I can't post the entire Daily Dish here, due to copyright laws. If you don't get the Daily Dish, I highly suggest subscribing (it's free)! Check out
http://www.southbeachdiet.com/landin...0diet%20online to subscribe (you have to complete the quick questionnaire to get on the mailing list, I believe).
A recent daily dish was about water weight. Most of what was said was nothing new to me (drink more water and you'll retain less, changes in retained water cause most of the fluctuations in weight from day to day, etc.), but I hadn't ever heard this about glycogen, so I thought I'd share:
Quote:
From the Saturday, Dec. 3, 2005 Daily Dish:
"...Several other factors also influence water weight: the amount of water, salt, and/or caffeine consumed; the glycogen stores [bolding mine] in muscles and the liver; and a woman's menstrual cycle...
...Glycogen is a source of fuel made from extra carbohydrates that is stored in the muscles and liver and broken down as energy when needed. It is stored along with a lot of water — 3 to 4 pounds of water for every pound of glycogen.
Therefore, if people reduce the carbohydrates from their diets (common in the first few weeks of many diet plans), they tend to see dramatic weight loss because the body uses the glycogen and flushes the associated water as urine. Since all of the reasons I've discussed above can account for weight changes, instead of worrying about daily shifts on your scale, I suggest limiting your weigh-ins to once a week and judging your success by the tightness — or looseness — of your waistband along with how good you feel."
|
Interesting, eh? Explains why some of us lose so much during Phase 1 and others don't. I ate something like 21-25 servings (and easily more) of carbohydrates on average before I started SBD, so no wonder I lose so much in Phase 1...can you imagine my glycogen stores?
I'll toss this in the FAQ after a couple days.
Water Weight (Daily Dish)
