[CannaBliss]

So I haven't been on this site for a while now, and I felt bad because I was doing great, but then people in my life and my job have been getting in my way when it comes to fitness.

I've been slacking on my diet and exercising, and I felt like poo. And not to mention I have totally avoided the scale, since a week ago when I went back up to 214.

I wouldn't say I've been binge eating, but i just haven't been making the right choices when I eat. And i wouldn't say I completely stopped working out but I haven't been doing it as frequently as I should.

But, this morning I hop on the scale (to see how much more damage I have done) and what do you know, it says I'm 208... How? I thought something was wrong with it so i rebooted it. Then it still said 208. Still in disbelief, I took it to another room (one with a more leveled ground) and then boom, still 208.

It's like when I was working out I would stay the same weight or bounce between a few pounds. And I know that it is mandatory to take a couple days off from working out so your body can burn fat and build muscle. But i took off tons of days from exercising.

What in the heck is going on? lol

[zoesmom]

Either water retention, TOM, or you were not eating enough calories. Most likely, with a 6 pound drop, it was water weight. We retain a smidge of water when we exercise. Water helps lubricate our joints and repair tiny tears in our muscles.

[CannaBliss]

Then that's good right? I don't want it to be a bad thing, you know. The way I kind of seen it is that if you can drop weight like that, it can be easily gained back. And what's TOM?

[zoesmom]

Ultimately, it isn't good or bad, per say. We retain water for various reasons...repair damaged muscles, lubricate joints, help deydration stay at bay, and so on. Granted, losing water weight isn't a bad thing in and of itself, but retaining water, under normal circumstances, isn't either. Obviously, if you down too much salt you are retaining water and probably not for good reasons. But if you are watching your diet and retain water and haven't eaten anything wonky, and really don't suffer from any hyper tension or any other ailments, some water retention is to be expected, especially if you exercise or don't drink enough water. On the other hand...

If you DO eat a lot of salty foods, or if you do have medical conditons such as hyper tension and you retain water...well, you might want to relook at your diet.

In short, mostly, it is a yes, it was a good thing. Can the weight come back on? Sure. But if you watch what you eat and if you get your recommended water in and keep exercising, probably not.

TOM = time of month. Most women see a gain around that time...again...water retention

[CannaBliss]

lol I feel sooo dumb. To be honest I'm not good with solving most acronyms. Haha

And thanks that was very helpful. I don't think in the past week I have consumed to much salt, and I have been drinking a lot of water lately, so when you put it that way it makes sense. Thanks again

[zoesmom]

No sweat. (and I usually don't know acronyms either, so don't worry about it)

Actually, if you want to see a weight loss, make sure to drink your quota of water per day. Sounds bizare, I know, but hear me out. Drinking water is critical in weight loss for a number of reasons such as:

1) drinking just 17 ounces of water increased your metabolic rate, which is the rate you burn calories, by 30%....the increase occurs within 10 minutes of drinking the water and peaks at 30 to 40 minutes. Men tend to burn fat during this period. Women tend to burn carbs...which is where most women tend to gain weight. So drink often throughout the day for maximum weight loss potential.

2) Many times, we mistake dehydration warning signs as hunger pains. Drinking water throughout the day keeps us hydrated and wards away those phantom hunger pains so we tend to consume less calories.

3) Water carries nutrients to all the cells in your body, aids in digestion, carries waste products from your cells, helps regulate body tempature, lubricates your joints, and moisturizes your skin from the inside out.

4) Drinking more water will make you lose water weight. Hear me out. Our bodies are amazingly adaptive. Much like when you don't eat enough calories and your body holds onto everything out of fear it is starving, if you don't drink enough water, your body holds onto the water for fear of dehydration. Given the sometimes high sodium content of products, we need to be flushing that out or we will retain the water and gain. On the flip side, if you drink more than the 64-80 ounces recommended, add salt to your diet to balance it out, as salt is essential to bring various minerals and nutrients to our bodies.

5) If you exercise, you create itty bitty tears in your muscles. This is normal and must happen if your muscles are to grow. However, when this happens, your body uses water to repair itself...or, you retain water. Much like #4, to get rid of that water weight, you need to down extra water (and protein) when you exercise so your muscles can properly repair WITHOUT gaining weight.

I am sure there are other reasons, but those are the only ones I am aware of. Worth pointing out, the days I don't drink my min requirement are the days I tend not to see any weight loss or a weight gain up to 2 pounds. The days I drink the requirement or more, I tend to see anywhere from a .4 to a 1.2 pound loss (and I do mean days, not week...it all depends on stalls, exercise, and various other things.)