"I tried that diet and lost 8 pounds in the first week!"
"I've gained three pounds in one day! It must have been the cookie I ate or maybe the mashed potatoes!"
These are comments I hear so often that I decided it would be a good topic for an article to help people have a better understanding of the fluctuating numbers on their scale. It is important to understand, when we step on a scale, it is measuring every part of our physical being at that moment in time, which means it measures our fat, muscles, organs, tissue and water weight.
Water weight can affect your total weight anywhere from 1-10 pounds and sometimes even more. It is important to understand what kinds of dietary factors can make these fluid shifts happen. To start, many of the high protein, low carbohydrate diets such as Atkins, or the beginning of South Beach can cause a dramatic shift in your water weight. This is because as you significantly cut back carbohydrate intake your body starts breaking down the stored carbohydrates (glycogen) to use as energy, and this breakdown causes the body to excrete large amounts of water. Once the body begins to use stored fat for energy, weight loss slows. This is why most people lose a significant amount of weight right away on a low carb, high protein diet. Extreme low carb, high protein diets can often lead the body to a state of dehydration because of the significant fluid loss.
What is misleading is when a person following a low carb plan eats a carbohydrate-rich food they can easily gain 1-3 pounds. However, this weight gain is just your body replenishing the fluid it lost and is not gained fat. I have had numerous clients struggle with this and they end up yo-yoing back in forth with fluid weight thinking that it must be the half cup of rice they had the night before that caused them to gain that 2 pounds when in fact eating the rice just allowed them to regain some of the fluid they had lost from following a strict low carb plan. The fact is carbohydrates do not affect your weight quite that simply. Excess refined carbohydrates can strongly stimulate insulin production, which promotes fat deposition and increases appetite. This kind of weight gain will happen gradually, not dramatically overnight.
Sodium is another dietary component that can lead to fluid gain. Sodium can cause the body to retain fluid, which can lead to these frustrating daily weight fluctuations. Some people are more sensitive to sodium than others. Watch your diet and see if your weight gain corresponds with a high sodium meal the day before. For example, eating out in restaurants can often increase your sodium intake significantly.
The best way to tell if you are retaining fluid is to pay attention to your body. If you get indentations on your ankles and lower legs from your socks then you are retaining fluid. If you wear rings and they become tight and leave an imprint in your fingers when you take them off then you also likely retaining fluid. Any kind of puffiness in your skin is a good indication of water weight.
The bottom line is that it takes 3500 calories to gain or lose 1 pound of body fat. This equates to an extra 500 calories a day over 7 days to gain a pound. This means if you gained 3 pounds in one day you can chalk it up to fluid weight otherwise you would have had to consume10,500 extra calories that day which is not likely! True weight gain happens gradually and likewise we lose it gradually. Check your weight weekly instead of daily and look for overall trends. If you are seeing dramatic daily changes in your weight, it is likely the ever-changing shifts of our bodies' water weight.
Meri Raffetto is a Registered Dietitian and owner of Real Living Nutrition Services. Sign up for her monthly newsletter to learn what's new in nutrition, weight loss success stories, healthy recipes, and more. Go to http://www.reallivingnutrition.com for more details.
eco-friendly cleaning service Buffalo Grove ..We think we know everything there is to know about... Read More
Nowadays, so much of the public is obese (fat) that... Read More
Everyone has their own individual reason for joining a health... Read More
One Reality TV show, The Swan, thrives on makeovers. Often... Read More
Offer a woman the choice between a dress she likes... Read More
Low Carb diets have become as popular as apple pie... Read More
It is important that the public not only understand the... Read More
The Order of Energy UtilizationBack to our table of stored... Read More
One of the difficulties with dieting is the well known... Read More
ObesityToday, 64.5 percent of adult Americans (about 127 million) are... Read More
Dealing with your sweet-tooth can be one of the greatest... Read More
If you're trying lose weight, maintain your weight, or sculpt... Read More
"I am going to start a diet tomorrow". How many... Read More
One common question I receive is, "What do you do... Read More
1. What is Atkins Diet? Dr. Atkins diet, first introduced... Read More
For many years, the experts, including our government have been... Read More
I'm sure you already know that weight loss and improved... Read More
Compulsive eating is characterized mainly by periods of impulsive bingeing... Read More
Weight Loss Axiom Number ThreeInsulin and GlucagonThese are the two... Read More
A number of popular diets are focused on carbohydrates. Some... Read More
Many of us have tried losing weight in the past... Read More
Every Journey Worth Taking Begins with a Single StepHere are... Read More
IT'S NOT ABOUT THE NUMBERS!The health clubs are always racking... Read More
Which diet is the best? ALL of them and NONE... Read More
Some of you will not like what I have to... Read More
express cleaning service Arlington Heights ..Body temperature is the result of your body generating and... Read More
How was it for you? Did you get through the... Read More
Today's society is about speed. We no longer have to... Read More
As I was saying in my past articles, others have... Read More
Lose The Weight For Good With The Seven Phases of... Read More
There is no doubt about it; Americans are eating in... Read More
Both men and women around the world are becoming fatter... Read More
There is never any absolute certainty about what the nutritional... Read More
Nothing is more disappointing than hearing a gastric bypass patient... Read More
Fat Loss Tip #4) Eat More ProteinYes, it's important to... Read More
Don't diet, just eat and lose weight!First, the following "diet"... Read More
With summer completed and school back in session, it'll be... Read More
The heated debate, within diet circles, that began a few... Read More
Make sure that no more than a quarter of your... Read More
Obesity is a disease that is not caused by a... Read More
Gaining up to 20 pounds over four years can significantly... Read More
Have you seen the ditty below that's roaming the Internet... Read More
Yes, there is more to the Mediterranean than sun, beach... Read More
As the holidays approach, a frequent question from my clients... Read More
Have you ever just felt like you were doing everything... Read More
This article is about making long-term changes in the foods... Read More
Experts say obesity will overtake smoking as the biggest health... Read More
If you knew when you were going to die, would... Read More
Many gastric bypass patients report melon to be one of... Read More
Put simply, your resting metabolic rate is the minimum number... Read More
Weight Loss |