Did you wake up this morning and panic? Do you feel huge this morning from all you ate this weekend?! I’m there with you! It’s easy to feel horrible about the weight gain. But guess what, in reality, most of it, is what I call “fake weight” OR “water weight.”
Here’s a little science that will put extra pep in your step this morning!
Have you ever heard the phrase, “It’s just water Weight” or “you only lost water weight.” Have you ever sold yourself short when you’ve had a big weight loss on week 1 of a diet and thought well, “it’s only water weight?”
An estimated 50-60% of our total body weight is water and how much we retain fluctuates in response to our eating habits. So, we have to target and eliminate the foods that make us hold water like a sponge. When we eat certain foods, like sugar and salt, our cells start sopping up that water and holding on to it, the same way a sponge does. For every gram of carbohydrate your body stores for energy, it also stores 3 grams of water! When you shed water weight, picture literally wringing out a sponge.
And since I’m in grad school I feel I can confidently explain water weight. Picture a donut, when you eat that donut, you also pour 1/4 cup of water into your body. That’s a lot of fake weight you’re carrying around. You get double punished for eating poorly. Sure, these foods can turn into fat if not burned BUT they also bring water which makes us feel fat.
