11/08/2016
Constant weight fluctuations explained :-
''Yeah, well when I cut carbs I lost a ton of weight''
''Yeah, but when I began eating carbs I gained weight and EVEN looked *softer* in the mirror''
Two claims I commonly hear to support the ''carbs make you fat'' argument.
So what's going on? Did cutting carbs make you lose weight and adding them back in cause insidious weight gain?
No.
This is what's *actually* going on.
1g of carbs comes along with 3-4g of water.
When you drastically cut carb intake you're also going to drop the water that accompanies it. A few more days in on a low to zero carb state and your kidneys will also excrete salt, this excretion of salt causes further water loss. These changes during the early stages of transitioning to a low-carb /ketogenic diet can see people lose anywhere up to 5lbs [sometimes even more].
[read more here: http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/56/1/292S.abstract]
Let's do another infamous Aadam hypothetical example – because they're awesome.
Let's say someone was consuming 300g of carbs, and one day they decide to transition to a ketogenic diet and reduce their carb intake to 50g a day.
300g of carbs comes with 3-4g of water [let's just say 4g for the sake of convenience]
300 [grams of carbs] x 4 [grams of water] = 1200g of water.
That's the equivalent of 2.6lbs on the scale.
Once we also factor in the additional loss from salt, you're looking at anywhere from 3-4lbs of ''weight loss'' on the scale; you may even look 'slimmer' and 'tighter' in the mirror. This isn't fat loss, it's illusory water loss.
After a few weeks, this drastic weight loss stalls off and you'll begin losing weight at a more normal, steady rate.
Let's look at the other argument, now: 'I ate carbs and gained fat'
Once again, all that's happening is the opposite of the above example. As you eat more carbs, your body will also store water which will increase your weight on the scale and can make you look 'softer'.
This is all just illusory, and after a week or two everything will level off and you'll return to your prior body composition.
To illustrate:
Let's say the person in the prior example decides to go back to a high carb diet after his stint with 50g a day.
If he bumps intake back up to his prior 300g of carbs, he's also added 1200g of water and gains around 2-4lbs [adjusted for water/salt].
In some cases, depending on how lean the person got, reintroducing carbs will ''fill you out'' and make you look even leaner and tighter.
The ''softness'' may happen after the first week – which is why I always give the recommendation of waiting 2-3 weeks after making a *major* adjustment to the diet.
[Most people ignore this, freak out, and claim the carbs made them fat instead of being patient and waiting out this fluctuation].
Like in the first scenario, after a few weeks – as long as calories are controlled for – things will level off.
[As an aside – this is also why you gain a lot of weight after a 'cheat meal' or a night out: increase in salt,water, and excess food in the stomach can skew both the scale and visual representations in the mirror].
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/56/1/292S.abstract%5D
