Water Weight

pannellkat

How do you know when you are losing only "water weight" or truly losing weight from fat loss?

I see a lot of people posting that they lost 5 lbs in a week and some people come back with "thats great" and then when someone says they went on a cabbage soup diet and lost 5 lbs people come back with "thats just water weight, you will gain back when you start eating normal again".

I've lost 12 lbs so far and since I have a competition weigh in every Monday - during the weekends I will not drink as much water, go to the sauna, eat a little less, workout like crazy, etc. etc. so that I can maximize my Monday weigh in to the lowest number. How do I know if this is true weight loss or water weight if I've already lost and kept off 12 lbs and the scale keeps getting lower every week and never gone up once?

ccdo

u could start measuring urself and that way u will know if ur loosin fat or not thats what i do all the time and its pretty accurate in my opinion :flowerforyou:

rajekred

If you are doing the same routine every weekend and the scale goes down, you most likely are losing regular weight not associated with your water intake. Although, be careful because you could dehydrate yourself by redusing your water and then submitting your body to exercise and sweating it out in the Sauna. You drink water so that when you do these things you body has a way to try and cool itself off.

I would suggest weighing yourself in the middle of the week, while you are fully hydrated. On Wednesday, be sure you drink your 8 glases of water and do you normal excersize. Then weigh yourself Thursday when you wake up. If you weigh the same amount as you did Monday or less, its probably okay to keep drinking enough water all weekend.

vanessadawn

That's hard to answer, seeing as you always have water weight and it fluctuates all the time. Going by inches might be more accurate, but then again you can always be bloated etc. I think if you are thinking of weight loss as long term (which I hope most of us are) then you just have to be content with gradual, permanent weight loss that fluctuates from time to time.

mrsgiffin

i think another good way to tell is by your clothes and the way they fit. You know if your jeans are baggy or your shirts are getting to big then, you are losing weight.

stacyoct19

remember when you don't drink enough water, you body could retain the fluids making you gain "water weight". make sure you drinking enough for the activity and heat you're putting yourself in!