The following articles are found at weightlossforall.com
Water retention
effects any average healthy adults experience some water retention and the accompanying weight gain that occurs. The day to day body weight fluctuations are commonly caused by the loss and gain in body fluid.
Its possible to retain up to five pounds of water weight retention and can easily be hidden within the natural fluid that surrounds cells ( extra-cellular fluid ).
Heavier people may experience more water retention especially if their intake of processed, convenient food is high. For some it can be as much as eight to ten pounds of fluid retention if weight gain is quick say over the Christmas season.
There are a few causes of water retention but for many an increase in sodium through the diet ( mainly salt intake ) is a common cause and research suggests it may contribute to high blood pressure and other health complications. Sodium is present in virtually all food products, so when a person consumes more food it's inevitable they also consume more sodium. Weight gains are very often a combination of fat stores and water retention.
Water regain & weight lossPeople who lose weight quickly usually experience some weight regain within a few weeks and very often this is due to some water replenishment.
When we restrict energy intake too much too soon in order to lose weight quickly the body is forced to use up stores of carbohydrates and breakdown protein in the muscles. As both carbohydrates and protein hold water in the cells a loss of these macronutrients also results in a net loss of water. As a result rapid weight loss can often be made up of 75% water loss. After the energy systems stabilize water is regained because some of the protein and carbohydrate stores initially lost are replenished . The water is drawn back into the cells thus gaining back a little weight.It can be very confusing when one week you lose 4 pounds, the next week nothing. However remember that gaining protein in muscles increases lean body weight. More lean body weight increases our metabolism and help burn fat faster!
Water retention
effects any average healthy adults experience some water retention and the accompanying weight gain that occurs. The day to day body weight fluctuations are commonly caused by the loss and gain in body fluid.
Its possible to retain up to five pounds of water weight retention and can easily be hidden within the natural fluid that surrounds cells ( extra-cellular fluid ).
Heavier people may experience more water retention especially if their intake of processed, convenient food is high. For some it can be as much as eight to ten pounds of fluid retention if weight gain is quick say over the Christmas season.
There are a few causes of water retention but for many an increase in sodium through the diet ( mainly salt intake ) is a common cause and research suggests it may contribute to high blood pressure and other health complications. Sodium is present in virtually all food products, so when a person consumes more food it's inevitable they also consume more sodium. Weight gains are very often a combination of fat stores and water retention.
Water regain & weight loss
People who lose weight quickly usually experience some weight regain within a few weeks and very often this is due to some water replenishment.
When we restrict energy intake too much too soon in order to lose weight quickly the body is forced to use up stores of carbohydrates and breakdown protein in the muscles. As both carbohydrates and protein hold water in the cells a loss of these macronutrients also results in a net loss of water. As a result rapid weight loss can often be made up of 75% water loss. After the energy systems stabilize water is regained because some of the protein and carbohydrate stores initially lost are replenished . The water is drawn back into the cells thus gaining back a little weight.
It can be very confusing when one week you lose 4 pounds, the next week nothing. However remember that gaining protein in muscles increases lean body weight. More lean body weight increases our metabolism and help burn fat faster!
Losing water weight
When losing weight it's inevitable that water will make up some of the weight loss. No matter how we lose weight or how long the weight loss takes, everyone will lose water.
Many factors determine the amount of water we lose in comparison to fat loss, they include:
- which exercise is selected
- the diet chosen - for example, a low carb diet may increase water loss
- calorie intake - lowering calorie intake too much will cause more water loss
- the physical state of the person - the amount of protein and carb stores before new diet
The water weight loss comes from a net loss of protein and carbohydrates especially during the first few weeks of a reduction in calories. On reducing calories the body needs to rely more on energy within the body and thus breaks down protein and carbohydrate for metabolism. When these nutrients are metabolised water is released. Fat stores do supply a little of the energy but , at first , a good proportion comes from protein and the limited stores of carbohydrates within the cells.
For weight loss the trick is to reduce losing water weight as much as possible so the body is forced to burn more body fat stores. To limit losing water weight many people will:
>consume small portions of high quality protein at each meal
>reduce food intake gradually and count calories
>anaerobic exercise can slow protein lost from muscle cells
>not crash diet or starve
>train for strength so to increase muscle
>lose weight slowly no more than 2 pounds per week
Great tips, lots of good stuff in there! Thanks!
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