Body Weight or Water Weight?
Given that we are a weight-focused culture, slight changes in the number on the scale can be either rewarding or frustrating. Many people are looking to lose weight, some people are struggling to gain weight, and several athletes are seeking-out the right weight-to-power ratio.
While body weight is not necessarily the ideal metric to represent overall health status, it is the measurement that many people tend to focus on, if not obsess over. There are arguably a number of better indicators for health and performance outside of weight, but if body weight is going to be tracked, it’s at least important to understand how it works.
When people are tracking their body weight, they are typically interested in changes in their body fat and muscle mass. On the average, whether somebody is looking to see an increase or a decrease on the scale, they are generally aiming to decrease body fat and increase lean muscle mass. However, there are a few other factors to consider when the scale shows a change.
One of these factors is bone density. Our bones deposit minerals, including calcium and phosphorus, to help make them stronger and less likely to fracture. The more minerals that are deposited in our bones, the “denser” our bones are, and the “denser” our bones are, the more they will weigh. This is a helpful weight! Weak bones may make you “lighter” on the scale, but they come at a great risk, including poor aging due to increased risk of broken bones later in life. Interestingly, calcium deposition in the bones is maximized between our teenage years and around the age of 30, so focusing on a calcium-rich diet during these years can mean big gains for the future. Whatsmore, strengthening exercises and high-impact activities help to increase bone mineral deposition, so it is important to engage in these types of activities as we age. If the weight on the scale goes up due to stronger bones, this should be celebrated!
The other factor to consider is water weight. It has become common knowledge that increased sodium intake can cause some “bloating” (aka, water weight), and many women notice fluctuations in their water weight throughout their menstrual cycle. This weight will certainly show up on the scale, but it’s not a true change in tissue mass (i.e., bone, muscle, fat) that is being added to the body. Generally, shifts up or down in weight by a few pounds can be attributed to body water, which is why it is important to look at overall trends on the scale rather than getting worked-up over day-to-day fluctuations.
However, one component of water weight that is often overlooked is its relation to carbohydrate intake.
As discussed previously, carbohydrates are the main fuel source for the body, especially the brain and muscles. Physically active individuals become efficient at storing carbohydrates in the form of glycogen in their muscles, which is an easily accessible source of energy during exercise. The more glycogen that is stored in the muscle, the better a workout/practice/training session will be, and better workouts/practices/training sessions result in muscle gain and improved athletic performance.
For every 1 glycogen particle stored in the muscle, there are about 3-4 water molecules stored along with it. This is the body’s strategy for keeping the body hydrated for future physical activity.
And HERE is where many people start to misunderstand their relationship with carbohydrates and body weight. When carbs are consumed and stored in muscle, water weight will naturally go up. This often leads people to think that their body just “puts on the pounds” when they eat carbs. When carbs are removed from the diet, glycogen is used-up as an energy source, and the water molecules that are bound to the glycogen get released and flushed-out of the body, resulting in an observed decrease on the scale. This is why many people believe they lose weight quickly on low carbohydrate diets – sure, it’s true that total weight decreases, but really it’s just a muscle dehydration technique.
Athletes will notice these shifts more acutely due to depletion and repletion of muscle glycogen with their training. Some athletes try to avoid the natural “bloat” that comes with refueling by under-consuming carbs or over-exercising, but this is to their detriment. In fact, an increased muscle water weight before exercise helps to prevent dehydration through sweat loss. Just a 2% loss of body weight through sweat during exercise significantly strains the heart, increases gastrointestinal distress, and tanks physical performance. Starting-off with well-hydrated muscles provides more reserve in the tank to prevent such dehydration.
As discussed before, it’s best to adopt the “athlete mindset” and believe you are an athlete, which means that these concepts apply to you! Everyone should aim to be more physically active, and therefore everyone should consider themselves an athlete. When you think this way, you are no longer “dieting and exercising”, you are “training and refueling”. This means that your bone density should increase (yay!) and you will notice natural shifts in fluid weight as well.
The bottom line: weight is not an ideal metric for tracking towards health outcomes, but it is a simple measure that many people hone-in on. As such, understanding the nuances of weight changes can help to mitigate frustrations, disappointments and unclear expectations when stepping on the scale. Sometimes a change in body weight has nothing to do with fat or muscle mass at all – perhaps it’s due to shifts in bone density or muscle hydration and glycogen stores.
If you want to learn more about the nuances of body weight, diet, and other metrics to track towards your health goals, consider working with me. Schedule a FREE discovery call here.