Can you gain water weight from soup? If so, how long does it last?

[Anonymous]

My work is doing this weight loss competition. I decided to join because I wanted to lose ten pounds before the summer, and I figured this would be the best motivation. I wouldn't say I'm exactly fat, but I've never felt comfortable wearing a bikini. I want to this year because I saw a really cute one at the store that I want. So I've been eating healthy and exercising and I ended up actually losing more than what I set out to lose. Tomorrow is our weigh in. So I decided that just for today to only eat soup and skip any solid food. One of my friends said that is one of the worst things I can do because it's going to make me gain water weight.

Is this true? If it is, will the water weight be gone by tomorrow? I don't plan to eat anything after 8 tonight anyway.

Overall I don't care about water weight for the long term because it will be gone, I just don't want to screw my team members over. They didn't want me on their team originally because they didn't think I was fat and so they didn\t think I could lose weight. Also tomorrow is the mid way weigh in, so there is another weigh in in May and on Friday I have surgery, so I will lose weight just from being in the hospital.

Updates

+1 y

It went well. I was actually 3 pounds lighter than I thought I was. So now I'm back to eating the normal yummy food. I don't think I am going to do that again for the final weigh in though. I'll just stick to what I've been doing because it is working. Eating nothing but soup for a day wasn't easy. One girl another team is doing that everyday and I don't know how she can do it... especially since she'll likely gain it all back anyway.

[Anonymous]

Depends.

If there's a lot of salt in the soup, it might inspire your body to retain water.

Water retention is caused by dehydration. Eating salty stuff causes dehydration. Drinking lots of water relieves dehydration. If you're taking in a lot of salt and not getting enough fluids, then it puts your body into a sort of defense mode, and it starts storing water.

So the more salt you take in, the more water you retain. The more water you drink, the less water you retain. If you eat soup and drink lots of water, it's not going to cause you to gain water weight.

[Asker]

I've already drank a lot of water today, and I plan to for the rest of the day until before bed time.

[kheserthorpe]

I'd guess it might because most soups have high sodium levels. Drinking fluids doesn't make you retain water, but sodium consumption (and carbs) do.

No, it takes longer then that to lose water weight, generally.

Talk to me before your final weigh in if you want to discuss how to really crush water weight for that weigh in.

[kheserthorpe]

I'll be cutting hard in early may, gotta weigh in for a fight.

Good luck the rest of the way.

[krissybabes4e]

Since soup is full of sodium, you will get water weight. Salty things tend to make you bloat more so yeah, I'd avoid only having soup. Maybe for lunch or dinner but not every meal. You can still eat light.

Go for the ones that say low sodium but check the labels on the back to make sure they don't make up for with sugar, carbs, message etc.

[martyfellow]

You won't be retaining water unless your soup is really salty. So stay away from canned soups that are loaded with salt, because they could cause short term water retention.

I doubt it will lose the contest for you, but why take the chance? Better just have some light solid food!

[tadpole25]

Actually, the more water you drink, the less water weight you gain (as long as you keep your salt and sodium low). When you drink less liquids, your body tries to preserve the very little water you do drink.

[just_tired]

Pretty much what everyone else said. Unless you have a lot of salty food the water will just go through and not retain

[yaddayaddayadda02]

The bigger concern is the sodium in the food, not the 'water' in the food.

[Asker]

yeah I know but sodium makes you retain water, which is why I would have water weight, which is why my friend said that about gaining water weight because soup has a lot of sodium.

[Asker]

If I were just worried about the 'water' in the food, then I wouldn't be drinking water, or eating things like vegetables or fruit which have a lot of water in them. I've been drinking nothing but water all day today. So it's not the 'water' I was worried about.

[yaddayaddayadda02]

Drink a bunch of water and pee it out. you'll be fine.

[Asker]

Yeah that's basically what I've been doing since I woke up is just drinking a lot of water. And tomorrow I'm going to the sauna.

[FourStar]

Yup depeneding on the soup it does make you retain water cause of the amount of sodium. Water weight is very easy to lose