water loss or fat.

by john
(england)

when on a diet, and reducing heavy carbs, bread,pasta, rice, potatoes etc. i find that i frequent the loo to pass water maybe 15 times a day.

i do notice a tighter waist line, but with all this peeing, is this real weight loss? when does fat actually begin to drop off the body? why the frequent toilet visits?

i would have thought i would go more when i actually ate carbs. so how do mu know if its fat or water you are losing. thanks

Note from Dr. Dan

John,

It is normal to lose water weight when you start a diet, particularly if you have been eating excess amounts of carbohydrates. That is why so many people lose weight very quickly when they start a new diet.

If you lose 10 pounds the first week (4.5 kg) that is water weight. But you can't keep losing water at that rate. You soon stabilize at the new body water content and weight loss slows.

So when does the fat loss start? It does start right away, but it is generally no more than 1-2 pounds per week.

It is possible to lose more than 1-2 pounds per week, but it is not easy and it is not sustainable. Why is that?

It has to do with the number of calories in a pound of fat. There are about 3500 calories in a pound of fat. That means that to lose one pound you have to burn up 3500 calories more than what you are eating.

Now, let's say you usually burn about 2000 calories per day. And let's say you go on a 1000 calorie per day diet.

That means you'll burn up 1000 calories of fat per day, which is 7000 calories per week. And 7000 calories is 2 pounds of fat (2 x 3500 is 7000.)

And that's why it's hard to burn more than 2 pounds per week. The only way to do it is to radically cut back on your calories and to dramatically increase your exercise.

But if you're not eating you get weak and hungry. So you feel like you are starving, you want to eat all the time and you don't have energy for exercise.

It is almost impossible for most people to stay on a program where they are always hungry.

Even if you are in a hurry to get the weight off, the most successful long-term programs have a 1-2 pound per week goal.

For successful weight loss you should take a look at these healthy weight loss tips.

Yours truly,

Dr. Dan