Does water have calories? And if not, how then does it contribute to weight?
Water has no calories but usually when you lose weight (at least the initial weight loss within a few days), it usually is water being lost, implying that to some extent water does contribute to weight. Also, that water mainly lost after undertaking intense physical activity leading to slight weight changes also indicates that water contributes some weight. Let us say, you weighed yourself before engaging in a form of exercise, then after completing the exercise you weighed yourself again, and you realized that you lost some amount of weight. In most cases, this weight loss can be attributed to the loss of water, and not muscle or fats.The water is lost in form of sweat.
Therefore, if water has no calories then how does it impact weight?
Well, there is this term water weight which is the accumulation of water in tissues. Water constitutes more than half your body weight. Its contribution to weight changes does not resonate from the fact that it contains calories but because it has collected in the body. Water weight is the additional amount of water exceeding that which constitutes body weight.
Simply put, unlike other macro-nutrients, water’s contribution to weight has nothing to do with calories. Instead it has to do with it being extra of that which is part of body weight.
Several factors can contribute to water weight including:
- High intake of sodium or carbohydrates
- Dehydration
- Hormones
- Some types of medications
Majorly, this water weight rarely contributes significant weight changes. It is no wonder even when you reduce the water weight it rarely leads to substantial weight changes. In relevance to this, water weight is normal and should not be much of a concern unless it presents as oedema.
In conclusion, water can impact weight, but not because it has calories. It is due to water weight which is the extra amount of water than that which is part of body weight. It is normal to have water weight, and its impact is rarely significant.