SCIENCE EXPLAINS WHY YOU LOSE WATER WEIGHT - New dieters, especially if they're eating a low carb diet, see a dramatic initial weight loss in the first week. The initial loss is exciting, but it quickly slows to one or two pounds per week. Early weight loss is water weight, rather than fat. The early weight loss from a diet can be partly fat, especially if you're exercising and reducing calories, but if you're using more energy than you're replacing as food and drink, the first weight you'll lose will be water. It's because the energy source your body turns to once it runs out of its relatively small store of carbohydrates (sugars) is glycogen. Glycogen is a large molecule made up of a protein core surrounded by glucose subunits. It's stored in the liver and muscles for use during energy-intensive activities, like running away from danger and supporting the brain when food is scarce. Glycogen can be quickly metabolized to meet the body's need for glucose, but each gram of glycogen is bound to three to four grams of water. So, if you use up your body's glycogen stores a lot of water is released over a short amount of time. It only takes a few days of dieting for glycogen to be expended, so the initial weight loss is dramatic.

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Science Explains Why You Lose Water Weight

How Water Weight Loss Works

By Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.

New dieters, especially if they're eating a low carb diet, see a dramatic initial weight loss in the first week.

The initial loss is exciting, but it quickly slows to one or two pounds per week.

You've probably heard this early weight loss is water weight, rather than fat.

Where does water weight come from and why does it drop before fat? Here's the scientific explanation.

Key Takeaways: Water Weight Loss

·      On a low carbohydrate diet, the body turns to glycogen as an energy source after it expends glucose. Quick water weight loss occurs when metabolizing glycogen because the process requires water.

·     Eating or drinking excess electrolytes can lead to water retention because the body keeps the water to maintain a set electrolyte balance as part of homeostasis.

·     Dehydration can also lead to water retention. In this situation, the body acts to conserve water when it's not being replenished.

The Source of Water Weight

The early weight loss from a diet can be partly fat, especially if you're exercising and reducing calories, but if you're using more energy than you're replacing as food and drink, the first weight you'll lose will be water.

Why? It's because the energy source your body turns to once it runs out of its relatively small store ​of ​carbohydrates (sugars) is glycogen.

Glycogen is a large molecule made up of a protein core surrounded by glucose subunits. It's stored in the liver and muscles for use during energy-intensive activities, like running away from danger and supporting the brain when food is scarce.

Glycogen can be quickly metabolized to meet the body's need for glucose, but each gram of glycogen is bound to three to four grams of water.

So, if you use up your body's glycogen stores (as when dieting or with prolonged exercising), a lot of water is released over a short amount of time.

It only takes a few days of dieting for glycogen to be expended, so the initial weight loss is dramatic.

Loss of water can lead to loss of inches. However, as soon as you eat enough carbohydrates (sugars or starches), your body readily replaces its glycogen stores.

This is one reason people often see an initial weight gain immediately after going off a diet, particularly if it was one that restricted carbohydrates.

It's not the fat coming back, but you can expect all the water you lost the first couple of days of a diet to return.

Other Causes of Water Weight Changes

There are many biochemical reactions in the body that affect how much water is stored or released. Natural hormonal fluctuations can have a big impact on water storage.

Since the body maintains stable electrolyte levels, losing too much of an electrolyte can leave you dehydrated, while too high of intake can cause you to retain water.

Diuretics are chemicals that prompt the release of water. Natural diuretics include any stimulant, such as coffee or tea.

These chemicals temporarily alter the natural set point for water retention, causing slight dehydration. 

Alcohol also acts as a diuretic, potentially causing much greater dehydration because additional water is used to metabolize ethanol.

Eating too much sodium (as from salt) leads to water retention because water is needed to dilute the high level of the electrolyte.

Low potassium, another electrolyte, can also cause fluid retention because potassium is used in the mechanism that releases water.

Many medications also affect water homeostasis, potentially leading to water weight gain or loss.

So do some supplements. For example, dandelion and stinging nettle are natural diuretic herbs.

Because water is used for thermoregulation, heavy perspiration, whether it be from exertion or sweating in a sauna, can produce temporary weight loss from dehydration.

This weight is immediately replaced after drinking water or other beverages or eating foods that contain water.

A surprising cause of water retention is mild dehydration.

Because water is critical to so many processes, when it's not being replenished at a fast enough rate, conservation mechanisms kick in.

Water weight won't be lost until adequate water is being consumed and normal hydration is achieved.

After that point, research indicates drinking more water doesn't aid weight loss.

Nutrition expert Beth Kitchen (the University of Alabama at Birmingham) conducted research that concluding drinking more water does burn a few more calories, but it wasn't a significant number.

Her research also indicated drinking ice-cold water as opposed to room temperature water resulting in an insignificant difference in calories burned and weight lost. 

Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.

Chemistry Expert

Education

Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences, University of Tennessee at Knoxville

B.A., Physics and Mathematics, Hastings College

Introduction

Ph.D. in biomedical sciences from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville - Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

Science educator with experience teaching chemistry, biology, astronomy, and physics at the high school, college, and graduate levels.

ThoughtCo and About Education chemistry expert since 2001.

Widely-published graphic artist, responsible for printable periodic tables and other illustrations used in science.

Experience

Anne Helmenstine, Ph.D. has covered chemistry for ThoughtCo and About Education since 2001, and other sciences since 2013. She taught chemistry, biology, astronomy, and physics at the high school, college, and graduate levels. She has worked as a research scientist and also abstracting and indexing diverse scientific literature for the Department of Energy.

In addition to her work as a science writer, Dr. Helmenstine currently serves as a scientific consultant, specializing in problems requiring an interdisciplinary approach. Previously, she worked as a research scientist and college professor. 

Education

Dr. Helmenstine holds a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and a B.A. in physics and mathematics with a minor in chemistry from Hastings College. In her doctoral work, Dr. Helmenstine developed ultra-sensitive chemical detection and medical diagnostic tests.

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