HYDRATION INDEX "elevated"

I had my first body composition analysis done with a trainer and my hydration index is at 13.1. This was done at the YMCA. Apparently being between 0 and 9 (single digits) is good but being in the double digits is concerning. I've been exercising and losing weight for 10 weeks. I feel great and I don't look "swollen". Sometimes my legs get a little swollen at the end of the day but that's if I went over on sodium the day before. I'm really conscious of my sodium intake. I also hydrate well and feel really good honestly.

So, he asked me to consult with my MD and I am going in tomorrow.

Has anyone had water retention to an elevated level like this? Apparently he's only had two other clients with a double digit number. One had a health issue that she was aware of. The other had a suspicion of something being wrong and had it checked out. Then, there's me. Yes, it does make me a little nervous. I am a nurse and I know I'm not ignoring any symptoms. I don't have any.

Replies

  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
    I'd wait until you get more refined results. The equipment that most gyms use to do body composition tests is, from what I've heard (*), an "estimate" at best. If you have no symptoms, then if there is a problem it should be something pretty easy to deal with.

    (*) I've never actually done one, but several friends have received fairly alarming results and they and their medical professionals have had a good laugh later once some medically-valid test results showed that the gym's equipment was in Chicken Little Mode and the panic subsided.
  • 120weeks
    120weeks Posts: 242 Member
    Your input was wise. Thanks so much! My doctor didn't have a frame of reference to go by (of course, it's not a test used in medicine) and she said I was doing great. That is, urine is normal/labs are pending. I'm not really an alarmist, but I wanted answers before I started to go more gung ho on my workouts. And, it's been a while since I've been to a GP, so it was good I "just.did.it".

    Thanks again!
  • Melissat33
    Melissat33 Posts: 53
    This was the only thing on line for hydration index mine was 40.68 my husbands was -5.23 since there is no chart online I have no idea what any of this means
  • My daughter, 16, has been experiencing some symptoms for about 36 hrs. that were correlating with her period, which as a nurse, indicated to me that possibly she was dropping her BP for some underlying diagnosis I didn’t know about yet. Being as it was 2000 (at night) and of course, doctor offices are not open unless you want to go to the ER and this situation only needed symptoms checked, not an ER visit. So I took her to the BP machine, in the Fred Meyer pharmacy, and to our surprise we found a new machine but thought "what the hell" and continued on. Even though I really only wand her BP and HR, I did 2 other tests that were offered; the body fat and Hydration Index. Which I have to admit, after 4 years of school, I had never heard of a Hydration Index. (Even though I attended school 17 years ago and don't remember this being mentioned in any con't education!) Her BP of 103/66 and HR at 89bpm were excellent. Her BMI and lb. was good at 120 lbs. and 22.7%. Now a Hydration Index of -1.61, I am completely unsure of. Wherever I have looked, on the internet, I can't found an actual chart that states at this BMI, with this weight, BP and HR, this is the Hydration Index that this specific person should have. As a nurse, I'm sure I should know this, once again, but once we joined the USN and our children started Kindergarten, I refrained from working and I miss it every day! It was a passion of mine especially the geriatric but that's not the principal of the question. In conclusion, has anyone runs across even a simple chart that explains a passable, good, better and great Hydration Index. Please post for others to learn from but for a favor for me, who you don’t know at all, would you please pretty please email me the site. I would greatly appreciate it and my email is prc_wife@yahoo.com Also, I’d like for myself because mine was 6.03 Hydration Index