Hi everyone-

DH and I were on vacation last weekend and I thought I could "live a little" and not count everything, have more beer, a fried pie (?) some restaurant food, some sushi and the list goes on, etc. I did cardio both days, so in the calorie-counting department it wasn't that bad of cheating.

I wanted to see what would happen - I know, not smart and I'm regretting it now! I gained TONS of water weight - like 5 to 7 lbs - to the point my wedding rings didn't fit!!! That never happened even when I was at my heaviest! I could see and feel my fingers and legs retaining fluid. I RAN to the center when we returned and got TO stuff - and am now back down within 3 lbs, but it's also TOM.

I've been on plan for 5 weeks now, and have been sooo good...I really learned a lesson with this!!

Are we never going to be able to eat sodium again?? Has anyone else experienced such a dramatic reaction to sodium after being off of it for so long???

Thanks for any input - I hope everyone is having a good day.

Ange

Yes, that happens to me everytime I indulge, too. The good news is that it always goes away after being OP for a few days.

I kinda had a problem with water weight gain today. I went in and was up almost 3 lbs. I did have a lot of water yesterday *96 oz of straight water plus 8 oz of soy milk and at least 16oz of tea* so they told me to do hot lemon water today. I dont have time to make it to the store today so I was wondering if I could do hot lemon water with lemon juice? And if so how much lemon juice equals half a lemon?

Yeah I gain water weight easily too. Drink hot lemon water and you can also use the take off juice (count as 2 fruit mix 4 oz of juice with 4 oz of water) with your regular meal plan except you are not allowed to have heavy starches,frozen dinners. The juice drops the pounds off fast for me.

how much lemon juice equals half a lemon?

So does the hot lemon water do the samething as the TO juice??? I didn't care for the taste of the TO juice and I've seen several threads on here about the hot lemon water to help with water retention.....whats the scoop???

The TO juice helps detox the system.. I call it a "system flush"... The lemon water acts as a diaretic (sp?) that helps flush retained water from your body.

As for "will we ever be able to eat sodium again?"... Well, the point of the diet is for us to realize how much sodium is in the foods we normally eat and get used to not adding a lot more.. When it comes to prepared foods that already have a lot of salt, it's about moderation.

We will NEVER be able to eat the way we used to, as that's how we got fat in the first place. Society has become "super size" minded when it comes to portions.. Bigger is better, right? Well, we aren't supposed to eat that way and unless we're one of the few lucky ones who can eat crappy food all the time and never gain an ounce, we're killing ourselves.

There is light at the end of the tunnel however... IF we follow the plan to the letter and IF we make it through maintenence and stabilization, our bodies will have the tools they need to deal with it when we do eat things we shouldn't.. The problem with our bodies before and during the WL phase is that they are so accostmed to the crappy food, the bad stuff just gets piled on instead of ejected..

So eventually, you'll be able to go on vacation and not worry about eating moderate amounts of the foods we crave.. But the trick is moderation along with recovery. Counter the bad stuff with plenty of water and healthy foods before and after.

So how often are you supposed to use the hot lemon water?

I find that (at least for me) that apple cider vinegar pills work better than lemon juice and hot water

I over indulged this past week, too and have had the same result. Two weeks ago I could barely keep my rings on and now they are tight. It's crazy! I am doing a TO today and tomorrow. I don't like the TO juice either and it is to pricey for my budget. So, I do the orange version. If you are unfamiliar, you follow the same plan, but instead of drinking 4 glasses of TO juice you eat 4 oranges. It's a lot of oranges and it makes me feel a little acidic, but it works well for me!

In regards to the lemon water. I have never had much success with it. I tend to get the same results just drinking extra water. Lemon juice would not work as well because you really should boil the rind with the water to get the most benefits. The oils in the peel are supposed to be the most beneficial.

Hope this helps! Keep your chin up, you will pee out all the extra water in the next day or two. Keep close to a bathroom

It's weird... For the past couple of weeks, I've been waking up in the morning and find that my hands feel puffy.. I've been having to wear my wedding ring on my middle finger because it's too big for my ring finger and I'm too lazy to get it resized... But lately, I've been able to wear it normally in the mornings.. Usually by afternoon, it's too loose again...

Ange, It might be mostly TOM. For me that makes it a lot easier to indulge in the salty badness and I will gain 5-7 pounds right away. It comes right back off, so don't kick yourself too hard. Hot lemon water helps somewhat, so does eating asparagus. That is mostly just to help with retained water. Just get back on plan and your weight will likely be right back down (as soon as TOM is done). I suspect that I always gained weight during TOM, but I just never got a scale all the time in the past to check this out. Now that I'm maintaining, I just avoid the scale for a few days during that time as to not discourage myself.

Christy Lee Some people do HLW daily. I only do it if it is TOM or if I am feeling bloated. Its totally up to you!

thanks everyone!

oh, and is it like a coffee mug full...would you do it a few times a day or what?