Water and weight loss

hm. that is strange, i stopped drinking soda, and have lost weight...and i've upped my water intake to between 8-10 cups/day.

Wish i had a better response for you!

All I know is that diet soda is LOADED with sodium (and i can't stand the artificial sweetner taste)

There could have been any # of things that contributed to initial weight gain.

A lot of people run around partially dehydrated, and don't even know it. So when they begin to drink a lot of water, they retain some initially. But it usually goes away in a week or so.

You may have been eating a lot of sodium laden foods, which cause water retention. So when you added the water on top of the sodium, the scale went up.

Time of year/month may also have exacerbated the problem too.

Water is still the best thing for you though. I used to drink a pitcher a day of unsweetened iced tea. But when my doctor suggested I lay off the caffeine, I switched primarily to water and decaf or herbal teas. But I do still have an occasional cup of regular coffee or tea too.

Wow. I'm surprised by this, and can't resist asking if you guys are really sure you didn't change anything else. When I was pregnant and retained water, my doctor told me that drinking more would cause my body to realize it didn't need to hold on to the water, and it would release it. It seemed to work.

That being said, I NEVER drank water unless I was made to until I started MFP. I made it through the first few months by treating my 8 glasses of water like medicine--drink one every couple of hours like it was a dosage. After awhile, I finally got so I could stand it (if not enjoy it) as a regular beverage. I decided to eliminate most of the artificial stuff I was putting in my body, so I began drinking coffee and tea without sweetener, and allowing myself only one diet soda in the evening as a treat. It really helped me to eliminate my sweet cravings (which seems weird, but there you have it), and I now drink mostly water or unsweetened coffee or tea.

So I don't have an answer to your issue, but can say your experience is certainly not universal.

If you never ever drank water before, could it be that you were dehydrated and now your body is hanging out to everything it can get? Kinda like when you go into starvation mode and your body holds on the everythign you put in it?

I used to be addicted to diet pop, but a nutrionalist told me to stop drinking it immediately. She said it actually makes you put on weight because it is full of chemicals and sugars that your body doesn't understand and therefore sees as a toxin. Toxins make your body hang onto fat.

Keep at it with the water, and I'm sure your body will kindly follow soon!!

Good luck!!

Wow. I'm surprised by this, and can't resist asking if you guys are really sure you didn't change anything else. When I was pregnant and retained water, my doctor told me that drinking more would cause my body to realize it didn't need to hold on to the water, and it would release it. It seemed to work.

That being said, I NEVER drank water unless I was made to until I started MFP. I made it through the first few months by treating my 8 glasses of water like medicine--drink one every couple of hours like it was a dosage. After awhile, I finally got so I could stand it (if not enjoy it) as a regular beverage. I decided to eliminate most of the artificial stuff I was putting in my body, so I began drinking coffee and tea without sweetener, and allowing myself only one diet soda in the evening as a treat. It really helped me to eliminate my sweet cravings (which seems weird, but there you have it), and I now drink mostly water or unsweetened coffee or tea.

So I don't have an answer to your issue, but can say your experience is certainly not universal.

Nope, I haven't changed anything else. I have MAJOR issues with this (not just with dieting)
During my pregnancy I was hospitalized for hypertension. I had excessive weight gain (due to water retention). My body will NOT let go of water (and i don't know why?). They put me on a NO SALT diet and I still held on to every single ounce of water. I drank and drank and drank water and my body just held on for dear life. They ended up having to put me on pills (diaretics) and even then, I wasn't letting go. I had major health issues and they never understood why. It's confusing to me.

If your body doesn't get rid of water the way it's supposed to you may have a problem with your lymph nodes or kidneys. Obviously there's something that isn't working properly within your body. You should go back to the doctor, or find a new one if necessary because this is obviously a serious problem. You NEED to drink water. Drinking nothing but diet soda is not going to allow your body to function properly and can only lead to more health problems.