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What Is Water Weight?


Going on a weight loss journey can seem overwhelming for the total beginner, with the amount of usually foreign jargon suddenly having to become an important part of life. One of the most used terms with regards to weight loss is probably water weight. But really, what is this water weight everybody keeps talking about? Well, you’re about to find out.

You probably already know this, but our body is made up of mostly water. All our bodily cells contain stored water, which helps keep things moving smoothly. However, when we take in too much of certain substances such as salt, or if we are dehydrated, our body retains even more water, and the weight of this extra water is called water weight.

Water Weight and Weight Loss

Often when people talk about weight loss, they think it’s naturally fat loss. But actually, weight loss is very subjective. When you see the scales moving backward, it could be fat, muscle or water that you are losing.

Most of the time, the first couple of pounds that you lose is usually water weight. This is why in the first week you often lose a large amount of weight compared to the following weeks. When the water is gone, that’s usually when the body chooses between muscle and fat to burn, depending on how many calories you take in. If you take in too few calories, your body will burn muscle instead of fat since muscle provides more calories than fat.

That’s not to say that you will certainly lose water weight at first; if your diet is still high in sodium and alcohol and if you don’t replenish your body with water adequately, then your body will still cling on to your water weight.

How to Lose Water Weight

There are several things you can do if you want to lose that excess water weight. First of all, be sure to drink enough water – that is, more than eight glasses a day if you can manage it. Also, restrict the amount of salt, sugar, and alcohol that you take in on a daily basis. Do note that if you are a woman, it is possible that your body will hold on to up to five pounds of water weight when you are having your menses. So during this period, don’t stress out if you suddenly put on a lot of weight; just keep to your healthy diet, and when your menses are over the weight will slip off again.

Understanding what water weight is can hopefully keep you motivated if you find that your weight is fluctuating in between weighing sessions.


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What Calories Really Are and How Understanding Them Will Help You Lose Weight


If you’ve been on a diet before, then you’ve probably heard people talk about calories. So what are calories? Why are they so important in weight loss? Without knowing these crucial terms, it’s hard to understand the science behind weight loss.

So What Are Calories?

When defined in nutrition, calories are a measure of the energy in food. The more calories a particular food has, the more energy it contains. Energy is good, right? In the right amounts, it is. Unfortunately, many of us eat too many calories on a daily basis, and that’s what makes us overweight in the first place. Excess calories in the body turn into fat, and that’s why you should only eat as much as your body needs.

How Calories Fit Into Weight Loss

So, what role do calories play in weight loss? It’s simple. When you take in or consume fewer calories than your body needs, you lose weight. When you eat too many calories compared to what your body needs, then you gain weight. Your body needs calories to expend as it carries out its basic functions (circulation, excretion, digestion, and so on) as well as to allow you to carry out other activities throughout your day. This is also where exercise fits in; since exercising helps your body burn more calories, it helps you lose weight as well.

In simple words, to lose weight, you need to create a calorie deficit so that your body burns fat to make up for the missing calories. This means you either need to eat less, exercise more, or do a combination of the two (the third option works best).

As a general rule, a calorie deficit of 500 calories a day usually helps you lose one pound of weight in a week. If the calorie deficit is 1000 calories, you lose two pounds. Medical professionals recommend maintaining weight loss in the healthy zone, which is around one to two pounds a week, and not more. However, if you are very obese, you may find yourself losing much more weight in the initial few weeks after you lower your calorie count.

Hopefully this post has helped you understand the link between calories and weight loss better. In a nutshell, maintain a caloric deficit, and you will lose weight. How do you maintain this deficit? It’s easy; make healthier low-calorie food choices, cut out unnecessary empty calories from sugary items and alcohol, start being more active throughout the day, and maintain a positive attitude and strong willpower. It won’t be easy, but it’ll be worth it!


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2 Huge Factors That Can Cause Weight To Fluctuate On The Scale


If you often weigh yourself when trying to lose weight, you may have noticed that your weight fluctuates on a daily basis. In fact, your weight in the morning may be completely different from your weight at night. However, it’s usually when there is a gain between one day and another that often makes us sad and frustrated. That doesn’t necessarily mean that your weight loss efforts are wasted. There are several factors that cause weight to fluctuate on the scale.

Water Weight

bathroom-scaleIf you go on a fad diet that involves lots of liquids and a very low calorie diet, you may see very good results initially where you lose many pounds within a single day. This is because what you have lost is not fat, but water. When you eat a regular diet again, water weight is usually gained back.

Several other factors cause one to retain water including dehydration, increased consumption of sodium, as well as menstruation (for women). You can prevent water retention by drinking lots of water and restricting your intake of salt.

Muscle Weight

Often exercise is a big part of a weight loss program, and if it is a big part of yours, chances you will sometimes see a gain in weight displayed on the scale. This is especially true if you frequently incorporate weight training as part of your exercise program. This gain in weight is not because you’ve been slacking off on your diet and putting on fat; instead, it’s possible that you have been putting on muscle.

Muscle is denser than fat, so even if you gain a bit of muscle you will probably see a bigger number on the scale. Don’t worry if this is the case. If you are concerned, use a measuring tape as a supplementary way to track your weight loss progress. If you are losing inches, even though your scale says you’ve gained weight, then it’s probably muscle that you’ve gained!

There may be other factors that lead to weight fluctuations, but these are the main two. So the next time your scale seems to be yo-yoing back and forth, don’t stress about it. If you can’t help stressing about it, then instead of weighing yourself every day, weigh yourself every week to get a more stable picture of how you are doing with your weight loss. In the end, your weekly weight is what matters, and not your daily weight.