Howdy, all. So, since my T2 diagnosis Feb 28th, I’ve lost 20lbs. Since March 24th, I’ve been following body changes, and have lost 13.8lbs. My BMI has decreased, my lean muscle mass increased, and my body fat has dropped too. All that said, my water weight is increasing. What does this mean?
Asking for a friend.
How are you distinguishing between lean mass and water weight?
I ask, because impedance scales can be wildly inaccurate. So it is possible that you have no need to be concerned. On the other hand, you might retain water by eating too much salt. Though normally, the body keeps salt very tightly regulated, and you would notice watery stools if you were excreting a lot of it.
In any case, the question to ask is whether you would like to look as though you’ve lost 14 pounds but have a higher-than-desired number on the scale, or to get the number on the scale down and still look the same as before.
If your clothes are getting looser, you’re doing keto right in my book. 
Clothes are definitely getting looser, belt and watch notches moving up, etc. I’m not worried about the water weight, was just curious about it. Thanks much!
Sounds like you’re doing awesome! Congratulations
I wouldn’t worry about too much salt - especially while you’re losing weight. Unless you’re struggling with kidney issues, it’s really hard to eat too much without beginning to gag on it first.
FWIW, although my weight has been steady for almost 2 yrs now, yet my weight still varies from day-to-day and week-to-week by about 4% of itself. Definitely just water weight fluctuations. I couldn’t add/subtract that much muscle or fat that quickly based on what I’m eating and doing.
Most of the human body is water, with an average of roughly 60%. The amount of water in the body changes slightly with age, sex, and hydration levels.
ditch that probably useless app is my recommendation 
saying it in kind form here LOL
For what it’s worth, it’s less being used as a measurement of true accuracy, and more being used of measuring range of change.
How did you determine that you’ve lost fat, gained muscle and water; what is the source of the image you posted above? I need to check it out to answer your question more completely.
I’m not sure I understand your numbers, so either (1) You’ve lost a total of 20 pounds since Feb 28, and 13.8 pounds of that total since Mar 24; or, (2) you lost 20 pounds between Feb 28 - Mar 24, and an additional 13.8 pounds since Mar 24.
In either scenario, that’s a hellava lot of weight to lose in that short of time. So you can conclude that most of that weight loss was water - not fat. Pretty much everyone going from the standard approved diet (SAD) to Keto loses water weight initially simply because SAD causes excess water retention and Keto releases it.
Because eating Keto does not cause excessive water retention I question your claim of water weight increase. Plus, folks spend a long time pumping iron and eating lots of protein to build muscle mass, so I also doubt your claim of increased muscle in 31 days. Hence, my question: how you’re determining these.
LOL. I should’ve chosen my words more carefully. To be clear, I’m not claiming anything, nor have I determined matter-of-fact that these measurements are gospel. Nor do I think the majority of my weight loss has been magical fat loss. I was just showing the number from the “smart” scale, which I know are not necessarily the gold standard of accuracy. I’ve only been using it as a range-change measurement. I primarily created this post not to brag about weight loss, fat loss, etc, but to give context of those things, such that I could get folks’ thoughts on the apparent increase of water weight. Thank you for your thoughts.
Clarification: 20lbs total since February 28th, 13.8 of those since March 24th.
Thanks. So you’re using a so-called ‘smart scale’. Name? Model?
Whatever, it’s giving you nonsense data. It’s not even giving you a useful trend. So I have to agree with @Fangs and just toss it. Or ignore everything other than the total weight. A tape measure and calipers are more useful to help determine body fat.
REMPHO ES-CS20M scale.
I wasn’t placing my hope or trust in the thing. My primary reason was to measure my weight (and-even then- the range). Never thought it was “smart,” but it has a tangible measurement for me to see. As for calipers, well I cannot seem to pinch my skin as needed for that. Too much hard visceral fat, I think.
You’re off to an amazing start in improving your health! Lots of milestones ahead in what (around here) are often referred to as “non-scale victories.”
Moreover, living in Texas (based on your profile) you’ll have some great cuts of meat on hand to savor. Enjoy! 
Well, there’s the answer to your question. Whatever is going on, bioimpedance scales are not a model of accuracy. Given that even laboratory-grade DEXA scans can be inaccurate under certain conditions, it’s not reasonable to trust what a home device can tell you.
I am, however, not going to tell you that what you’ve lost is mostly water. My impression is that the water loss happens within days, not months, and that you’ve probably lost at least some fat. If your clothes have become significantly looser, that would indicate actual fat loss, not just water.
And sometimes, even the total weight is wrong, wrong, wrong. The new scale we bought my father for his birthday seems to give him readings consistent with those of other scales (primarily his doctor’s). But it tells me that I weigh 100 pounds less than I happen to know I do (confirmed with a balance scale at a local gym). I’m not sure whether this is progress or not, because the old scale consistently underestimated my weight by about 50 lbs., though I could increase its reading by 80-100 pounds, just by how I stood on it. Interestingly, the same scale at my doctor’s office that confirms dad’s weight weighs me accurately. So why don’t our home scales?
Since I don’t understand how these scales could be so wrong with me, yet so accurate with my father, I’ve given up on electronic scales completely. An old-fashioned balance scale is the only sort I trust.
All I can say is WOW! 
My simple spring bathroom scale can vary by a pound up/down depending whether I stand upright or lean over to read the dial. But a hundred pounds!? That’s no better than simply guessing.
I totally agree a balance scale is the most accurate type.
