# Dieting and water loss

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dieting-and-water-loss/686215>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 15, 2014, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dieting-and-water-loss/686215 "2014-04-15T23:22:59Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\
**Post date:** [April 15, 2014, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dieting-and-water-loss/686215/1 "2014-04-15T23:22:59Z")

</div>

When someone begins a weight-reducing diet, they often lose a lot of weight at first. This is commonly said to be a result of water loss. Why is it?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\
**Post date:** [April 15, 2014, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dieting-and-water-loss/686215/2 "2014-04-15T23:39:15Z")

</div>

Well it is the converse of where the discussion went [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=720480) … glycogen in particular is stored with a good amount of water, roughly three grams of water stored for every gram of glycogen stored. Glycogen tends to get mobilized first (especially in low carb plans or highly calorie restricted ones), hence that water gets released in the circulation and peed off. Fat has less water stored with it and is more energy dense per gram stored.