Can drinking a gallon of water a day help lose weight or add water weight?

stylzemail wrote: »

Too much carbs -try 8 ounces portions.

What?

There's really no benefit in forcing yourself to drink water. Drinking more than you need just forces you to run to the restroom more often. Of course, if you drink a lot of water it could kill you, but that would be more than a gallon a day. Water by itself won't cause you to gain weight because to gain water weight there has to be something in your body for the water to attach itself to or a reason your cells don't release it.

How it would affect you depends on your current electrolyte balance and distribution, osmotic fluid shift, renal function ... etc, etc ... add other variables here.

The effects of drinking that much water would vary person to person.

katattackme wrote: »

Just curious because I have been doing everything right calorie wise but I gained weight.

Have you been eating less calories than you've burned?

Water is not a magic weight loss potion.

Best wishes. It can be confusing at first. The massive weight loss industry makes its living on giving out bad advice that keeps people dieting.

I definitely recommend reading the Helpful Posts:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300319/most-helpful-posts-general-diet-and-weight-loss-help-must-reads

Just eat what makes you satisfied within your calorie limit, and see a doctor if you have any health issues.

Try looking at the number on the scale as nothing but a data point, a piece of information. Your total weight isn't just "fat", it's also water, muscles, bones, undigested food, all kinds of stuff you have no control over. It's not the only way to measure success.

Hang in there

Weight fluctuations are completely normal. Depending on the day, I can gain anywhere from 3-8lbs just from food and water weight. Excess sodium can cause fluid retention as can increasing or starting a new exercise program. Completely normal, I weigh every day and use happy scale to record the trend.

Water does not help with weight loss.

And carbs do not cause fat gain. That's just silly talk.


With water, the best way to see if you're hydrated is to monitor your urine colour. Seriously. Aim for straw coloured. Anything darker than straw coloured indicates that you need to drink more water. If your urine is clear, back off. Over hydration can be dangerous as you end up diluting your electrolytes,

Don't go by arbitrary numbers. Listen to your body.

katattackme wrote: »

3 days now but I'm going to stop weighing myself everyday

That sounds like a good plan. Some people like to weigh daily or even multiple times a day, but you need to keep in mind that daily measurements tell more about that day than they do long-term weight patterns. Some people like to weigh before and after exercise so they know how much water they need to replace. Doing that they will see large fluctuations, but over several weeks those fluctuations will trend in one direction or another. It is that trend that is actual body fat loss or gain.

katattackme wrote: »

I was just sad I gained weight.

It can take up to 4-6 weeks to see results with a new exercise regimen. Though most do in 2-3 weeks. Micro tears in your muscles will cause inflammation which causes water to rush into those areas to help heal them. You are gaining results, but you may not see them for awhile. Once your body adjusts to your new routine, it will settle down but it doesn't mean it will be linear. You could lose no weight for two weeks then that very next week drop 6 lbs. (Then gain it all back during THAT time of the month) only to drop it plus 2 more when it's all over. (This all depends on how much you are aiming to lose per week. This example is extreme.. 2 lbs a week). It all averages out in the long run.

The longer you have remained sedentary, the longer it can take for your body to adjust to its new environment.