Water Weight

Options
etherealanwar
etherealanwar Posts: 465 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Over the past weekend I went above my usual calories of 1200 and hit 1700 on Friday and Saturday and as a result gained 3 lbs. I'm assuming this is water weight because I weighed 188.4 initially and my height is 5'4...giving me a maintenance around 1800. So far none of the weight has dropped so I was wondering how long should I expect it to take?

On average how has you experience been with your own water weight gains?

Replies

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Options
    If I have a couple of days of going over my calorie goal, that can sometimes be 4-6 days for me. It isn't just the water weight from potentially getting more sodium and carbohydrates than usual, there is also the extra food itself that is still in your body.
  • murp4069
    murp4069 Posts: 494 Member
    Options
    2 days generally, up to about a week depending on how the next few days after overeating go.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    edited January 2018
    Options
    500 calories over does not equate 3lbs gain. It'll be from high sodium foods or more carbs than usual. It'll be gone in a few days as this is perfectly normal.

    For me one Chinese takeaway meal means water weight of 2lbs for 2 days
  • crb426
    crb426 Posts: 657 Member
    Options
    It could also be your regular female weight fluctuations, because yay hormones! ;)
  • etherealanwar
    etherealanwar Posts: 465 Member
    Options
    crb426 wrote: »
    It could also be your regular female weight fluctuations, because yay hormones! ;)

    Honestly it's so hard for me to gauge whether its my hormones because ever since getting my iud my period has been way out of whack. I can miss a couple months, have a short period or a much longer one...I never know what to expect :(
  • azkabanned
    azkabanned Posts: 79 Member
    Options
    I had the opposite problem where sometimes I leave a very light but stretchy hot yoga practice 2lb lighter, got extremely excited but realized it was just water weight :(
  • gcaracciolo2
    gcaracciolo2 Posts: 130 Member
    Options
    I hear ya..... But at the end of the day, your main focus should be on your trends of weight loss and gains. Where it's trending over time is the best way to measure impacts and see if your plan is working.
  • etherealanwar
    etherealanwar Posts: 465 Member
    Options
    gcaracciolo2 wrote: »
    I hear ya..... But at the end of the day, your main focus should be on your trends of weight loss and gains. Where it's trending over time is the best way to measure impacts and see if your plan is working.

    Yeah this is true but I'd also like to figure out how certain foods and amounts of sodium/carbs affect my water weight and what I should expect in terms of length of time before I return to normal. Just for my own sanity's sake really.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
    edited January 2018
    Options
    etherealanwar wrote: »
    gcaracciolo2 wrote: »
    I hear ya..... But at the end of the day, your main focus should be on your trends of weight loss and gains. Where it's trending over time is the best way to measure impacts and see if your plan is working.

    Yeah this is true but I'd also like to figure out how certain foods and amounts of sodium/carbs affect my water weight and what I should expect in terms of length of time before I return to normal. Just for my own sanity's sake really.

    certain foods can affect water weight...but, your body is comprised of 50-65% water and that is always in flux all on it's own...so there's not really a "returning to normal"...your body weight fluctuates all on it's own naturally which is completely normal and not something one should obsess about unless you just want to go bat *kitten* crazy...

    Not to mention, if you ingest more food, you are going to inherently have more waste in your system..food and waste have mass and thus, weight would show on a scale...
  • etherealanwar
    etherealanwar Posts: 465 Member
    Options
    cwolfman13 wrote: »

    certain foods can affect water weight...but, your body is comprised of 50-65% water and that is always in flux all on it's own...so there's not really a "returning to normal"...your body weight fluctuates all on it's own naturally which is completely normal and not something one should obsess about unless you just want to go bat *kitten* crazy...

    Not to mention, if you ingest more food, you are going to inherently have more waste in your system..food and waste have mass and thus, weight would show on a scale...


    But there's a typical range of weight you're in which is what I was referring to when I mentioned going back to normal. I understand the rest of what you were saying it's just hard to know if you've lost anything when its masked by these variables haha
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,558 Member
    Options
    etherealanwar wrote: »
    gcaracciolo2 wrote: »
    I hear ya..... But at the end of the day, your main focus should be on your trends of weight loss and gains. Where it's trending over time is the best way to measure impacts and see if your plan is working.

    Yeah this is true but I'd also like to figure out how certain foods and amounts of sodium/carbs affect my water weight and what I should expect in terms of length of time before I return to normal. Just for my own sanity's sake really.

    Everyone's a little different when it comes to water weight triggers & timing. The best route to self-knowledge is to weigh daily under consistent circumstances, log in a weight trend app (Libra, Happy Scale, Trendweight, etc.), watch for a while & learn.

    Not what you wanted to hear, I'm sure, . . . but true. ;)

    Best wishes!
  • db121215
    db121215 Posts: 60 Member
    Options
    I was 146.4lbs Friday morning. Ate light all day until dinner. Had jalepeno poppers/blue cheese and washed them down with two martinis. Great night. Saturday morning I was 149.

