Water and Glycogen*

Romans624
Romans624 Posts: 822
edited December 2024 in Food and Nutrition
Cliffs Notes At End

Hi~!

So I noticed, as I am Atkins Induction (extended), if I cheat I gain weight faster than if I weren't doing low carb. I also lose faster.


Last time (before now) that I cheated for 1 day, I gained 6 lbs that week, relost it and some more by getting off track.

But the last 4 days I cheated .... had a bunch of chocolate every day, etc. I had just gotten to 242 from 243, and today I am at 249. So 4 days of cheating meant one more lb that went on I guess. Thing is I know I didn't have over 3000 calories a day, probably much less for 2 or 3 of them, but I just had chocolate or other non - induction foods.

What I am wondering is, when I get down lower, and I try to go to phase 2 or 3 of atkins, will I have to re-lose that 6 lbs the way non-low carbers do? Meaning, does this water/glycogen not actual real loss or gain, and lets say i want to be 140, I will have to eat those normal foods, get to 146, and then lose those 6 pounds through a balanced diet, perhaps with a little lower carbs but not so low - 20 net per day?


Also, does the presence of glycogen/water prevent OR mask fat loss? Meaning if I have the same fat amount as before, maybe just a smidgen more, but gained 7 lbs of water and glycogens (and .5 of fat)... would I have to lose the glycogen BEFORE my body deals with the fat, or does it deal with it at the same time?


Just curious!! :)

~~Sarah

CN: Edited to say, I don't plan on being induction for the whole process, just for a while longer. What I mostly wonder is, when I stop using ketosis as my primary vehicle for fat loss (and instead just use a caloric deficit with exercise as a component), when I make this switch, how will it work?

Will I gain the 6 lbs of water weight/glycogen when I just eat balanced, and more carbs, and then have to relose that 6 lbs but not glycogen at that time, but instead it will be fat? Will glycogen get in the way of fat loss ? The other thing I am so curious about, is if what I just gained is mostly water/glycogen, and I go back to my diet today, will I be burning fat or glycogen or both? What determines whether it is fat or glycogen and at what rate ? LOL

Replies

  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    We all fluctuate +/- 2lbs daily at random, and fertile women with a menstrual cycle more so - largely because there isn't a tight control of water in the body. Diuretic diets like Atkins, or anything with low carb, reduce your water content.

    Glycogen will tend to be burned off by exercise along with fat, the more intense the exercise the bigger the proportion that will be glycogen. It will then be replenished. Liver glyvogen can be utilised anywhere in the body, muscle glycogen only in the relevant muscle.

    There's a table at http://www.brianmac.co.uk/esource.htm showing the split between fat and carbs as energy source.
  • Romans624
    Romans624 Posts: 822
    We all fluctuate +/- 2lbs daily at random, and fertile women with a menstrual cycle more so - largely because there isn't a tight control of water in the body. Diuretic diets like Atkins, or anything with low carb, reduce your water content.

    Glycogen will tend to be burned off by exercise along with fat, the more intense the exercise the bigger the proportion that will be glycogen. It will then be replenished. Liver glyvogen can be utilised anywhere in the body, muscle glycogen only in the relevant muscle.

    There's a table at http://www.brianmac.co.uk/esource.htm showing the split between fat and carbs as energy source.

    Just checked this tonight. Thank you for taking the time. I will look at that resource.
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