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Hi everyoneAs long as I've been into diet and training (don't remember how my body acted before this), I've had problems with water retention, and it's so frustrating, since when I do not retain water I actually like my physique, but when I do retain water, it screws it up. It's like the water is "in the fat" and not in the muscles, so I look smaller and "fatter". So, for example, I'll look great for 3 or 4 days, then have like a week where I over-retain water and then retain less again. I really can't seem to find out what causes this water retention. Of course, too high carb intake makes me retain water, but it does not seem to be the only problem?? Anyone (maybe who have had a problem like this) with a suggestion to a cause? Would really appreciate it.
I have the same issue..only way to fix it is get much leaner and don't vary your carb intake too much. Going from ULC to feasting on carbs is a great way to look like a balloon for most people. Essentially if you are not peeing all the time you are either dehydrated or retaining water, for me that's usually a sign of something being off.Also sleep, elevated cortisol makes me look like I swallowed a beach ball.
I have the same issue..only way to fix it is get much leaner and don't vary your carb intake too much. Going from ULC to feasting on carbs is a great way to look like a balloon for most people. Essentially if you are not peeing all the time you are either dehydrated or retaining water, for me that's usually a sign of something being off.Also sleep, elevated cortisol makes me look like I swallowed a beach ball.
Well, I'm around 10 % BF, so it's "hard" to get much leaner.. But it is funny what you say about varying carb intake. I've started eating carbs every day, also my 2 or 3 off days per week (but only half or less of what I get after training), and it feels like the water retaining has not been so crazy, so this might be a solution? Another ting, stiffmeister, have you played around with sodium intake?
I never check my sodium intake other than the realization that I probably shouldn't be consuming entire boxes of cereal or excessive beef jerky intake when I am on a beer and meat diet. Yes excessive sodium will bloat you up..or rather, any deviation from your typical intake will drop water or add water to you. If you are that lean I think that keeping carbs regular/gradual will help you a lot. I know it's frustrating, I can feel it myself..some days I just wake up after a good night of sleep or even a night out drinking and I see veins/striations everywhere, then I have a higher carb day with shitty sleep and I just look bloated/soft.And yes 10% bf is lean as shit for most people, but if you are like me you will only start to look the way you want 7 days a week when you get a % or two lower which is not a lot of fat but it's typically the hardest to lose. Gotta decide what your priorities are at that point.
I never check my sodium intake other than the realization that I probably shouldn't be consuming entire boxes of cereal or excessive beef jerky intake when I am on a beer and meat diet. Yes excessive sodium will bloat you up..or rather, any deviation from your typical intake will drop water or add water to you. If you are that lean I think that keeping carbs regular/gradual will help you a lot. I know it's frustrating, I can feel it myself..some days I just wake up after a good night of sleep or even a night out drinking and I see veins/striations everywhere, then I have a higher carb day with shitty sleep and I just look bloated/soft.And yes 10% bf is lean as shit for most people, but if you are like me you will only start to look the way you want 7 days a week when you get a % or two lower which is not a lot of fat but it's typically the hardest to lose. Gotta decide what your priorities are at that point.
The reason why I ask about sodium is because in other posts in this forum, people suggested that higher sodium intake would help with water retention on ULC diets (CBL included). I know exactly what you are talking about with the bad sleep after carb binges, which I didn't understand since everyone talking about sleeping like a baby after their backloads. Finishing carbs one or two hours before bed has helped with sleep though. I'm steadily dropping fat a the time, so perhaps I'll get to where I want to be BF wise. And hopefully it's gonna be maintainable. Do you eat carbs (backloaded) daily, to help with water retention? As a note, when I did Carb Nite for a short while, the water retaining was really bad after the CN, so keeping carbs regular is probably a good idea.
I eat carbs daily, sometimes around my workout (mostly intra, sometimes pre if running low on fuel) with most of it at night. On CN I looked like a mess most of the time. You also gotta consider I train daily and sometimes twice a day, but when I do have an occasional full rest day I won't go under 150-200 g of carbs for that day.I am getting close to the bf level where I look ripped most of the time so you can definitely do it, but for me it took some drastic measures and now I am trying to increase daily cals slowly to the point I can maintain where I am at while eating more, then drop some more fat to get ridiculously lean at which point I will increase cals slowly again and aim to just stay where I am at. Maintain that for a couple months, then it will become very easy to put on muscle and stay ripped year-long.
I eat carbs daily, sometimes around my workout (mostly intra, sometimes pre if running low on fuel) with most of it at night. On CN I looked like a mess most of the time. You also gotta consider I train daily and sometimes twice a day, but when I do have an occasional full rest day I won't go under 150-200 g of carbs for that day.I am getting close to the bf level where I look ripped most of the time so you can definitely do it, but for me it took some drastic measures and now I am trying to increase daily cals slowly to the point I can maintain where I am at while eating more, then drop some more fat to get ridiculously lean at which point I will increase cals slowly again and aim to just stay where I am at. Maintain that for a couple months, then it will become very easy to put on muscle and stay ripped year-long.
How many carbs do you eat on training days (just want the carbs relative to on off days, which you said was 150-200 g)?It also seems for me that short periods of lower cals and then periods of maintaing cals works best and is most sustainable for fat loss. Can't go for long periods of time in a deficit. Feel like crap.
Usually I have between 350 and 450 grams of carbs on days I lift and box, with my boxing only days being around 250. Lately though I had to drop the carbs way low so I am a bit lower than that, like a hundred grams less for either type of day. I must add I have been through some pretty gruesome days dieting and my body hates being under 10%, but I suck it up cause down the road it will be advantageous.
Okay. I'm thinking that I will go around 100-150 g on off days and 200-250 on training days. Don't know if that sounds realistic for still being able to burn some body fat and build some muscle, while controlling water retention more?
and as a note, usually I resistance train 4 times a week with a bodybuilding type training. Also I have at least one HIIT session a week.
I learned that my belly would blow up like a balloon when I used to take Psyllium Fiber so I stopped that. Then it happened again after eating a sandwich with carbs one night so I'm guessing it's a sensitivity on gluten.It only happens to my belly fat. Nowhere else and it hasn't happened to me in quite a while.
I would say that is a good starting point, I don't know how big you are and what your sessions look like so go by feel and look. For me I have to be slightly hungry and feeling dry/tight for any measurable fat loss progress, I just try to raise the carbs once in a while to avoid getting too miserable but I try to go 2-3 days in a row where I feel depleted. YMMV, but carbs every day make it a lot easier to see what is going on with your body IMO.
Curious, do you drink a lot of water when you have carbs as well? Or get up in the middle of the night to drink some?
I'm 172 lbs and 6 feet. 24 years old. My sessions are 1+ hour, pretty intense. Even though I used to eat a lot of carbs, before focusing on diet and training, I've never been overweight and I actually got got off a good amount of fat on a high carb low fat diet some years ago.
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