While both look the same on the scale, water weight and body fat are distinctly different. Water weight tends to come on quickly, while body fat builds up gradually.
If you’ve experienced fluctuations in your weight, you might be wondering if you’ve actually gained body fat. This isn’t always the case — and if your weight gain happens quickly and comes with puffiness and bloating, it’s likely water weight.
About 60% of your body is made up of water, so some shifts in how much water you’re holding on to is entirely normal and nothing to worry about. But if you’ve noticed persistent water retention that won’t go away with lifestyle changes, it might be time to contact your doctor.
Read on to learn more about how to tell water weight and body fat apart and what they mean.
Water weight is excess fluid your body stores in its tissues. This isn’t always a bad thing — a certain amount of water weight is both natural and important for your health. For example, your body stores energy as glycogen in your liver, and this comes with a small amount of excess water weight.
Conversely, body fat is adipose tissue, a form of excess energy stored inside your body. There are two types: visceral and subcutaneous. Visceral surrounds your internal organs, while subcutaneous lies directly under the skin.
While some visceral fat is important for hormone health and protecting your organs, having too much can negatively affect your health.
For example, the visceral fat in your abdomen
Sometimes, having water weight is entirely natural and nothing to worry about. It’s often linked to your diet, hormones, and hydration. Having fluctuations over time is normal, particularly in females.
According to registered dietitian Catherine Rall, one of the big reasons our bodies hold on to water is to maintain the chemical balance in our bodies.
“Sodium in particular forces our bodies to retain fluid in order to literally keep our insides from getting too salty,” she said. “But it can also be a response to hormone changes and stress.”
Many causes are nothing to be concerned about. For example, sitting for too long, consuming too much sodium, taking certain medications, and experiencing hormonal fluctuations can all cause water weight.
But some causes are linked to more serious health conditions. Heart failure, kidney disease, and deep vein thrombosis can all lead to persistent water retention. If you think you’re experiencing symptoms of these, it’s a good idea to contact your doctor.
Learn more about the causes of water retention.
The easiest way to tell water weight and body fat apart is based on how quickly they occur.
Water weight changes rapidly and can make you feel puffy and bloated. “It’s temporary and usually located in the abdomen, hands, and feet, ” said Dr. Jeoff Drobot. “Fat, on the other hand, is stored throughout the body and will not fluctuate as easily.”
While everyone’s body stores fat differently, it’s generally stored in the stomach, hips, thighs, and arms.
If you’re not sure what’s caused your weight to change, consider the possible causes. Are you about to start your menstrual cycle, or did you eat a salty meal the night before? Then water weight might be to blame.
But if you’ve been less active than usual, eating differently, and have seen the scale creeping up over time, you may have gained body fat.
Unless it’s chronic, water weight is usually nothing to worry about.
Females are more prone to retaining water due to hormonal fluctuations during menstrual cycles, pregnancy, and menopause.
“In these cases, it is a natural occurrence and should not be a cause for concern,” said Dr. Drobot. Other causes that are easy to fix before they have negative effects include eating more salt and dehydration.
However, sometimes water retention can point to an underlying health condition. In these cases, it can be harmful, and it warrants a trip to the doctor. Examples of these
- kidney disease
- liver disease
- heart failure
- venous insufficiency (when blood can’t flow up from the legs)
- severe lung disease
- low protein in the blood
If you’re feeling puffy and think you have excess water weight, you can take some simple steps to manage it. Many of these are lifestyle changes that will help reduce your water retention in a few days.
You can try:
- drinking more water
- avoiding alcohol and caffeine, if applicable
- reducing your intake of sodium and processed foods
- eating potassium-rich foods like bananas and avocados
- staying active
- avoiding sitting for too long
- taking herbal diuretics like dandelion extract
One of the best ways to reduce water weight is through dietary changes. “Cut down on salty and sugary foods in particular,” said Rall. “Getting plenty of sleep and exercise also help since both of these will reduce the amount of water in your system.”
Learn more about lifestyle changes to reduce water retention.
Neither water weight nor body fat shifts are necessarily a bad thing, and experiencing changes in your weight is a natural occurrence.
If your weight gain has come on quickly and you’re feeling puffy and bloated, it’s probably water weight. But if your weight has gradually increased alongside changes to your diet and exercise habits, you may have gained body fat.
You can reduce water weight naturally with lifestyle changes like eating less sodium, staying active, and drinking less alcohol and caffeine. And if your water retention is persistent, it’s a good idea to contact your doctor to determine the underlying cause.
