Re: Body demanded lot of water - BUT problems

Hi Kask and nice job on your fast :).

i haven't been responding in here much, but wanted to comment on the 4 pounds of increase in water weight once you began drinking again. This reply is also for many others who express the same concern.

In my opinion, not only is this weight gain not something to concern ourselves with, but it should be very much anticipated each time we mildly dehydrate ourselves through dry fasting and then replenish water levels back to normal upon breaking the fast. As well, additional water weight replenishment will almost always accompany the breaking of a water-only fast, upon eating normally again. This is why when people lose 10 pounds in 3 days while fasting (or x amazing amount in y tiny number of days), it should not be considered reason to celebrate something meaningful, since getting excited about this would only lead to disappointment once much of this water loss inevitably returns very shortly thereafter.

On a very positive note, i will say with a lot of confidence that your body fat and body fat percentage would not have increased at all when that scale reflected a 4 pound gain... and to me as one who seeks to gain or maintain muscle and lose fat, this is what really matters.

Realistically an average sized person can plan to lose about 1/2 pound of real fat each day while fasting, so if someone loses 5 pounds in one exceptional day of weight loss, 4.5 of that was most likely temporary water loss.

i believe along with many other fasters including i'm pretty sure you :) that it's ideal to drink only to thirst while water-only fasting, which logically will lead to a lot of dry segments within a longer overall water-only fast.

Best wishes as you continue! Tweet