"water weight"

goodgalpal
goodgalpal Posts: 17 Member
edited September 20 in Health and Weight Loss
I am having a hard time grasping "water weight". Is it true that the first 15 lbs or so is water weight?

I don't really understand this concept, or why you lose water (unless you have a fluid imbalance). Seems weird. Any way for you to explain this to me?

Does it mean that I am not really losing weight and I will just gain this water back for some reason? For what it's worth, I am morbidly obese right now and my ideal body weight would need me to lose about 130-140 lbs.

Replies

  • JJRunning
    JJRunning Posts: 146
    I don't know a lot about it, but whenever my sodium intake is high I feel bloated. My body's holding too much water! I'll be interested to see others posts though!
  • rikadee
    rikadee Posts: 2
    I did a little searching and found other responses on other sites. Hope that helps!

    http://caloriecount.about.com/water-weight-ft34360
    http://diet.lovetoknow.com/wiki/How_to_Lose_Water_Weight_Quickly
  • jeffreyrashad
    jeffreyrashad Posts: 22
    Drink lots of water. Water is the best diuretic you can give your body and it's all natural. If you are not drinking enough water during the course of the day, your body will go into survival mode and retain every drop it can, which will cause you to bloat. High sodium amounts in the diet cause you to retain water. Not getting enough protein in your diet can cause your body to retain water. Working out and drinking lots of water can help your body get rid of excess water (water weight loss) that u dont need to hold on to because you are replenishing. You will gain this water weight back if and when you neglect those areas(also, medicines such as steroids or estrogen replacement hormones can cause water retention, too!)
  • FireMonkey
    FireMonkey Posts: 500 Member
    I am having a hard time grasping "water weight". Is it true that the first 15 lbs or so is water weight?

    I don't really understand this concept, or why you lose water (unless you have a fluid imbalance). Seems weird. Any way for you to explain this to me?

    Does it mean that I am not really losing weight and I will just gain this water back for some reason? For what it's worth, I am morbidly obese right now and my ideal body weight would need me to lose about 130-140 lbs.

    When you reduce your calorie intake, your liver lets go of some of its glycogen stores it has saved up. When this happens, water gets released at the same time. It's different for everybody but I think around 5 pounds is average. That's only for the first week or so; after that, if you stick with the program, you do start to lose fat. :drinker:
  • goodgalpal
    goodgalpal Posts: 17 Member
    But what I don't understand is why your first part of weight loss is always considered "water". What if you were fat but drank enough each day prior to starting a weight loss plan?
  • lilchino4af
    lilchino4af Posts: 1,292 Member
    But what I don't understand is why your first part of weight loss is always considered "water". What if you were fat but drank enough each day prior to starting a weight loss plan?
    What do you consider drinking "enough" water each day? It's been said that 64 ounces of water of day is what you should aim for, but I think of that as a minimum. Honestly, you should drink half your body weight in ounces because that's what your body needs to maintain its daily functions (for me, that's 78 ounces). As you lose weight, the amount you drink will drop, but you definitely need all of that water per day. Also, you'll need to drink more if you workout to replenish what you sweat out, or if you go over your daily allotment of sodium in order to flush the excess amount out to prevent your body from retaining water.
  • kwardklinck
    kwardklinck Posts: 1,601
    I think the "water weight" we lose when we start a diet is the 3-5 pounds we lose when we first change our eating habits. I usually lose this amount in the first 3 days of starting a diet. We usually go from eating high-fat, high-sodium foods to eating healthier with proper amounts of carbs, fats, proteins, fiber etc. After the first few days, I think we're really starting to lose fat. I would never consider my first 10 pounds water-weight because I don't think my body would shrink so much if I was simply losing water. Try not to worry about this being not-permanent weight. The important thing is to keep up the healthy eating habits and the exercise even after you lose the weight you want to. Going back to your old eating habits will cause the weight to come back but if you go on maintenance and keep up the exercise routine, you should be able to maintain this weight loss.
  • suziblues2000
    suziblues2000 Posts: 515 Member
    I'm not really sure either, but I do know that when I started drinking enough water I started to feel better, loose weight and have energy.

    ALSO: CONGRATULATIONS on deciding to become fit!
  • Ahaverland
    Ahaverland Posts: 24
    That is a myth, the fist 15 is not water weight, if you are drinking plenty of fluids and have lost weight, that is your hard work showing off!!

    I have my degree in dietetics, I would normally find you some research to support what I said but I will be honest with you, I'm just not feeling it today ;)

    Good luck and good job!
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