How can you tell fat from "water weight"?
- Thread starter Red_Panda
- Start date
Water weeight fluctuates quickly, up and down, fat needs to be metabolized "off". You probably gained a combination of fat and water weight. The water weight will drop more quickly once you fix your diet--what's left is more than likely mostly fat, unless you have a high-carb diet.
You can "drop" water weight by using a low-carb diet for several days. However, once you resume normal eating, the water weight comes back on.
You can "drop" water weight by using a low-carb diet for several days. However, once you resume normal eating, the water weight comes back on.
So on a diet of mostly vegetables, fruits, eggs, and meat/fish with not a lot of carbs (rice or potatoes with dinner) and drinking lots of water, all day every day, my extra weight is very probably fat then? Because drinking a lot of water makes you retain less right? And I've been drinking a couple of litres a day at least for the past few months.
Probably is, sorry.
What time frame are you dealing with here? How long on birth control? How long since stopped? Pre-weight and post weight? Current weight? Height?
What time frame are you dealing with here? How long on birth control? How long since stopped? Pre-weight and post weight? Current weight? Height?
I'm 5'10" (or 11 depending on who's measuring...). Before the birth control I weighed 145 pounds and wore a size 8. In early January I got the first three month injection after being assured by the doctor that there were no side effects, and by the end of February I was a size 12 and weighed 160 pounds.
My doctor convinced me that it wasn't all the birth control, I must have eaten to much at Christmas, and to try a different delivery method of the same drug. Her being the "medical expert" I trusted her one more time and got my second shot in March. Well, I went up to almost a size 14 and at my highest I was 170 pounds. Needless to say, not only did I not get another shot, I switched doctors.
So that last shot "officially" wore off in July, and I'm 168 pounds now. Sigh. My new, better doctor says it will probably take 6 months or longer to totally get the stuff out of my system.
Yeah, Depo is some crazy stuff. I had it a long time ago and while the lack of periods was nice, it did similar things to my body. Some people are more sensitive to medications and hormones than others. There are lots of women who use hormonal birth control who don't have any problems whatsoever, and also lots who pack on pounds. I wonder if the dawn of "the pill" has anything to do with escalating obesity rates.
I have always found it ironic that the solution to the problems that arise from getting laid (pregnancy and resulting birth control to prevent it) ultimately preclude you from being able to get laid (cuz you get so damn fat!)!
Regardless, since you had only 2 shots, maybe it won't take so long to fully wear off. I had it for about a year and a half, and it took about 6 months for periods to resume, etc. Hang in there! The worst part about hormonal birth control is that while the fat gain is caused by hormones, you are still left with actual fat when you're done--it doesn't just melt away on its own after you stop the hormones. You are left having to lose it the "old fashioned way".
I know from reading your past posts that you have recently begun working on losing weight--my guess is that things may take awhile to get going while the hormones are clearing out, but don't lose hope--all of a sudden the weight will just start falling off and your body will "catch up" to all of your efforts. If I were you, I would drink a ton of water and do a ton of cardio to pump that crap out of my system. Don't know if it would help or not, but if you visualize it working, it just might!
I have always found it ironic that the solution to the problems that arise from getting laid (pregnancy and resulting birth control to prevent it) ultimately preclude you from being able to get laid (cuz you get so damn fat!)!
Regardless, since you had only 2 shots, maybe it won't take so long to fully wear off. I had it for about a year and a half, and it took about 6 months for periods to resume, etc. Hang in there! The worst part about hormonal birth control is that while the fat gain is caused by hormones, you are still left with actual fat when you're done--it doesn't just melt away on its own after you stop the hormones. You are left having to lose it the "old fashioned way".
I know from reading your past posts that you have recently begun working on losing weight--my guess is that things may take awhile to get going while the hormones are clearing out, but don't lose hope--all of a sudden the weight will just start falling off and your body will "catch up" to all of your efforts. If I were you, I would drink a ton of water and do a ton of cardio to pump that crap out of my system. Don't know if it would help or not, but if you visualize it working, it just might!
Your not to blame for not knowing, i don't think that question deserves an answer. Do they even know what they're talking about?
Right now I'm going through almost 3 litres of water a day! Its crazy. I was also told to try Bikram Yoga to try and "cleanse my system" of the hormones, but I'm pretty sure I can't sweat away progesterone
I'm sure you CAN'T sweat away progesterone! :11doh: But, if you can ramp up your metabolism, your body may accelerate the rate at which it metabolizes it!
