"It jsut water weight........"

Nurses General Nursing

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Why is it that when someone loses weight or a goodly amount in their first week they invariably say "it's just water weight.....".

Is there a fluid balance shift when someone restricts their calories? I always thought the weight loss was adipose.

Anyone know?

Specializes in emergency, trauma, psychiatry.

:uhoh3:

That is because a gallon of gas, in a closed container, frequently develops some of it's content into vapors. And we all know how much hot air weights:lol2:

Woody:balloons:

LOL

"adipose tissue has more water than muscle,

and gallon of water weights 2.2 lbs"

are nurses really that ignorant???????

how much hot air weights????

more than water??

" a gallon of gas, in a closed container, frequently develops some of it's content into vapors. And we all know how much hot air weights "

LOL

LOL

hot air+ gas in a closed container +vapor and .... buddy you have a big BUMMMMMM:balloons::nono:

LOL

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During the earliest stages of a deficiency diet, your body compensates by using up glycogen stores in the liver. Glycogen is large molecules made of glucose hooked together by water molecules. As glycogen stores are metabolized, all that water is freed up into the system and excreted through the kidneys.

Depletion of glycogen therefore releases large quantites of water, and that's why people lose much more weight in the first couple of weeks of a deficiency diet than they do in the weeks thereafter.

If you want to lose that ten pounds, in other words, start counting after that first two weeks. That way, when you start eating normally again, you won't put it right back on, seemingly overnight.

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Specializes in Cardiac.
:uhoh3:

LOL

"adipose tissue has more water than muscle,

and gallon of water weights 2.2 lbs"

are nurses really that ignorant???????

how much hot air weights????

more than water??

" a gallon of gas, in a closed container, frequently develops some of it's content into vapors. And we all know how much hot air weights "

LOL

LOL

hot air+ gas in a closed container +vapor and .... buddy you have a big BUMMMMMM:balloons::nono:

LOL

Enough with the "LOL"s. If you have something productive to say, then say it.

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Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.

Hmmm, computer glitch...

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Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.

I always thought it had something to do with us women having our periods and losing weight from that. I can lose 5 pounds once I have my period and lose my craving for chocolate.

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Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.

Maybe it's hormonal??? Don't they say that fat has estrogens in it?

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ok tweety, it is just water weight, initially...

Physiology of Weight Loss

"Glycogen loss

1. Patients on a calorie restricted diet consume less calories than they require.

2. They then use stored calories from the reserves.

3. We all have two energy reserve stores

1. Glycogen (in the liver) is the first of the energy reserves which must be

depleted before the second.

2. Fat the second reserve is only attacked when glycogen is depleted

4. Glycogen is stored with water, such that one pound of glycogen (0.37kg) lost

involves the loss of 3lb (1.1kg) of water..."

http://www.srht.nhs.uk/patient-visitor-information/services-support/weight-management/physiology-of-weight-loss/

leslie

aw...the link didn't work.

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Specializes in ER Occ Health Urgent Care.
A gallon of milk does not weigh 7 or 7 1/2 pounds. If it did, I wouldn't be able to lift it. Since it is a liquid, more then likely it weighs the same as water. But I'll bring the next gallon of milk I buy, Tuesday, and I'll weigh it.:lol2:

Woody:balloons:

Ok this is really a very simple math question a gallon=128 oz. a pound is 16 oz. 128/16=8

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Specializes in icu, er, transplant, case management, ps.
Ok this is really a very simple math question a gallon=128 oz. a pound is 16 oz. 128/16=8

I have a problem balancing my check book. You want me to do simple math as well:lol2:

Woody:balloons:

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Specializes in Extern so far....
Actually according to my google search, a gallon of water, at room temperature weighs 8 1/3 pounds. But unless you are overload of fluids, such as edema, it is kind of hard to lose a gallon of water., unless you are using a diuretic. Then you need to eliminate the extra fluid because of the strain it puts on your cardiac and respiratory systems. But, of course, we all know that, don't we;)

Woody:balloons:

Try running a half marathon. That will do it even if ya drank a cup of water every mile. It was great finishing, but I slept/ was unconscious for 3 days afterwards (except for eating, urinating, and pooping) recouping. lol

Scary thing is that I really want to do it again once I graduate from school and have a "life"...

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.
Try running a half marathon. That will do it even if ya drank a cup of water every mile. It was great finishing, but I slept/ was unconscious for 3 days afterwards (except for eating, urinating, and pooping) recouping. lol

Scary thing is that I really want to do it again once I graduate from school and have a "life"...

I was up to a half-marathon when my knee started giving me problems. But I understand, I loved and miss those long runs (and I certainly wasn't carrying around 15 extra pounds either.) Congrats on the half-marathon. Good luck!

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Specializes in Extern so far....
I was up to a half-marathon when my knee started giving me problems. But I understand, I loved and miss those long runs (and I certainly wasn't carrying around 15 extra pounds either.) Congrats on the half-marathon. Good luck!

Did you lose about a gallon by the time you finished that half marathon?

Yes, my knees were killing me around the 11th mile and afterwards. However, I finished and got a nice heavy metal medal.

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