Water retention *sigh*

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yirara
yirara Posts: 9,389 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I know it's only water retention, but this certainly is a record for me: two short 90 minute flights and 2 nights in a hotel with terrible food = around 2kg of water weight gained. Oh well... Actually, for the first night it was ok and my weight stayed the same (there was a scale in my room). Second afternoon still ok, then I ordered a burger with fries and my weight went up bigtime and is only now coming down slowly again. Wow! Never had such a massive water gain since being on MFP.

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  • astralpictures
    astralpictures Posts: 218 Member
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    I gained 8 lbs on the scale from over-indulging Memorial Day weekend. I didn't log my calories, but from my estimates, it could have been about 3500-5000 calories total over maintenance (so about 1-1.5 lbs of potential fat). The rest is water weight and glycogen stores being replenished, but it sucks that none of it is coming off quickly.

    I know we always say water retention, but I was wondering if anyone has any scholarly articles on the actual science behind it to share. I'm curious to read the mechanics of how it works from a scientific perspective.

    It also makes sense why people should aim 5-10 lbs below their goal weight, because once they hit maintenance, there will be a rapid increase on the scale.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
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    I gained 3.4 lbs overnight last night without eating high sodium or over indulging in anything. And that's not even uncommon anymore since I hit perimenopause. :/

    Water weight sucks!
  • astralpictures
    astralpictures Posts: 218 Member
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    The worst part is that it's not just the scales either. I gained an inch around my mid-section from slight bloating, and I could feel it in my shirts the last 2 days. I am pounding down some water today to see if that helps release it.
  • georginabain
    georginabain Posts: 20 Member
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    Hey there! Water retention does suck & weighing yourself at random times of the day is super discouraging!

    I heard that for the most accurate weight you wake up, use the bathroom & weight yourself first thing in the morning. Also, I have also been told to only weigh yourself once a week, not every day.

    These are just a few things I have read & seem to help me.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,389 Member
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    You know what's annoying? I decided to wear a new pair of trousers during the flight: rather tight and non-stretchy sigh... yes, I did notice that. Was holding onto the weight until now where I took a hot bath to cook out what might become a cold. Lets see how things look tomorrow.

    Btw, I'm sure I did not overeat, though oversalt I did. After that fatal dinner I went for a run as usual. At 40 degrees C though! New record. Anyway, yes, water retention sucks.
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
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    Salt. It does wonderful things to the scale.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
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    We have had a couple of hot and humid days so of course I put on 1.5 lb of water weight. Oh well, at least I get a whoosh when it cools off again.
  • Ocrgrrrl
    Ocrgrrrl Posts: 189 Member
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    Dandelion root tea can work wonders! :)
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,389 Member
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    earlnabby wrote: »
    We have had a couple of hot and humid days so of course I put on 1.5 lb of water weight. Oh well, at least I get a whoosh when it cools off again.

    Hmm it's constantly hot here, at least until winter. I think my normal water level is rather one of very mild dehydration.
  • Barbosas77
    Barbosas77 Posts: 100 Member
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    I was told that pineapple skins boiled in water then drink a cup 3x a day will reduce water, I tried it and actually worked! peed all day lol thats the only negative about it especially if you work at a desk job like me. :neutral:
  • astralpictures
    astralpictures Posts: 218 Member
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    yirara wrote: »
    earlnabby wrote: »
    We have had a couple of hot and humid days so of course I put on 1.5 lb of water weight. Oh well, at least I get a whoosh when it cools off again.

    Hmm it's constantly hot here, at least until winter. I think my normal water level is rather one of very mild dehydration.

    If you think you're dehydrated, you definitely should drink more water to not only help with retention, but also other medical issues that can come with chronic dehydration. The quick test is to check the color of your urine. Darker yellow to brown means you're dehydrated, like usually when you go first thing in the morning. A lighter yellow to straw color means good hydration. Clear means over-hydrated and can also lead to issues. There are a rainbow of other colors that could mean many things as well, but we don't need to get into that ;-)
  • gabrielleelliott90
    gabrielleelliott90 Posts: 854 Member
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    It annoys me too. Just weight yourself once a month, after your period (about two days), empty stomach, empty bladder, naked.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,389 Member
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    astralpictures wrote: »
    yirara wrote: »
    earlnabby wrote: »
    We have had a couple of hot and humid days so of course I put on 1.5 lb of water weight. Oh well, at least I get a whoosh when it cools off again.

    Hmm it's constantly hot here, at least until winter. I think my normal water level is rather one of very mild dehydration.

    If you think you're dehydrated, you definitely should drink more water to not only help with retention, but also other medical issues that can come with chronic dehydration. The quick test is to check the color of your urine. Darker yellow to brown means you're dehydrated, like usually when you go first thing in the morning. A lighter yellow to straw color means good hydration. Clear means over-hydrated and can also lead to issues. There are a rainbow of other colors that could mean many things as well, but we don't need to get into that ;-)

    Don't worry, it's not that bad! I also look at how much pertentage water I lose from running. I'm still far from 1 percent so that's ok. Of course I drink a lot.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,859 Member
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    gabrielleelliott90 wrote: »
    It annoys me too. Just weight yourself once a month, after your period (about two days), empty stomach, empty bladder, naked.

    I actually prefer weighing myself every day so I can see the patterns. Same time of day, empty stomach, empty bladder, naked.

    I notice the period pattern ... the strenuous exercise pattern ...

    And because I see the patterns, I'm OK with them.

  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,389 Member
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    Ok, lost most of the water weight again. Phew... it's a bit annoying as I'm trying to find my maintenance calories, and they seem to be around 300kcal higher than what scoobies and all the other calculators give me.

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