Water weight can often be seen as bloating, or puffiness in the ankles, or puffiness in your face, especially after sleeping. Drinking more water is only going to flush that out if you cut back on salt. If you're eating Chinese every night, expect those few liters of extra water to stick with you!
Red Panda,
I won't pretend to understand what is going on with your body....but I would like to share some thoughts and ask some questions.
First-off....we have to ask ourselves a fundamental question: if 2 people with absolutely identical life-styles, height, size, age, etc...both eat 3,500 calories, do you think one's body may store fat while the other just doesn't? Under conventional theory (calories in vs. calories out)...it would seem that in the end it's really about how much is eaten.
After getting your first injection, did you begin having more hunger and eating more?...or did you continue eating the same amount and just suddenly started inflating? What exactly changed?? I'd really like to know if your calories remained static or if you began eating more? Was it a hormonal change the altered your hunger and made you eat more, or do you think your body just started metabolizing things differently?
I can't imagine the injection could permanently alter your body....so I'm sure it's just a matter of time until things return to normal. Also, as we age many people say their bodies switch gear and change....could the injections have coincided with a bodily change and you're just figuring it's injection-related?
The one thing I do know is that, in the end...it is what it is and you'll just have to deal with it from here. Eat right, exercise and work your way back. Many people are born with bodies that have a permanent programming for what the injections turned you into. My point is, it can be done and you'll just have to get on it and make it happen.
As for the question....the body pretty much has an equillibrium when it comes to hydration. Sure, the injection could have pushed things one way or another, but I'm pretty sure such a big increase in sizes could not entirely be comprised of purely water....under the skin is not bags of water, it's fat....and that fat got there when food was converted into glucose and needed to be stored. What I'm saying is that you still had to eat your way there. Perhaps in the past you could eat a lot and your body just didnt' seem to store it...but there's no way you could eat low-calories and still keep stacking on the fat: each pound of fat originated as food going into your mouth....you just can't get away from that. The hormones could tweek your hydration, hunger and metabolism....but in the end you still must have consumed more calories then your body needed. What do you think?
I won't pretend to understand what is going on with your body....but I would like to share some thoughts and ask some questions.
First-off....we have to ask ourselves a fundamental question: if 2 people with absolutely identical life-styles, height, size, age, etc...both eat 3,500 calories, do you think one's body may store fat while the other just doesn't? Under conventional theory (calories in vs. calories out)...it would seem that in the end it's really about how much is eaten.
After getting your first injection, did you begin having more hunger and eating more?...or did you continue eating the same amount and just suddenly started inflating? What exactly changed?? I'd really like to know if your calories remained static or if you began eating more? Was it a hormonal change the altered your hunger and made you eat more, or do you think your body just started metabolizing things differently?
I can't imagine the injection could permanently alter your body....so I'm sure it's just a matter of time until things return to normal. Also, as we age many people say their bodies switch gear and change....could the injections have coincided with a bodily change and you're just figuring it's injection-related?
The one thing I do know is that, in the end...it is what it is and you'll just have to deal with it from here. Eat right, exercise and work your way back. Many people are born with bodies that have a permanent programming for what the injections turned you into. My point is, it can be done and you'll just have to get on it and make it happen.
As for the question....the body pretty much has an equillibrium when it comes to hydration. Sure, the injection could have pushed things one way or another, but I'm pretty sure such a big increase in sizes could not entirely be comprised of purely water....under the skin is not bags of water, it's fat....and that fat got there when food was converted into glucose and needed to be stored. What I'm saying is that you still had to eat your way there. Perhaps in the past you could eat a lot and your body just didnt' seem to store it...but there's no way you could eat low-calories and still keep stacking on the fat: each pound of fat originated as food going into your mouth....you just can't get away from that. The hormones could tweek your hydration, hunger and metabolism....but in the end you still must have consumed more calories then your body needed. What do you think?
