I started drinking water to help lose weight...but actually gained?

Question

So usually I would only drink maybe 1-2 glasses a day. I read that drinking water would help you lose weight by flushing out toxins. So yesterday I drank 8 glasses and now I am 2lbs heavier...

How long does it take for water to affect your body? Am I gaining weight because my body is not used to the extra water?

sourpatchchik2 · Accepted Answer

Okay first of all, our weights are changing all day long. If you're going to be weighing yourself daily make sure it's at the same point in your day. Like at 9 every morning after you've used the bathroom or at 5 everyday before dinner. You can be 115 when you wake up...sit around the house all day, and be 113 or 117 in the afternoon. That's just how our bodies work.

The weight you noticed is called water weight. Those people that work out an hour and right after they finish get on the scale expecting some kind of magical weight loss...yeah when they see they've lost 2 pounds it's just water weight-from sweating and what not.

Water is GOOD for you. Yes, your body is getting used to it. You've been depriving it for so long-I mean give it a break. Don't go down to not drinking enough water now that you've learned ingesting something will make you get a little heavier...it'll help your weight loss more in the end than dehydration ever will.

And seriously...I've seen your other questions about losing weight and all that. But what in the world does 2 pounds matter? No, you aren't getting fat. And that number you see on the scale doesn't mean anything. What matters is how you carry it, and if you're being healthy dealing with it or not.

rachiee · Accepted Answer

You gained water weight and it sounds like you may have some water retention. Cut down on sodium. Salt can cause the water in your body to be drawn out, causing it to build up. Get more fiber in your diet! Fiber will help you digest the water. Also, workout! The water can be released through your body through sweat but if you don't exercise then it will build up as well. Water is great to add to your diet, even if you don't want to lose weight. It helps curb your appetite (try to drink it before meals/when you eat) it also keeps you hydrated and going especially when you are also working out.

Darkfairie17 · Accepted Answer

Your body is not used to the water and so it is holding on to it. Keep drinking water, not an excessive amount, but what is recommended.

Water helps you lose weight as long as you are eating healthy and exercising and using water to replace pop and juice in your diet. Water can also make you feel more full. Drink a large glass before each meal and you will fill up faster.

RememberWhenItRained · Accepted Answer

it's water weight. It happens, no worries. Regardless, water is very good for you. No need to drink a ton of it (coming from a man who gets 3-4L a day.).. And water weight fluctuates a lot, depending on the day, diet, exercise, etc. No worries. It's not like it's fat.

i don't know about toxins, but it's (midly) good for flushing your system regardless. It's not a mircle worker, keep in mind.

Don't worry about your body not using it. It will. And mostly liquid/water input=output. Mostly. It will store some, definitely, especially the more you drink.

If you really want to lose weight (doesn't look like you need to though.) supplement your water intake with exercise and a healthy diet. Cardio and/or weights. High protein, medium amount of carbs, sparing on the sweets and sugars.

In order to lose weight, it's a good idea to have a RELATIVELY SMALL calorie deficit to go along with your workouts. No more tha 500 cals less than normal intake/ your baseline.

It irritates me when people try to starve themselves to lose weight.

Mostly, just replace water for some flavoured drinks and exercise with decent diet and you'll be golden :)

Not exactly what you asked, but I hope it helps

GoodManDave · Accepted Answer

Water can make you feel fuller. It can also hydrate you. Studies have shown that for older people, their bodies especially tend to "confuse" thirst with hunger, which makes them tend to eat more.

However, you don't want to overdo it. You CAN get water poisoning, if say, you drank a gallon in a certain amount of time.

You gain weight, but it's "water weight." It's not fat. You can also gain weight if you work out, because you're actually gaining muscle, which is different from fat.

Are you weighing yourself the same times? Are you doing it after meals? There are several factors that make you think you're gaining fat when it simply might be something else.

Drinking water is usually pretty healthy. Don't use it as your weight loss "supplement." Consider gaining muscle and/or losing fat. Use it to cut down on sodas... do it because you'll feel better. Don't do it as a way to lose weight. If it happens, great. If not, you're still probably better off than if you didn't.

Anonymous · Answer

Stop obsessing over losing weight, FOCUS ON LOSING FAT

1. If your work out, you don't always lose weight, because you gain muscle, but you LOOK thinner.

2. If you drink water, obviously you're going to weigh more, BUT doesn't mean your getting fatter. Water doesn't pack on like fat.

You gained 2 lbs? GOOD. It means you where DEHYDRATED and your body is using the water it needs.

The main reason water helps people lose weight is because if lessons hunger and prevents over eating. It's not just about flushing toxins. You drink more water, you're less likely to over eat (in cases of people who do) That's mostly how it works.

kheserthorpe · Answer

Water weight can bounce all over the place. Just shifting the carb level in my diet can make me lose or gain 8 lbs. if you tend to not drink water your body actually may try to retain it. Note hat the amount of water your body retains also changed with your monthly hormonal cycle - by quite a bit more than 2 lbs.

