Does having a couple of beers cause a lot of water retention?

Paul_Farnham_uk

Paul_Farnham_uk

Full Member
Hi all,

My brother came down for a visit this weekend and i hadnt seen him in ages so i had saved up some sins from friday and saturday and when out for a drink with him.

I had 2 pints of lager which is roughly 17 syns and a bit of food.

Now i was expecting this to be ok but i checked my weight this morning and i have gained 2 lbs since saturday morning which i can only think is water retention as i certainly didnt ingest and excess 7000 calories over the wekend?

Does anyone know if this is normal after alchohol as i havent been drinking for a very long time.

Thanks

Paul
 
Paul_Farnham_uk said:
Hi all,

My brother came down for a visit this weekend and i hadnt seen him in ages so i had saved up some sins from friday and saturday and when out for a drink with him.

I had 2 pints of lager which is roughly 17 syns and a bit of food.

Now i was expecting this to be ok but i checked my weight this morning and i have gained 2 lbs since saturday morning which i can only think is water retention as i certainly didnt ingest and excess 7000 calories over the wekend?

Does anyone know if this is normal after alchohol as i havent been drinking for a very long time.

Thanks

Paul
Click to expand...

Could be-was the food you had excessively salty? If so, this could have contributed? Along with possible dehydration maybe?
 
Last edited:
Anyone with a more in depth answer?
 
Not sure how much more of an in depth answer is needed, yes, this can happen after drinking, and you don't tell us what food you had and whether you allowed any syns for that, so we cant tell if that's contributing or not. I wouldn't worry about it, seems a reasonable fluctuation and should sort itself out pretty quickly as long as you went straight back on plan. And I don't suppose you need me to tell you that weighing yourself on days that are not your usual weigh in day is a bit pointless too because your weight naturally will fluctuate a little. But I will, regardless, coz I'm a cheekyface like that :D
 
My advice would be to WI just once a week, as your weight naturally fluctuates greatly throughout the week, so you will only get a 'true' weight on your official day. Alcohol also dehydrates you, so you will retain any fluid which will show a gain on the scales, but Im sure will come off by Saturday
 
No disrespect guys but the question i asked is whether alchohol can cause water retention not when or how often i should weigh in, so i would prefer to keep on topic if thats ok.. thanks

So to reiterate the question, Does drinking a couple of beers cause water retention?
 
Thank you for this answer

kim63 said:
Alcohol also dehydrates you, so you will retain any fluid which will show a gain on the scales, but Im sure will come off by Saturday
Click to expand...
 
Welshtigger said:
Could be-was the food you had excessively salty? If so, this could have contributed? Along with possible dehydration maybe?
Click to expand...

Dubchick81 said:
It will still b digesting. Weigh again tomoro n u'll see it's changed again...
Click to expand...

Paul_Farnham_uk said:
Anyone with a more in depth answer?
Click to expand...

Two of us gave valid 'on topic' answers :)
 
Hope this helps to answer your question.....

Contrary to what many people believe, drinking water does not cause fluid retention. In fact, drinking more water, not less, can actually help to correct the problem. However, drinking alcohol can cause you to retain water. But unless you chronically abuse alcohol, water weight gain is usually only temporary. Unfortunately, alcoholism can lead to impaired liver function, which causes excess fluid to build up in the feet, ankles and legs.​
Dehydration

Drinking too much alcohol can lead to dehydration, and therefore, problems with water retention. People who drink heavily often need to urinate more frequently or may perspire more than usual. They also tend to drink less water and fewer other fluids. Urination and sweating both increase the amount of fluid your body loses, especially if you don't replace the fluids. When the body is dehydrated, it tends to retain water to make up for the loss. A major health concern is that when you don't keep your body well hydrated with fluids, the organs have to work harder.
In answer to your other post, the OP & I were only suggesting/advising you not to weigh mid week as you wont get a true reflection of your weight & if you hadn't jumped on the scales you wouldn't have seen the 2lb gain lol!.....but appreciate your good question about water retention
 
Thank you very much kim thats exactly the sort of information i was looking for, On a sideways note do you know if there is a list anywhere of what are the best fluids for rehydrating, as i cant stand water and instead drink diet lemonade, is this almost as good as water or am i not helping myself?

kim63 said:
Hope this helps to answer your question.....

Contrary to what many people believe, drinking water does not cause fluid retention. In fact, drinking more water, not less, can actually help to correct the problem. However, drinking alcohol can cause you to retain water. But unless you chronically abuse alcohol, water weight gain is usually only temporary. Unfortunately, alcoholism can lead to impaired liver function, which causes excess fluid to build up in the feet, ankles and legs.​
Dehydration

Drinking too much alcohol can lead to dehydration, and therefore, problems with water retention. People who drink heavily often need to urinate more frequently or may perspire more than usual. They also tend to drink less water and fewer other fluids. Urination and sweating both increase the amount of fluid your body loses, especially if you don't replace the fluids. When the body is dehydrated, it tends to retain water to make up for the loss. A major health concern is that when you don't keep your body well hydrated with fluids, the organs have to work harder.
In answer to your other post, the OP & I were only suggesting/advising you not to weigh mid week as you wont get a true reflection of your weight & if you hadn't jumped on the scales you wouldn't have seen the 2lb gain lol!.....but appreciate your good question about water retention
Click to expand...
 
Water is the best form of hydration, but if you dont like it as you say, add some NAS squash. There are lots of flavours out there, so choose which one you prefer. You could also try making your own 'lemonade'! Ref drinking diet lemonade, there are Im sure, lots of theories & there is a thread on here about drinking diet coke & losing weight which might help but, from a personal point of view it wouldn't be my first drink because of all the artificial sugars.
 
Paul_Farnham_uk said:
No disrespect guys but the question i asked is whether alchohol can cause water retention not when or how often i should weigh in, so i would prefer to keep on topic if thats ok.. thanks

So to reiterate the question, Does drinking a couple of beers cause water retention?
Click to expand...


The answer is both yes and no. Alcohol is a diuretic so in the very short term (hours) it will cause weight LOSS as you become dehydrated, but in the longer term the salts can cause water retention. However 2 pints of beer is really not going to have much effect at all, especially if you dont drink often.

Whilst you havent told us exactly what it was it is far more likely the food you ate causing both bulk and fluid retention. I would guess it was a little heavier/carbier and saltier than what you eat on a day to day basis. As it hasnt come out the other end yet you're 'heavier' and also retaining water.

Having said that 2lb is, to be frank, naff all and could well be simply daily fluctuations in your weight. As others have said above get off the scales until WI if its going to cause you to stress about it like this (no disrespect) ;)
 
Well im not too worried about comparisons with diet coke as its a very different drink eg no caffiene, hydrochloric acid etc in Lemonade but thanks for the respponse just seems to be nothing about diet lemonade on google, only thing they refer to is the lemonade diet lol

kim63 said:
Water is the best form of hydration, but if you dont like it as you say, add some NAS squash. There are lots of flavours out there, so choose which one you prefer. You could also try making your own 'lemonade'! Ref drinking diet lemonade, there are Im sure, lots of theories & there is a thread on here about drinking diet coke & losing weight which might help but, from a personal point of view it wouldn't be my first drink because of all the artificial sugars.
Click to expand...
 
I can't stand water so I drink Robinsons sugar free squash all day everyday. Diet drinks are ok but water/flavoured water should come first :)
 
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