At first my eating and activity level remained exactly the same, which is during that first month when I gained most of the weight (from 145 to 160 pounds). After seeing this, I upped the activity and lowered my caloric intake. The last 8-10 pounds were gained gradually over the next two months. So while I slowed the gaining by eating less and working more, I didn't stop it until I stopped the birth control. During that time a trainer at my gym even put me on a written out diet of 1200 calories a day for a week, then 1600 calories a day for three weeks. I followed it religiously while continuing to work out, and during that month I still gained about three pounds. So it seems to me like the hormones cause my body to go into "storage mode" as it were.
carinna
0
I think this is right on target. Also, with water weight you usually get a very bloated feeling.
WOW....well I guess that just goes to show, it's not just about calories in vs. calories out. Some people have bodies that are just naturally lean and these folks do two things:
1) Stay naturally thin
2) Point at heavier people and righteously think they know the secrets of good diet to stay thin AND they presume it's some weakness on our part because we're not born with their metabolism.
Case in point: you were thin and even eating less and exercising more you gained weight. Hey, at least you can get off the birth-control and probably return to normal...the rest of us are plauged with bodies that are inclined to be heavy. Sorry to get personal, just found your situation very interesting.
I don't recall what it's called, perhaps an IUD, but a small T-shaped device can be placed up inside you and it's very effective as birth control and many gals speak wonders of it. Avoid drugs where you can. Good luck!
I don't recall what it's called, perhaps an IUD, but a small T-shaped device can be placed up inside you and it's very effective as birth control and many gals speak wonders of it. Avoid drugs where you can. Good luck!
Thats what I actually went in to the doctors office to get, and while I was there they convinced me to try the magical, side-effect free depo because it would lessen my seizures.
And actually IUD's are designed for women who have already had a child in the past, turns out my uterus is too small anyway haha.
Hopefully in six months to a year the hormone will wear off and I'll be able to burn this fat when my body gets out of store-everything-you-can mode. Don't get me wrong, my metabolism still sucks, but before I could lose a few pounds a month by doing simple cardio and resistance work five days a week for like an hour a day while eating healthy. I have a tiiiiny frame deep down. I haven't been crazy-skinny since my growth spurt years, but I have one of those rib cages under all this that my fiance can almost fully wrap his hands around. But hopefully that will never show - in my striving to lose fat theres a good chance I've built up some decent muscle under this insulation. Which is good, because I hate looking "skinny", on a girl thats 5'11" it looks sooo awkward. I do have the big hispanic booty and hips though so that'll stay
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Lillian
Guest
hey red panda!
my situation was somewhat similar except kind of the opposite of you in that i gained water weight after "stopping" birth control pills. bcp's usually make me lose weight. anyway did you ever get your hormone levels checked through blood work with your doctor? that may help you to know which hormones are elevated and then maybe naturally you can try to lower them like i did. or it could be yours are low. well my estrogen levels were high so my doctor said i could either go back on the pill (which i really didn't want to do) or i can try a natural supplement called indole 3. i also went on that same cleanse that you did a couple years back. so far i feel pretty good. water weight isn't that bad. i feel much better than i did that's for sure. i'm not 100% where i want to be but i'm working on it. i just don't want to have to rely on bcp's for the rest of my life. i want to feel "normal" and do it the healthy way. i'm trying everything i can to see what will work for me. i just think bcp's throw your body off and then when you stop your body is trying to go back to normal and it can't without a little help. i recommend getting your blood hormone levels checked and then go from there.
i do believe that diet and exercise are the key to weight loss and fitness, but i also believe that hormones play a big role in making it more complicated.
my situation was somewhat similar except kind of the opposite of you in that i gained water weight after "stopping" birth control pills. bcp's usually make me lose weight. anyway did you ever get your hormone levels checked through blood work with your doctor? that may help you to know which hormones are elevated and then maybe naturally you can try to lower them like i did. or it could be yours are low. well my estrogen levels were high so my doctor said i could either go back on the pill (which i really didn't want to do) or i can try a natural supplement called indole 3. i also went on that same cleanse that you did a couple years back. so far i feel pretty good. water weight isn't that bad. i feel much better than i did that's for sure. i'm not 100% where i want to be but i'm working on it. i just don't want to have to rely on bcp's for the rest of my life. i want to feel "normal" and do it the healthy way. i'm trying everything i can to see what will work for me. i just think bcp's throw your body off and then when you stop your body is trying to go back to normal and it can't without a little help. i recommend getting your blood hormone levels checked and then go from there.
i do believe that diet and exercise are the key to weight loss and fitness, but i also believe that hormones play a big role in making it more complicated.