Day 2: 316 lb Body Fat: 44.6% 

So far, a side by side comparison of the water weight I’ve lost is showing a huge difference in the amount of water weight being released as compared to beginning of November. At this point I’m considering that the amount of water weight will be at least 50% higher than when I did the fast the first time. This is a bit disconcerting as I had food poisoning the first time and this time I don’t. Yet I’ve already exceeded 11 lbs of weight dropped which is more than when I had food poisoning.

Will be interesting to see tomorrow as I’m thinking this is now a race to 307 which is where my previous fast stopped. Main water weight loss seemed to slow down substantially after 4 days. My thinking at this point is that by day 4 I should have a fairly good idea of where I am really at in comparison to what my nutritional plan has been. If I have been keeping things in balance then by day 4 my thought is that I should be very close to 307 again.

Notwithstanding, I’m still left with this nagging question: why then would the amount of water weight I have be so out of proportion to where I was previously?

After reading a number of articles the last two days I’m beginning to think it may have something do to with adrenal fatigue.

The term “adrenal fatigue” was coined in 1998 by James Wilson, PhD, a naturopath and expert in alternative medicine. He describes it as a “group of related signs and symptoms (a syndrome) that results when the adrenal glands function below the necessary level.”^[1]

Depending on who you read the symptoms are not necessarily consistent^[2][3], however, it appears that cortisol sensitivity is one of the side effects and is specifically related to low-calorie diets and intermittent fasting. Many of the articles I have been reading seem to suggest that intermittent fasting will help with correcting this but only in the long term. However, one of the short term issues is that increased cortisol levels results in water retention. So while my body fat composition has been relatively constant throughout the past four weeks, water weight has been out of control. 

This is also referred to as refeeding syndrome^[4] in which carbohydrates disproportionately impact the body to regulate electrolytes. The result is that the body retains fluid (increases dilution of salts in the body) in order to compensate as there is no other mechanism available to it if the primary electrolyte balancing mechanisms fail, or are compromised, as may be the case with adrenal fatigue.

Where to go with this next is the question – don’t have an answer for this just yet.