10lbs gone, is it water?

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Nykkismommy21
Nykkismommy21 Posts: 224 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi, so as of this morning I have been extremely overjoyed over losing my first 10 lbs. I eat 1500 calories or less, I do strength training every night, and walk 4 miles 5x a week. As I have been reading through the forums ,I notice when people claim to be happy over their first months weight loss,many others are there to let them know it's probably water. Is this true? And how do you know.

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  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    some of it could be water weight...

    but usually that is said when someone is like " I lost 5lbs in the first week"...

    you sound like you are going at it in a safe and sustainable manner with 1500 calories and strength training.

    And on that note...you know it's not a lot of water because the strength training actually holds water/glycogen stores in the muscle for healing...

    congrats.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
    edited August 2017
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    Some of it is...

    Most of those comments are in regards to large weight loss numbers in the first week or two...ie someone loses 10 Lbs in the first week...most of that is water...you know because mathematically it's impossible to lose 5 or 10 Lbs in the first week...
  • Tried30UserNames
    Tried30UserNames Posts: 561 Member
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    It is likely some fat and some water. Either way, you've lost weight so congratulations on your hard work this first month.

    If your strength training and walking are a new routine for you, you may have gained a couple pounds of fluid. If the dieting is new, you will have lost a few pounds of fluid. And with the calorie restriction and exercise, you will have lost quite a few pounds of fat. I don't think there's a way to know specifically and exactly what is fat and what is fluid, but just know you weigh less and are getting smaller. You probably won't lose more than about 2 lbs per week of actual fat unless you are morbidly obese. It may be less than 2 lbs of fat per week if you are smaller.
  • myfitnessjourneyto180
    myfitnessjourneyto180 Posts: 93 Member
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    Every day have the same conditions when you weigh-in. Take a piss in the morning and wear your undergarments (without having eaten anything) and you'll be decently accurate. Sometimes, you won't see any results until a short cheat-day of a decent-sized meal and your body has an effect (forgot the name, but you can easily google it), where the loose areas of your body on the diet tighten and your weight goes down (as it should). This could mean seeing no change for an entire week or up to a month and then one day you go down drastically (few pounds or close to 10).

    I think the water-weight is usually for like up to the first week or two of an extreme diet (ex. water diet). I recommend just use the scale as a motivator, keep the same conditions, and if you're in it for looks besides the health, then just see how the look of your weight makes you feel then go from there.
  • tabletop_joe
    tabletop_joe Posts: 455 Member
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    10 lbs/month is a reasonable and sane rate of loss. Was some of it water? Probably, especially early on. I think most people who point out the water weight phenomenon do so to let the poster know that the first month can be a rapid loss time and folks shouldn't expect to continue to lose at that rate. And others just like to let the air out of tires. ;)

    Congrats on a successful first month, it sounds like you've made a lot of positive changes!
  • Nykkismommy21
    Nykkismommy21 Posts: 224 Member
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    SezxyStef wrote: »
    some of it could be water weight...

    but usually that is said when someone is like " I lost 5lbs in the first week"...

    you sound like you are going at it in a safe and sustainable manner with 1500 calories and strength training.

    And on that note...you know it's not a lot of water because the strength training actually holds water/glycogen stores in the muscle for healing...

    congrats.

    Awww thank you soo much!! Definetley what I needed to hear!!
  • Nykkismommy21
    Nykkismommy21 Posts: 224 Member
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    tabletop_joe wrote: »
    10 lbs/month is a reasonable and sane rate of loss. Was some of it water? Probably, especially early on. I think most people who point out the water weight phenomenon do so to let the poster know that the first month can be a rapid loss time and folks shouldn't expect to continue to lose at that rate. And others just like to let the air out of tires. ;)

    Congrats on a successful first month, it sounds like you've made a lot of positive changes!

    Thank you!! I definetley have made some positive changes,and my walks are killer( I push a double stroller with two heavy lil toddlers, one is in school, he is 4 in TK, and my other big boy is 3, still too young to walk 4 miles with momma,so I drop off my 4 yr old at school but meanwhile that stroller is heaaavyyy!!! Lol, then we drop him off and continue for another 2and a half or more miles. The last miles in is after I pick up my son from school. So I definetley hope that is helping me lose some fat!!!
  • Nykkismommy21
    Nykkismommy21 Posts: 224 Member
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    Thank you all for commenting!! You all were great and have helped keep my joy over my loss!!
  • robm1brown
    robm1brown Posts: 71 Member
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    I am water weight bloke. 9 lbs in week 1. One bingy Saturday and only just got it back by the end of my second week :)
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
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    I lost ten pounds during my first month reducing calories too. Some of it was definitely water, as I really wasn't eating at a deficit large enough to account for the whole ten pounds, but it was still a nice kick-off. I think people mention it as a caution not to expect one's loss to necessarily continue at that rate. I didn't change my average calories between month one and month two but lost just under two pounds the second month (I was basically aiming for maintenance anyhow).

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