    I drink half my weight in water daily. I find this beneficial. And also find that a few days after my throw down meal, the scale returns to normal. This morning, after being back on the saddle through the weekend, I'm 144.9. Pre-cheesy fried vodka heaven weight. I certainly didn't lose 1.5lbs since Friday morning. I probably had more sodium on Thursday or perhaps a more dense meal the night before that was still in my body.

    Moral - weight water is normal, not much you can do to prevent it. It will come and go...just keep on fighting the good fight. For me, downing water is key to flushing and feeling good.
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
    edited January 2018
    Options
    etherealanwar wrote: »
    gcaracciolo2 wrote: »
    I hear ya..... But at the end of the day, your main focus should be on your trends of weight loss and gains. Where it's trending over time is the best way to measure impacts and see if your plan is working.

    Yeah this is true but I'd also like to figure out how certain foods and amounts of sodium/carbs affect my water weight and what I should expect in terms of length of time before I return to normal. Just for my own sanity's sake really.

    I am a big fan of data like this - you really just need to keep logging and figure out your own patterns, because every body is different. That said (and apologies if I'm misinterpreting), you said in the OP "I went above my usual calories of 1200 and hit 1700 on Friday and Saturday and as a result gained 3 lbs." Simply going over your usual calories a couple of days in a row is not necessarily going to lead to a gain in water weight. It's entirely possible to eat over your goal and still lose weight, as long as you're still under maintenance (which you were, it sounds like).
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
    Options
    Short answer for me is about 3-4 days. Had a big feed 2 days ago and still have a bit to come off.
  • db121215
    db121215 Posts: 60 Member
    Options
    MegaMooseEsq wrote: »
    etherealanwar wrote: »
    gcaracciolo2 wrote: »
    I hear ya..... But at the end of the day, your main focus should be on your trends of weight loss and gains. Where it's trending over time is the best way to measure impacts and see if your plan is working.

    Yeah this is true but I'd also like to figure out how certain foods and amounts of sodium/carbs affect my water weight and what I should expect in terms of length of time before I return to normal. Just for my own sanity's sake really.

    I am a big fan of data like this - you really just need to keep logging and figure out your own patterns, because every body is different. That said (and apologies if I'm misinterpreting), you said in the OP "I went above my usual calories of 1200 and hit 1700 on Friday and Saturday and as a result gained 3 lbs." Simply going over your usual calories a couple of days in a row is not necessarily going to lead to a gain in water weight. It's entirely possible to eat over your goal and still lose weight, as long as you're still under maintenance (which you were, it sounds like).

    I ASSumed the over calorie food was sodium rich? Agreed with what you're saying about going over will not cause water gain in and of itself.
  • toxikon
    toxikon Posts: 2,384 Member
    Options
    Water weight and poop. Nothing to worry about. :) Follow the weight trends over weeks and months. As long as it's slowly heading downwards, you're doing great.
  • etherealanwar
    etherealanwar Posts: 465 Member
    Options
    Yeah you're correct it was high in sodium and I'm aware I was still in a deficit albeit a much smaller one and that water weight doesn't just come on due to a higher amount of calories. It's day 5 since the 3lbs increase and I have .5 lbs left to drop! Took longer than expected but ah well, least now I know sort of what to expect.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,558 Member
    Options
    db121215 wrote: »
    MegaMooseEsq wrote: »
    etherealanwar wrote: »
    gcaracciolo2 wrote: »
    I hear ya..... But at the end of the day, your main focus should be on your trends of weight loss and gains. Where it's trending over time is the best way to measure impacts and see if your plan is working.

    Yeah this is true but I'd also like to figure out how certain foods and amounts of sodium/carbs affect my water weight and what I should expect in terms of length of time before I return to normal. Just for my own sanity's sake really.

    I am a big fan of data like this - you really just need to keep logging and figure out your own patterns, because every body is different. That said (and apologies if I'm misinterpreting), you said in the OP "I went above my usual calories of 1200 and hit 1700 on Friday and Saturday and as a result gained 3 lbs." Simply going over your usual calories a couple of days in a row is not necessarily going to lead to a gain in water weight. It's entirely possible to eat over your goal and still lose weight, as long as you're still under maintenance (which you were, it sounds like).

    I ASSumed the over calorie food was sodium rich? Agreed with what you're saying about going over will not cause water gain in and of itself.

    Not just sodium, but extra carbs or physical volume of food can bump up scale weight. (Carbs and sodium have an effect even if a perfectly healthy amount, even within calorie goal, just more than usual).

    It's hard to eat 1000 extra calories without noticeably increasing any of carbs, sodium or physical weight of food. ;)

    Won't keep you from losing fat, if still below maintenance . . . but the fat loss will be masked by water weight or digestive systrm contents, until the latter drop off.

Categories