Weight Fluctuations

Are You Losing Body Fat or Water?

"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.