Don't quite understand what "water weight" is

Kimblesnbits
Kimblesnbits Posts: 321 Member
edited October 5 in Health and Weight Loss
So when someone says, "oh you'll lose it fast cuz it's all water weight" from thanksgiving what does that mean?! I dont think i drink enough water to gain water weight! Does that mean all the food I ate from thanksgiving is just a fake gain?! I never understood what water weight meant, someone explain please! Thanks! :). Edit: and maybe I should add that I pee like 10-15 times a day without drinking so much water, so I dunno how I could ever retain or hold on to water!

Replies

  • JessiJean
    JessiJean Posts: 1,207 Member
    When you eat sodium, your body retains water. If you don't drink enough water to flush out the sodium, your body will retain water. If it is water weight, limit sodium and drink more water and it will come off in a day or two.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    I've gained 5 pounds overnight from eating at Panera because there's so much sodium in the food there. It goes away quick.

    Carbs also cause water retention, which is one of the main reasons people lose so fast on low-carb diets.
  • Kimblesnbits
    Kimblesnbits Posts: 321 Member
    When you eat sodium, your body retains water. If you don't drink enough water to flush out the sodium, your body will retain water. If it is water weight, limit sodium and drink more water and it will come off in a day or two.

    But I pee like 10-15 times a day (no joke I actually counted) without drinking that much water, do I still hold on to water weight or retain water if I'm still peeing that much!?!? I don't understand! TMI I know!
  • DonnaLFitz
    DonnaLFitz Posts: 270 Member
    Starches also collect water... the fiber absorbs water as it moves through your system.

    And your fat cells, as the fat energy is burned, will also release water.

    Our bodies are 70% water. As you lose weight, some of it will be water weight. But to achieve real results, you must also lose fat. As the previous poster said, watch the sodium. I add, watch the starches while you are dieting.
  • Fishing4Stars
    Fishing4Stars Posts: 46
    Jessi is right - it means that of the extra weight on the scale, most or all of it comes from water that is being stored in your body due to excess sodium; it isn't weight from fat that you have put on.

    After a holiday, I put a pitcher of water in the fridge with cut-up cucumbers and mint in the water and drink that. The water will help flush out sodium, and both mint and cucumber are soothing and help cut down bloating that can come with large meals.
  • UponThisRock
    UponThisRock Posts: 4,519 Member
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_water
  • jcearth
    jcearth Posts: 46 Member
    The converse is: after a good workout, I can lose up to 8 pounds of water weight. But it comes back when you rehydrate.



    7980302.png
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  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    When you eat sodium, your body retains water. If you don't drink enough water to flush out the sodium, your body will retain water. If it is water weight, limit sodium and drink more water and it will come off in a day or two.

    But I pee like 10-15 times a day (no joke I actually counted) without drinking that much water, do I still hold on to water weight or retain water if I'm still peeing that much!?!? I don't understand! TMI I know!

    Are you new to dieting? And it's not just water. It's liquid. If you drink eight glasses of orange juice, you'll pee as much as with eight glasses of pure water. There's also a lot of water in certain foods, especially fruits and vegetables. All of that will cause you to have to pee.

    But, yes, you'll retain water with too much sodium no matter how much water you drink or how often you pee.
  • Kimblesnbits
    Kimblesnbits Posts: 321 Member
    When you eat sodium, your body retains water. If you don't drink enough water to flush out the sodium, your body will retain water. If it is water weight, limit sodium and drink more water and it will come off in a day or two.

    But I pee like 10-15 times a day (no joke I actually counted) without drinking that much water, do I still hold on to water weight or retain water if I'm still peeing that much!?!? I don't understand! TMI I know!

    Are you new to dieting? And it's not just water. It's liquid. If you drink eight glasses of orange juice, you'll pee as much as with eight glasses of pure water. There's also a lot of water in certain foods, especially fruits and vegetables. All of that will cause you to have to pee.

    But, yes, you'll retain water with too much sodium no matter how much water you drink or how often you pee.

    On a daily basis, I have a cup of coffee in the morning and about maybe 4 or 5 cups of water (days that I don't work out) and I don't drink juices or anything other than water and a cup of coffee!
  • jennajava
    jennajava Posts: 2,176 Member
    I dont think i drink enough water to gain water weight!

    The sodium explanation. Also, drinking water causes the opposite, silly. ;)
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    When you eat sodium, your body retains water. If you don't drink enough water to flush out the sodium, your body will retain water. If it is water weight, limit sodium and drink more water and it will come off in a day or two.

    But I pee like 10-15 times a day (no joke I actually counted) without drinking that much water, do I still hold on to water weight or retain water if I'm still peeing that much!?!? I don't understand! TMI I know!

    Are you new to dieting? And it's not just water. It's liquid. If you drink eight glasses of orange juice, you'll pee as much as with eight glasses of pure water. There's also a lot of water in certain foods, especially fruits and vegetables. All of that will cause you to have to pee.

    But, yes, you'll retain water with too much sodium no matter how much water you drink or how often you pee.

    On a daily basis, I have a cup of coffee in the morning and about maybe 4 or 5 cups of water (days that I don't work out) and I don't drink juices or anything other than water and a cup of coffee!
    If you're peeing that much on only 48 oz of liquid, you may want to make an appointment with your doctor and have your blood sugar checked.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
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  • JessiJean
    JessiJean Posts: 1,207 Member
    "[/quote]
    If you're peeing that much on only 48 oz of liquid, you may want to make an appointment with your doctor and have your blood sugar checked.
    [/quote]"

    I agree!!!
  • RyanEdwardParker
    RyanEdwardParker Posts: 14
    Water weight is just the excess water retention that your body "retains" in the face of a high sodium diet or if you don't drink enough water and your body has to hoard water.

    Cheers.
    Zdiets.net - Lost 170lbs - Hypertension GONE! - High Cholesterol GONE! - Pre-Diabetes GONE!
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