[Libby1972]

Hello Chicks:

About 2 weeks ago, I had my weigh-in. To my amazement and disappointment, I discovered that I gained 4 lbs. Well it disappeared a week later and I'm where I started 3 weeks prior to my weigh-in. So I'm happy about that. I checked my food journal for the last 3 weeks to see where all of this water weight had come from. Because I know I can't lose 4 lbs of fat in a week. Sure enough, my sodium levels had increased by up to 500 mg over the last 3 weeks for at least 4 days out of the week. I usually monitor that closely, but I had let it get away from me. See, I knew I didn't gain fat because I lost 3 inches when I gained the 4 lbs. So I thought perhaps I gained muscle, but then when I lost the 4 lbs so rapidly, I knew it was water gain. I had too much smoked salmon and pretzels.

Oh well, lets see how I do in 3 more weeks. Just thought I would share my "smack me in the head" moment.

Watch your sodium!

[Shannonxo]

Ah..Sodium...So good, yet sooo wrong.

[Tealeaf]

I dunno. Our bodies absolutely need sodium. Excess can have negative effects, but then, so can eating too many carrots (really, you can turn orange). Moderation is the key, as it is with so many other things.

Personally, I don't worry about water gain. I just don't. I am only interested in the fat I lose. I can gain 4 pounds of water during my time of the month, sodium or no sodium. This weight always falls away. I can gain two pounds of water if eat alot of potato chips or something. This weight always falls away too. Fat is what matters, not water.

[shananigans]

Haha, I ate at a diner on Sunday, had two beers on Saturday night, gained 4 lbs like *boom*! All gone now, I drank a lot of water yesterday. That’s the good thing about water weight, it flushes right out of you unlike that stubborn fat.