I lost 4.5 pounds in 2 days

bentobee
bentobee Posts: 321 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Did that title get your attention? :)

I actually have a question regarding this. Google has led me nowhere, hoping someone here might have a little info.

Early Monday afternoon I came down with what seemed to be a flu-like bug. Not stomach flu, but the real kind of flu, with fever and chills and body aches and non-stop sleep. Absolutely no appetite at all, the thought of food made my stomach churn. I had breakfast on Monday (multigrain toast, scrambled eggs, coffee) before I fell ill. I managed to eat a few crackers on Tuesday for a total calorie intake that day of 120. Wednesday I was on the mend and managed to eat 1700 calories (my BMR is 1850).

During this whole period I drank a lot of water. I have a past of serious kidney infection and I have to be hyper vigilant of staying hydrated. I do not think I became at all dehydrated during this sickness for a couple reasons - 1. I get crazy bad headaches if I am even slightly dehydrated and I never had a headache and 2. my pee remained colorless (sorry if that's TMI).

According to the scale this morning I have lost 4.5 pounds since Monday morning.

Now for the question:
If I trust the loss is not from dehydration, what is it likely to be attributed to? All muscle loss? (boo!) Any chance it could be fat loss?

Just curiosity for the most part! I know it will take a while for the scale to even back out as I resume normal eating and activity. This sickness killed my 3 month stint of 10K+ steps a day with my FitBit! Super bummed.

Replies

  • howardheilweil
    howardheilweil Posts: 604 Member
    I can't explain this scientifically, but it is dehydration. I was sick with the flu a couple of months ago and like you, wasn't eating anything, but continued drinking water like normal. I eventually felt so sick, I went to a walk-in clinic. Due to my high fever they sent me to the ER. To make a long story short, I was so dehydrated they could barely draw blood. I ended up spending the day in the ER with an IV to rehydrate. It absolutely never occurred to me that I was dehydrated as I felt like I was drinking plenty...
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    It's water weight and since you haven't eaten much your gut is emptier (is that a word). It will probably all come back in the next few days. It's not that you're dehydrated but that your extra water stores have been let go. As you start eating your body will start storing glycogen again and it will come back.
  • bentobee
    bentobee Posts: 321 Member
    I hope you guys are right. I would much rather have lost water weight than muscle weight.

    Though I do prefer my fantasy world where it was mostly fat and is now gone forever. :p
  • Rogstar
    Rogstar Posts: 216 Member
    Yeah, it's got to be water weight. Last winter I lost ~7 pounds in 2 days when I had Strep...very high fever. Only water, no food and very little calorie intake (except for 40 cal fruit popscicles...even those were struggles.) I gained it all back within a week. I was on a several month break from strenuous exercise anyway, so it didn't set met back too much.

    On the positive side though, after I recovered I felt stronger than ever! I felt more motivated afterwards and worked towards jogging a 5K that spring.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    It's water weight and since you haven't eaten much your gut is emptier (is that a word). It will probably all come back in the next few days. It's not that you're dehydrated but that your extra water stores have been let go. As you start eating your body will start storing glycogen again and it will come back.
    I agree. I think our bodies hold water in cells for all kinds of reasons that have nothing to do with how much water we do or don't drink. But if you didn't eat at all for 2 days that also might mean a pound or so was actually fat loss, who knows. Don't expect much.
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
    You're not going to lose 4.5 lbs of muscle in two days - not even in a coma.
  • bentobee
    bentobee Posts: 321 Member
    You're not going to lose 4.5 lbs of muscle in two days - not even in a coma.

    Well, that's a relief. LOL :)
  • bentobee
    bentobee Posts: 321 Member
    My weight initially rebounded by half, but then decreased by half again. So I'm overall still 3 pounds down from a week ago. I haven't logged it yet. Wondering how long I should give this before I accept it as a loss and carry on.

    If I was dehydrated how long should it take for that to smooth out? I drink a gallon of water a day. Other than a cup of coffee in the morning and a glass of green tea at lunch, water is all I drink.

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