This morning, I encountered something weird. I am currently on a fast, and during the first 24hrs, I seemed to have retained water, rather than shedding it. Can this really happen?
I didn’t even take supplements or any salt because I felt well enough to push through without anything but water and coffee. Since coffee is a further diuretic, I would have expected to shed water weight.
Anyony else had similar experiences?
Coffee makes you pee, it does not make your fat stores drop the water weight it could be holding, otherwise known as the ‘whoosh’ > http://100down.org/the-whoosh-effect/
Why are you weighing during a fast, would it not be more beneficial to break fast, refeed and then take a measurement?
Low sodium can actually cause water retention so if you were drinking lots of coffee & water & not adding salt you may have decreased your sodium levels. Try adding salt to your coffee next time & see if you notice a difference.
That was kind of my point… despite, I seme to hold on to the water weight.
Agreed. Yet, I was curious and have weighed myself in the past after the first 24hrs and got the expected result. I wasn’t really worried about this, but it seemed conscpicuous…
Now, that is interesting! Is there evidence for this clinically, or is this anecdotal?
BTW: I am now 48hrs into my fast and have dropped roughly 3lbs since my last measurement. I still feel fine despite not having any electrolytes. Should I add them regardless? I plan on breaking the fast at around 54hrs, anyway.
I hear it a lot anecdotally & it does make sense. Low carb/keto already puts you in a low sodium state (hence the need for most to up their intake) & if on top of that you consume nothing but salt-free fluids you’d further dilute your levels. I think it’s actually low potassium that causes the retention but keeping your sodium levels in check should stop the potassium dropping too low.
That’s the word on the street. Personally I think using salt during a fast is a good idea whether you feel hunger/fatigue or not. Better safe than sorry & all that 
Got’cha! So actually, any disregulaation in sodium and potassium can cause the body to hold on to water, regardless of too much or too little. Anyway, I am going to take some sodium and potassium just to be safe… Thanks!
Yup - all about the balance. I’d be wary of too much potassium supplementation but a pinch of lite salt or similar in your coffee or water won’t harm you. So long as your sodium stays in range you should be fine.
I came across this https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NaNQcDjUR97yfF3bNYqAmGldKvS7s_q245qRH0PH4rc/edit chart on reddit which doesn’t answer every electrolyte concern but can be a good place to start if you feel off.