Thirsty Thursday - Watered Down

Ha - like I could actually explain things in less than a thesis/dissertation! Today's Thirsty Thursday post is targeting one of my biggest pet-peeves as well as one of the least under-stood concepts during the start of a new diet - water weight misunderstandings.

If there was ever a market to break into for a quick-rich scheme, it would be diet analysis and development. Weight loss is a huge industry in our country and it is also one of the most dangerous and least understood concepts. If you don't understand how the human body works from a cellular level, you really shouldn't be starting a diet not provided by a nutritionist/dietician. But, since so many of us have that the initiative to start that diet then I will be right here providing the insight and the theory to diet and it's effect on the body - starting off with one of the most difficult parts of the diet - weight fluctuation due to water.

Your Body is Water
Along with a few other materials thrown in for good measure, but, as a general rule your body is 70% water. The body needs it to function and just like any other material it can't easily make on it's own, if it is deprived it will store. If you are dehydrated then your body will store water the best it can; and water contains weight! When you continue to eat carbs during the day - your body takes the produced water from the carbs and stores that too!

Daily Fluctuation
If you've ever looked at your weight on a scale multiple times during the day you probably noticed that your weight is increasing - for some of us, depending on how much our body is trying to keep water, could weigh up to 5-10lbs heavier by the end of the day. This is one of the biggest reasons diets fail - because it is believed that the dieter just can't lose weight - even though real weight could be decreasing like desired. If you don't supply the water needed your body will store every ounce it can.

Breaking Even
The ideal amount of water in your body will depend on one thing - how much it needs. Your body is a brilliant machine that constantly monitors its levels and makes adjustments to ensure optimal operation. So, the secret to giving your body the amount of water it needs to operate and to discontinue the storage is to supply yourself with as much water as you can. For most of us, this will actually be more than the recommended 8 glasses of water a day - perhaps up to one ounce of water for every pound of weight depending on your daily routine. If you drink coffee and continue with higher-carb diets then you also need to drink more to keep your body supplied and to keep excess water from carbs flushed out.

Dehydration Signs
Your body will tell you when you need to consider having a glass of water - often by supplying you with a headache, dry-mouth and sleepiness to name a few common symptoms. One of the biggest pit-falls to diets occurs here too - these same symptoms are easily confused with hunger and cause you to go for that snack - another big reason you gain weight in the first place. It is much more likely you are becoming dehydrated rather than becoming hungry. Here's a big secret that needs to be shared - if you experience these symptoms daily - by following the the guidelines under Breaking Even chances are all these symptoms will subside, your energy levels will increase and your clothes will more likely than not - fit better!

This is definitely just the bare minimum to this topic - I could actually start a whole new blog on this post alone! Please leave any comments or questions that we can address in order to better help you understand the human body and weight-loss!