Why always the "water weight" comment

[gritsnla]

You know the one....I've lost 3 lbs last week. Oh, it's probably just water weight. Well, thanks for your vote of confidence there. Why do people always say that? Why is it assumed that anything released is water? Are we all just sloshing around throughout the day with excess water?

Just wondering what other's thoughts were.

[NaiveJeanette]

lol, they're probably just jealous because no other diet really releases weight like raw does. ;):rolleyes:
Maybe they're just mis-informed about how much weight the body is capable of losing in a period of time. People think it's unhealthy to lose that much weight so quickly, so they assume it's water? it is frustrating though!

is it similar to the whole "muscle weighs more than fat" thing? is a pound of muscle /=/ to a pound of fat??

[Firicia]

pushes any focus off them and belittles what someone else has done that they aren't doing. Sorry that's kinda blunt but that's what I've found.

[iluvmangos]

Before long, they won't be able to deny that you're losing actual fat.

[margoss]

Agree with everyone....jealousy bc they're not. Jealousy is a non-atractive
quality. You could always answer, "No, it's not water...I drink a lot of that. It's fat from yucky food."
I've gone down 2 sizes & no one in my family comments bc I'm not a size 8. Jealousy.

[RawKnitster]

No doubt they are sloshing around with excess water weight because they are so acidic. The more acidic we are the more the body will retain water in an attempt to dilute the acidity. When the diet is changed and we become more alkaline the body releases some of that extra water. I think that is why many raw eaters (including me) released a lot of weight quickly in the beginning.

It doesn't matter whether you lost water or fat. WAY TO GO!!! CONGRATULATIONS! :D

[Seedy]

When a person goes from SAD to any weight-loss diet, they eliminate many of the processed foods they were eating. Processed foods (like chips, pretzels, even ice cream) are loaded with salt, and the sodium in salt causes the body to retain water to try and balance out its electrolyte levels. Cut out all the processed foods and the sodium goes down (unless you still go crazy with the salt shaker). In response, the body releases the water all the sodium was causing it to retain. The first week of any diet will show a hugh 'water weight' loss as a result. Long time dieters (and who isn't these days) realize this, which may be what sparked the comments. That doesn't mean that your weight loss wasn't genuine, it may very well have been. It depends on what you were eating before you switched to raw and how long you've been raw. I wouldn't dwell on it. Your body will lose at its own rate, in its own time. Think of raw as a lifestyle choice, not a diet and you'll be fine.
Seedy

[klomasius]

When a person goes from SAD to any weight-loss diet, they eliminate many of the processed foods they were eating. Processed foods (like chips, pretzels, even ice cream) are loaded with salt, and the sodium in salt causes the body to retain water to try and balance out its electrolyte levels. Cut out all the processed foods and the sodium goes down (unless you still go crazy with the salt shaker). In response, the body releases the water all the sodium was causing it to retain. The first week of any diet will show a hugh 'water weight' loss as a result. Long time dieters (and who isn't these days) realize this, which may be what sparked the comments. That doesn't mean that your weight loss wasn't genuine, it may very well have been. It depends on what you were eating before you switched to raw and how long you've been raw. I wouldn't dwell on it. Your body will lose at its own rate, in its own time. Think of raw as a lifestyle choice, not a diet and you'll be fine.
Seedy

What seedy said, also 'water weight' loss IS genuine weight loss. It's the preliminary first step to actual fat and toxin weight loss and often heralds significant 'real' weight loss.

Coincidentally I just listened to a Philip McLusky podcast on negative comments and he gave an example of how he'd lost 85 pounds and had plateaud (he used to be grossly overweight) and someone made a comment that his diet obviously wasn't working because he'd plateaud. He just said to let the comments pass you by. Incidentally, he lost another 200 pounds after a three month pause. Your body will lose weight at it's own pace and in it's own way. The only thing you need to do is feed it quality fuel, think positively, try to destress and live!

[DebB]

I've lost over 100 pounds (before going raw) and I've always said that I don't care if every single ounce of it was WATER - ha!

Water-schmater - it's G-O-N-E! *Ü*

[symphony]

You know the one....I've lost 3 lbs last week. Oh, it's probably just water weight. Well, thanks for your vote of confidence there. Why do people always say that? Why is it assumed that anything released is water? Are we all just sloshing around throughout the day with excess water?

Just wondering what other's thoughts were.

Well to lose a pound of fat you have to be in a 3,500 calorie deficit. divide that by 7 and your at a 500 calorie def a day. The average female maintains a healthy weight around 1,800 calories a day so take 500 off that and that's a huge percentage of fuel taken away. That is for one pound lost in a week. The only way you lose 3 pounds of actual fat in a week is stavation or if you were really obese at the time.

Any diet lower in carbs or salt then your used to casues a lost in water weight. IF you eat some crap foods most likely you'll gain at least 2 pounds back after one meal. that is not body fat. this is why people yo yo on diets and get obessed with scales

[Myca]

Water weight...first you must really appreciate it, what causes it and what it does to you.

People on SAD, which were many of us before, consume way to many calories, bad carbs, salt and other toxins.

People can carry very large amounts of excess water that actually can be retained outside the cells. Look around next time you are out. I mean really look at people. Look at their bloated red faces, look at where their ankle should be. All the excess bad fats, salt, sugar causes them to drink anything they get a hold of except water generally. My personal belief is the body is desperately trying to clean itself, therefore the thirst these people have. Body inflammation sky rockets along with weight gain.

The first thing that happens when you improve your diet is your body decreases it's need for all that excess fluid...The same excess fluid that cause congestive heart failure, hypertension, breathing difficulty, varicose veins. All those things are slow onset, most people eat their way towards them. People are blowing themselves up like the blueberrie girl on Willy Wonka.:eek:

When you change your eating habits to decrease all that bad stuff, your body starts dumping the excess fluid. Yes, it can be pounds!
I've seen as much as 40 pounds come off in one night on a man under age 40 with the use of IV Lasix in a Critical Care setting. He had acute congestive heart failure.
So when people notice and say "Oh, it's just water.' Say, "Thanks:)"
and know that along with pounds of fat, your body will be continuing to loose water for a period of time after the initial dump that everyone notices.

Excess fluid is deadly. Be thankful you are on a diet that is getting rid of it. Excess fluid or 'water' kills people.