Explain water weight?

Nedra19455
Nedra19455 Posts: 241 Member
in Getting Started
I hear/read all the time that "the first ____lbs are all just water, if course, but then you start to lose actual fat."

Why?

I don't understand why a change in diet and exercise would cause me to lose a lot of water? Can someone explain the mechanics of this? It seems to be very common knowledge and I have never understood it. Also, what time frame are we talking about? I have been losing weight for a month now -- has it all just been water or is the weight I am losing now actual fat?

Thanks!

Replies

  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
    Here's a decent explanation of water weight in relation to low carb diets: http://www.phlaunt.com/lowcarb/19058097.php

    The other problem with everyone is that we eat way more sodium than potassium in the standard diet and we should really be getting about twice as much potassium as sodium. That's why I track sodium and potassium on my diary. I have added a lot of "corrected for potassium" listings to the database so that it is easier to track. I have my diary set at 1,750 mg. of sodium and 3,500 mg. of potassium. I rarely make it to the adult recommended level of 4,000 mg. of potassium, but it is better than the 1,500 or so that most people get.
  • scubasuenc
    scubasuenc Posts: 626 Member
    Also, you can retain water when you start a new exercise routine. This is 'good' water weight as it is an increase in glycogen being stored in your muscles.

    One way to tell whether it is water weight vs real weight is to look at your deficits. I know that if I ate a deficit that should have me lose 2lbs this week, but the scale moved 4.5 lbs, chances are the extra was water. Similarly, I know that if I ate a deficit that should have me lose 2lbs this wee, but the scale moved .5 lbs, chances are I'm retaining water.

    Water retention can be impacted by many things. The sodium in the food we consume, hormonal variations or other physiological reasons. For example due to an old injury in my left leg it sometimes swells and retains fluid. The ankle and foot for that leg are noticeably larger and puffier than the other leg. I happen to be in one of those times right now, and I lost less weight than expected last week.
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
    And just as every gain is not "water weight" so every gain may not be fat OR water. Sometimes, it is lean body mass (muscle, bone. connective and internal tissue) that you are adding and that is very, very, very good. Body composition is everything. Two people could be 5'6" and 150 lbs. and look VERY different. One may be 35% body fat (obese) and the other 25% ("normal"). Adding lean body mass will make you burn more calories. It's sort of, the leaner your get, the leaner you get. The opposite is also true, the fatter you get, the fatter you get--because it takes many more calories to maintain a pound of lean body mass than a pound of fat.
  • mrslstage
    mrslstage Posts: 51 Member
    Thanks for the info!
  • amsparks0529
    amsparks0529 Posts: 6
    Hi, my name's Ann.

    Water weight is very common for us who are overweight for a couple of reasons.
    1) Most often, the foods we've eaten have been laden with sodium. Water follows sodium. That's why people with high blood pressure need to avoid sodium - so that water is not retained and increasing the pressure within the blood vessels due to the excess volume.
    2) The more overweight we are, the less our heart is able to handle the added stress of the vasculature required to "feed" all of those extra fat cells. So we accumulate excess water in the dependent areas of our bodies. Most often our feet/ankles and hands...

    Water can be IN the blood vessels, contributing to high blood pressure. Or, water can move by "osmosis" to "extra-cellular" spaces where it is called edema, or swelling. Early on, we don't even notice the excess water weight. IN FACT, we can gain up to a gallon of excess water, and show no signs of edema.

    What's REALLY STRANGE is, we can have a lot of edema, yet still be dehydrated. How? Because the water is in the extra-cellular spaces (between the cells of the tissues) instead of being in the circulation (within the blood vessels).

    Long story short, when we lose weight, often times we will lose water weight FIRST. It's a good thing because we all need to restrict our sodium to 1500mg daily (unless there is some specific reason our physician has told us not to restrict sodium). But also, as we lose fat, our hearts don't have to work so hard and the pumping power is more efficient.

    One of the best ways to get the water weight off, AND stick to your meal plan... drink more water! It really does mobilize the fluids in your body. Often times our bodies will hold onto water because they PERCEIVE being dehydrated... and the body HOLDS ON TO WATER for safety. So, unless you have a fluid restriction (because of heart disease or some other medical reason) drink lot's of water... some say, upwards of a gallon a day is good for weight loss.

    One last thing... often we eat thinking we are hungry. When in all reality we are thirsty. So, when we "feel hungry," it's good to drink a big glass of water and wait a while. Often times, our "hunger' will subside because we were actually thirsty!

    :)

Categories