"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!"
Stepping on the scale can become an anxiety filled event that
leaves people wondering where they went wrong when the numbers
don't go in the right direction. This leads to panic and usually
ends with blaming a particular food item that really wasn't the
culprit. Everyone who has been on a journey to lose weight has
been there before. Even though you are following your plan and
exercising regularly the number may go up 1-2 pounds or even up
to 3-4 pounds creating unnecessary guilt that we have failed
somehow. If it's not always food that makes our weight creep up
then what is it that causes these fluctuations on the scale?
When trying to lose weight the scale often becomes the only
measurement of success and this makes it difficult to remember
that every time 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. Body
fat is not the only thing being measured. While organs and
tissue don't change much; fat, muscle, and water do change which
can result in fluctuating numbers on the scale.
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 can cause a dramatic shift in your water weight. This is
because as you 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 the reason 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
potentially lead to dehydration because of this significant
fluid loss. When a person following a low carb plan eats a
carbohydrate-rich food they can easily gain 1-3 pounds. However,
this weight gain can be misleading because it is usually your
body replenishing the fluid it lost and not gained fat. This 3
pound fluctuation becomes frustrating for many people and they
end up yo-yoing back and 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 3 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 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, leading 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 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 consume 10,500 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 body's water weight.
© Meri Raffetto, 2005
About the author:
Owner of Real Living Nutrition Services, Meri Raffetto is a
Registered Dietitian and recognized professional in the area of
nutrition and wellness. She specializes in weight management and
offers online programs to help people reach their weight loss
and health goals. For more information visit
http://www.reallivingnutrition.com
