An illustration to help understand water weight
CattOfTheGarage
Posts: 2,745 Member
I know a lot of people struggle with the idea of water weight, and remain convinced that if the scale goes up, they've gained actual fat, and if the scale goes down, they've lost fat, when it just isn't that simple.
In the hope it might help, I've used my mad Powerpoint skillz to create these diagrams, which give a (horribly oversimplified) illustration of what's actually going on. As the slides say, you don't actually have a water tank in your body - the water is distributed through all your tissues - but it makes it easier to visualise.
And I made up this salutary tale of what happens when someone starts losing weight for the first time, and is taken by surprise by the naughty water weight and its mischievous tricks:
I hope this helps! Next time the scale does something weird and frightening, remember - it's probably just your water tank filling up.
In the hope it might help, I've used my mad Powerpoint skillz to create these diagrams, which give a (horribly oversimplified) illustration of what's actually going on. As the slides say, you don't actually have a water tank in your body - the water is distributed through all your tissues - but it makes it easier to visualise.
And I made up this salutary tale of what happens when someone starts losing weight for the first time, and is taken by surprise by the naughty water weight and its mischievous tricks:
I hope this helps! Next time the scale does something weird and frightening, remember - it's probably just your water tank filling up.
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Replies
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As you said, very simple, but it works! It might be helpful if this were stickied. Some people just don't get it even when you explain it because they learn better with visuals than words.0
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Omfg thank you so much!!!!0
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This has explained everything that I don't understand.0
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Good work, OP! Super helpful.0
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This explains why I couldn't find the water tank during the surgery I performed last week.0
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I can't concentrate on what you're saying, because your avatar is a guinea pig, and guinea pigs are all that matters in the world.0
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I love the bottom where it says not for surgery, humans don't have water tanks. That made me smile0
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skilz. u haz them.0
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Love this!0
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Thankyou for this, my weight is fluctuating yet my body shape has changed, I'll definitely increase my water now0
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janentmurray wrote: »Thankyou for this, my weight is fluctuating yet my body shape has changed, I'll definitely increase my water now
Increasing water won't stop it fluctuating, I'm afraid! It's just a fact of life. But hopefully this will stop you worrying about it.
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So good! I put on 3lbs this week after an awful cold and then suddenly being able to eat again...but I've lost an inch off my waist in the last fee weeks...this is such a good tool to get back perspective and remind myself no real results are instant
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Really glad people found this helpful0
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Very helpful! Good job, I like it, thank you!0
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Gotta keep the old backside covered, eh?
Like the free coasters I got from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch, decorated with images of marine charts, and at the bottom, in moderately large letters, "Not to be used for navigation."
On a coaster.0 -
Jeez. Liability has become crazy. My fav is the warning I saw on one of those cardboard sunscreens you can put up in your car's windshield to keep the temp down when it's parked. It said: Not to be used while operating car.CattOfTheGarage wrote: »Gotta keep the old backside covered, eh?
Like the free coasters I got from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch, decorated with images of marine charts, and at the bottom, in moderately large letters, "Not to be used for navigation."
On a coaster.
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Ok Mr now we need a graphic for people who eat 500 calories a day and exercise 12 hours a day, 8 days a week and they still can't lose the pounds!0
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+2727372718 for mad power point skillz0
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gemdiver00 wrote: »Ok Mr now we need a graphic for people who eat 500 calories a day and exercise 12 hours a day, 8 days a week and they still can't lose the pounds!
Why should we make a graphic for something that doesn't exist?0 -
stevencloser wrote: »gemdiver00 wrote: »Ok Mr now we need a graphic for people who eat 500 calories a day and exercise 12 hours a day, 8 days a week and they still can't lose the pounds!
Why should we make a graphic for something that doesn't exist?
There is one already, it's the video that's posted on dozens of threads.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY
And also this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA9AdlhB18o
Osric
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Bump.0
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Bumpity bump. This needs more visibility.0
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gemdiver00 wrote: »Ok Mr now we need a graphic for people who eat 500 calories a day and exercise 12 hours a day, 8 days a week and they still can't lose the pounds!
Couple of groups for those kinda people
1. People who think they only eat 500 calories and not weigh their food.
2. And some of them are also the kind of people who come here and tell they only eat 500 calories while they eat and not log.
3. Than you have also the group that trolls around and post those kind of threads.
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bump that ishhh.0
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I like it, nice and simple. However, I am a little disappointed that I can't use it to teach anatomy. Can someone provide a more accurate map of where the water tank is located?OsricTheKnight wrote: »stevencloser wrote: »gemdiver00 wrote: »Ok Mr now we need a graphic for people who eat 500 calories a day and exercise 12 hours a day, 8 days a week and they still can't lose the pounds!
Why should we make a graphic for something that doesn't exist?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA9AdlhB18o
Osric
I want some of this doubly labelled water. Just for a few days. It would help take some of the guesswork out.0 -
nutmegoreo wrote: »I want some of this doubly labelled water. Just for a few days. It would help take some of the guesswork out.
This UK based business will send you the water and do the labwork for you. I am not sure it'd be worth the cost, but there is a way to get a quote from them on the page I have linked.
For myself, I rely on trendweight.com's analysis. I think it's plenty accurate once you have a straight trendline. For me it currently says:
You are losing 2.0 lbs/week of total weight.
You are burning 977 cal/day more than you eat.
My trendline currently looks like this:
My last 14 days of deficit, according to my logging vs my bodymedia tracking, average 1285. Do I think I could be failing to log 300 kcals/day? Absolutely. I guesstimate a lot, and I believe the 977 deficit based on my chart is much more accurate than the 1285 deficit based on my logging. But the two are close enough given all the possible sources of error.
Osric
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I've read on here from several users who like trendweight. I will look at it. I miss my BodyMedia. The band broke after they stopped making them. I haven't been able to replace it. Currently looking at some options for my recent recommitment to the process. Thank-you! 0
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OsricTheKnight wrote: »stevencloser wrote: »gemdiver00 wrote: »Ok Mr now we need a graphic for people who eat 500 calories a day and exercise 12 hours a day, 8 days a week and they still can't lose the pounds!
Why should we make a graphic for something that doesn't exist?
There is one already, it's the video that's posted on dozens of threads.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY
And also thishttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA9AdlhB18o
Osric
Wowee why haven't I seen these before?0 -
OsricTheKnight wrote: »stevencloser wrote: »gemdiver00 wrote: »Ok Mr now we need a graphic for people who eat 500 calories a day and exercise 12 hours a day, 8 days a week and they still can't lose the pounds!
Why should we make a graphic for something that doesn't exist?
There is one already, it's the video that's posted on dozens of threads.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY
And also thishttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KA9AdlhB18o
Osric
Those videos are awesome!
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This discussion has been closed.
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