from?
  • That's a lot of water. You're not forcing yourself to drink, are you?
    There's no rule in any medical textbook that says you NEED to drink 8 glasses or more of water a day, that's just a trick to make yourself feel more full so you won't eat as much. It's good for you, but you don't NEED to drink water unless you're thirsty.

    If you're forcing yourself to drink water when you're not thirsty and you don't like gaining from it, stop doing it. Start drinking water only when you're actually thirsty. *no, I'm not saying STOP drinking water.. just that you don't need to drink large amounts if you're not super-thirsty. if you ARE really thirsty from your working out, go ahead and drink away ;)*

    And yes, you shouldn't weigh yourself all the time.. try to weigh yourself once a week at exactly the same time (I weigh myself on monday mornings after waking up and using the bathroom). Your weight naturally fluctuates throughout the week and each day from things like water and the type of food you're eating. Checking your weight every day can give you the wrong ideas.

    Actually, I believe that once you're thirsty it means you are already dehydrated.
  • morrowsarah
    morrowsarah Posts: 240 Member
    I drink about 80oz of water a day too. I also weigh myself everyday but only log every few days or once a week or so. Stick with it, the weight will start coming off. Have you taken your measurements.....sometimes when you aren't losing on the scale you are losing on the tape measure!
  • You should also take into account the fat and sodium content of your food because even if you meet the daily calorie goal still there is a possibility that you gain weight if you eat foods rich in sodium or fat such as those in the fast foods and it just not limit to salty foods. Chocolate cakes for example has a high sodium content. Foods rich in trans fat can also lead to weight gain. Sodium is the leading cause of water retention in our body.
  • RoseBlanc
    RoseBlanc Posts: 140
    Actually, I believe that once you're thirsty it means you are already dehydrated.

    Thank you. Thats what I had heard, too.
  • Absolutely!! I work out 4-5 days a week, Tae bo, yoga, circuit training, water aerobics and occasionally I do JM ripped in 30. Weighing myself in the past has always frustrated me which resulted in giving up. This time I have committed to not weighing myself for a few months. I have to really think before I weigh in. Do I have a realistic loss # in mind? What do I really expect? What amout of loss would make me happy? Did I work long and hard enough for it? Its working for me so far. My clothes are lose and things fit that havent in years. The most important thing is committing to a lifestyle change. Consistency will pay off! Best of luck to you ape087!
  • Heatherbelle_87
    Heatherbelle_87 Posts: 1,078 Member
    Actually, I believe that once you're thirsty it means you are already dehydrated.

    Thank you. Thats what I had heard, too.

    You two are absolutly correct! Now where as Im not a nurse we get to study lovely nutrition and hydration in dental assisting school (you would be amazed at how it affects oral health) and it takes 30 minutes from the point your body NEEDS water to feel thirsty. SO in essence you are already dehydrated by the time you FEEL thirsty. Unless you are drinking double your body weight in ounces you are not going to be harmed or thrown off balance, water helps flush other unneeded things from your body as well as when you dont need it, you just pee it out. Water is the best thing you can ingest for oral and body health
  • In my 20s I successfully lost 65 lbs on Weight Watchers. When I reached my goal the leader had me stand up and give the group ONE tip to my success. I said: WATER. In fact, I think I said it with passion and fervor. On the days when I ate over my points for a few days in a row and was scared to go weigh in, but had kept up on my water, I still lost!!! On the days where I ate my points exactly, worked out and did everything right, but didn't drink much water I either plateaued or noticed a slight gain.

    From this experience of mine (it took me 1.5 years to lose those 65 lbs), I really learned the value of water.

    I have also heard what a girl in an above comment said about not needing to drink 8 servings of water a day. I agree with her. It really depends on the individual's body need and activity level. I have also heard that for every 30 minutes you exercise, you need an additional 8oz of water on top of your 8 servings. I also agree with that.

    How can I agree with two contradicting philosophies? Well, 1) because I'm not a scientific expert in the field and it's well known that a woman can multitask her opinions, and 2) because it just makes sense. If you exercise, then you need to drink more than you normally do. If a person is limiting their soda or juice intake and increasing their water, then their body will naturally start running more smoothly.

    At first you're ridding your body of waste material. This is day 2 of your workout? So when you are contracting your muscles, think of all the junk you're squeezing out like wet rag. That greasy burger from last week, the pizze from whenever. Now that you squeezed it out, how is it going to GET OUT? Through urination and feces. Water increases your ability to BM and urinate.

    Whenever I increase my water consumption, it always increases my trips to the ladies' room. I just imagine myself releasing lipids and then go refill by drinking another glass of water. Once the water flushes out the excess salt in your body, you'll stop retaining water and you'll just be releasing fat. Yeay for water!!!! (p.s. it also give you pretty skin).
  • foremant86
    foremant86 Posts: 1,115 Member
    Also it's important to measure yourself (thighs, waist, arms, etc.) because even though you may not lose pounds you might still be losing inches.
  • ape087
    ape087 Posts: 30 Member
    Thanks ladies for all the support and advice! Im a bariatric patient (I had lap band surgery last November) so my dr said water is a must! It's just very frustrating. Im going to start weighing my self at work (I work at a Ob/Gyn office) since they use the same type scare as my regular dr. Lets hope I can resist the temptation to get on it.
  • Heatherbelle_87
    Heatherbelle_87 Posts: 1,078 Member
    Thanks ladies for all the support and advice! Im a bariatric patient (I had lap band surgery last November) so my dr said water is a must! It's just very frustrating. Im going to start weighing my self at work (I work at a Ob/Gyn office) since they use the same type scare as my regular dr. Lets hope I can resist the temptation to get on it.

    You know Drs scales are cursed...... lol
  • ape087
    ape087 Posts: 30 Member
    [/quote]

    You know Drs scales are cursed...... lol
    [/quote]

    I'D AGREE!
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