carbs and water retention...

bcmlam1001
bcmlam1001 Posts: 118 Member
edited December 2024 in Food and Nutrition
So, as of late I have been playing around with my eating style and daily goals attempting to get the last 5 pounds off that I have fought with for months. I recently read an article about carbs and fluid retention. i got curious and started studying up on it and was amazed by what I found...excess carbs DO cause fluid retention which leads to weight gain. This makes total sense to me...just take a piece of bread or some cereal or something carby and wet it and watch how it swells up as it absorbs the water or whatever fluid you have dunked it in. I thought that was incredible. I started studying on how many carbs I should have to stay healthy (and my sugar crashes very easily) and discovered that 50< carbs a day will put you into ketosis and I didn't want that because I don't need rapid weight loss and I am really in the maintenance stages (which is why I have been trying to adjust my goals for long term and I am not doing Atkins but have started using alot of low carb products) and I cut back to 130g/day then 115 then 100 and now I am eating between 65-100g/carbs/day and it seems to be working out just fine for me. I am at 20% carbs / 45% fat / 25% protein. I am going into my 3rd week, I have completed 2 full weeks of this, and after my body kicked in after the first week then the second week, last week, 4lbs just fell right off! So I have 1lb to get to where i have been trying to get to for months. I ALWAYS thought that my fluid retention came from eating alot of "to fatty" stuff because I have always been a little afraid of fat because the media/news makes fat look big and scary and unhealthy, but I am learning different. The sugars and carbs that add up in a slim fast or special k shake and in Quaker "90 cal" bars and all those other "low fat diet products" in a day can put you WAY over the limit! I am awed and amazed by my discovery and I love what I have discovered. You see, due to a leg injury a couple of years ago my right ankle and calf will swell up on me if I eat something unhealthy for a few days in a row such as burgers and fries or if it's that time of the month...well, 2 weeks ago when I started this my ankle has not swelled up since then and I have been through that t.o.m. and everything and it still looks as good as my good ankle =) I am impressed and thought I would share the good news I have found out! Nope, I am not saying go on Atkins, just cut out some simple carbs and sugars and see how you feel in a couple of weeks. I set my sugar intake to 30g/day. That's how much some "low fat: products have in one item! Try it a couple of weeks and come back and let me know how you feel. I feel so much better and I don't feel yuck and bloated and I have even noticed that I have not been sub consciously holding my stomach on because it has not been bloated and puffy! I am loving it...but now you have to be realastic and set goals you know you can live with long term and that is what I have done. I was holding my breath the past couple of weeks until I saw what the results would be...I love the results! I feel much better and encourage anyone who reads this to give it a try! You will feel better and then you will look better =)

Replies

  • soulynyc
    soulynyc Posts: 302 Member
    i was listening to a women who low carbs.. and she said one of the things she does to maintain her weight is eat no more than 40 carbs per meal. I feel totally congested and fatigued on carbs. i've tested it and i know without a doubt carbs make me feel different (not good either). congrats on finding something that works for you. i can link you to the woman if you need it.
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
    I just added grains (rice and bread) back into my diet since I started bulking and I'm "puffier" due to the excess water. After two weeks, my BF is pretty much the same but gained a few lbs of water weight. But yes, carbs such as rice and bread can lead to temporary water gain and affect your weight as well as visible leanness.
  • lilmisfit
    lilmisfit Posts: 860 Member
    I have been working on lowering my carb intake as well, to alleviate the "belly bloat" I normally get in the afternoon. And it's been working! My weight has plateaued a bit, but my body fat % is slowing going down and I don't have the dreaded bloat anymore. I have mine set to 30% and generally try to stay under 100grams per day.
  • bcmlam1001
    bcmlam1001 Posts: 118 Member
    i was listening to a women who low carbs.. and she said one of the things she does to maintain her weight is eat no more than 40 carbs per meal. I feel totally congested and fatigued on carbs. i've tested it and i know without a doubt carbs make me feel different (not good either). congrats on finding something that works for you. i can link you to the woman if you need it.
    sure you can send me the link! I will check it out
  • bcmlam1001
    bcmlam1001 Posts: 118 Member
    I have been working on lowering my carb intake as well, to alleviate the "belly bloat" I normally get in the afternoon. And it's been working! My weight has plateaued a bit, but my body fat % is slowing going down and I don't have the dreaded bloat anymore. I have mine set to 30% and generally try to stay under 100grams per day.
    yes the dreaded afternoon belly bloat!!! i would feel so good in the mornings and feel good in my clothes then by the afternoon I would feel totally yucky...like i said, this is going into week 3 for me and I didn't do anything the first week even though I did start feeling better and less bloated then the 2nd week the weight started falling off. Which like I said, I am not trying to lose either I am trying to find something healthy and fit and realastic that works for me because everyone has to tweak their diet to a certain extent to work for them and this is just what I have found for myself! but I definatley have not had the afternoon bloat in a couple weeks =)
  • mattstubbings14
    mattstubbings14 Posts: 1
    I just go on what my abs look like and how I feel
  • realdusi
    realdusi Posts: 10 Member
    I was so happy to see this post. According to the scale I've gained 7lbs in three days! I've been good with my diet, staying at my target caloric intake, except for last night at the baseball game where a personal pizza and a beer put me ~350 kcal over. I almost cried today when I saw the reading on the scale, but hopefully it has something to do with the carbs and water retention, and not me blowing four hard weeks of progress with one bad day.
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