Most people would be better off throwing out their scales and relying on a measuring tape instead. Most people want to be thinner, not lighter.

Habakkuk · Answer

yeah.. you add a considerable mass to your body, guess what happens? you gain mass :0

called: "water weight"

i guess a good strategy for drinking lots of water to lose weight would be to drink it before meals so you're not as hungry and therefore don't get as many calories per day..

Losing weight is simply burning more calories than you consume, so yeah..

kataloso · Answer

Yes, drinking water helps with maintaining/losing body weight. A friend of mine does MMA at a high level and leading up to a fight when he is cutting weight he'll drink 2 gallons a day, and then basically doubles that right before. It keeps everything moving throughout your system & essentially flushes you out. That's obviously an extreme case, but in general water is an awesome (and underrated) part of a healthy body.

Bumblebee23 · Answer

Water is definitely good for you, good to hear you're drinking more. You should probably be drinking about 2L (8glasses) of water a day. You will gain a little weight in the short-term, say for a few days to a few weeks, but it's nothing to worry about. Water is great for you, and you'll probably find yourself less hungry, and therefore less likely to eat too much, because you're drinking more water.

windy-rose · Answer

You probably just gained water weight. Maybe you were a touch dehydrated before (most people are) so your body is just keepin' it around.

I don't know about the flushing toxins thought- but water helps your body run better and using it to replace calorie filled drinks would help over time.

justanotherguy00001 · Answer

Interesting tid bit: when you drink water, it doesn't go away.

I know this is reaching pretty far, but it will show my point.

Drink another 8 glasses & measure all of your urine output for 24 hours

Do they not match? Urine output less then 8 glasses?

Must be some left in you.

Every cup of water weighs about half a pound.

4 extra cups of water left in the system? 2lbs heavier..

Icky123 · Answer

yes water does help, when you don't drink enough water your food isn't digested properly so more is stored as fat. but you can't see the results that fast weight is lost/gained gradualy so id weigh yourself once a week. water makes you gain instant weight (water weight) but its lost through sweat and when you pee etc don't stress.

Love2Ball · Answer

YES water helps you loose weight. The digestion process uses 25 calories just to digesr the water plus you are losing water weight. Your body is still adjusting keep this up for 3 days and you'll be in a much better situation. Trust me I know this stuff.

missannabee · Answer

Maybe your 2 pounds heavier because you have 2 pounds of water sitting in you. Or maybe you're 2 pounds heavier because weight fluctuates through the day. Maybe you need to poop. Who knows. Stop obsessing about your weight. Its 2 pounds

MrNameless · Answer

Well yeah... Besides any other food you've eaten through the day, It's called water weight.

Anyway, the best time to weigh yourself is on an empty stomach... like in the morning, when you already went to the bathroom!.

mid20sgirl86 · Answer

It's probably just water weight. I drink a lot of water just because I love it and always get really bloated. My pants can hardly fit by the end of the day, but by the next morning I am back to normal.

GymStatus · Answer

Water weight is different from fat... I weigh less in the summer due to me constantly losing water. Yes drinking more water will help you burn some calories bit working out and cardio and sleeping on time (8hours) will make you lose weight the best.

lolli · Answer

Maybe you were dehydrated so your body needs those extra 2 pounds of water . I would just continue drinking water then your body will get used to it and then flush out the extra

Brando · Answer

Like it has been said, water weight soaks right into you. Are you working out or staying active?

anony84 · Answer

you will eventually pee it out - it's just water weight.

Caustic_Fox · Answer

Its normal for your weight to fluctuate a few pounds. No need to be concered unless you suddenly gain 15 lbs

Anonymous · Answer

This is case and point that numbers on a scale are poor indicators of whether or not you're fat. That is all water weight, and it will all come off when you sweat or urinate.

cathysmith07 · Answer

Water is good. If you really wanted to loose weight, drink at least two glasses of water before and after your meal.

kartoos · Answer

Dont know about losing weight through water.but it's the best source to avoid skin problems as it takes out all the impurities from the body.

Darkuressento · Answer

Drinking more water help increase your increase metabolism. but only if you work it off, if not it stay in your body and that it.

SSeifer · Answer

You looks nice no need lose weight just need exercise habit it will make your body more charming

Anonymous · Answer

It's water weight.  You can reduce your sodium intake to lose some of it.  I wouldn't worry about it, though - you can lose water weight in no time.  It's just a matter of urinating.

Anonymous · Answer

water weight yes its a lot easier to lose than fatty foods you pee it out at the end of the day or its easil sweted out

Log1414 · Answer

The whoe toxins thing is kinda eh and he weight you gained is jus water weight

froggyboy51 · Answer

time to hit up some black coffee..works like a charm getting rid of the water weight.

jokersgirl · Answer

2 lbs? I think you need to relax a little

I started drinking water to help lose weight...but actually gained?

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