Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Washing of the Water


195.6 lbs


Geez, that was one heck of a drop in body weight but at least I know why. I did quite a bit of reading and I am fairly sure I will be avoiding ibuprofen in the future. The effect on your kidneys is frightening. It basically impairs them and your kidneys are what excrete excess salt using something called prostaglandin. Essentially, what prostglandin does is dilate your blood vessels to get rid of excess salt in your body. What ibuprofen does is not only block your body from producing the type of prostglandin that causes inflammation, it blocks them all. So basically your kidneys are running very inefficiently and that decreases their ability to get rid of salt which in turn increases water retention. Why I went back up yesterday instead of going down was because of my ibuprofen intake the previous day. Oh and another nasty little side effect, increased blood pressure. Lovely. Lose the pain, get a stroke, fan-freaking-tastic.

So what appears to have happened is that the levee broke and I was able to rid myself of all that water stored up in my body. I still firmly believe that this is what happens from Sunday to Tuesday each week after my binge day. My inadvertent experiment with ibuprofen proved it by proxy. On a day where I would normally be ridding myself of all the water and waste from Saturday, it stopped cold and did a little jump. Once the dam broke it plummeted farther than it has on any day during this whole thing. There are some great benefits to keeping tabs on yourself physically and a little experimentation never hurt anyone unless it is with over the counter medication or certain drugs.

The one thing I really noticed was the heavy feeling of carrying so much water in my body. My clothes felt funny on my body. Frankly, I felt fat, it was not pleasant. Now I can hear all the women out there screaming, "It's called bloating, you idiot!" I can't imagine what the fairer sex has to go through each month. Oh sure the tampon commercials make it look like such a joy. Who wouldn't want to live in a world where flowers suddenly appear and floating bits of cloth turn into clouds before your eyes once a month? Tell me that. It would be a really cool experience, like an acid trip without the brain damage just because you got your period. But words like bloating, in commercials, are meaningless to most men. Even typing the word "bloating", just sounds funny in my head. I really had no concept of what it meant until recently. I can certainly empathize to a certain extent now.

You learn a lot from the little things. I gave myself a quick education on water and its role in the human body beyond what I normally knew because of ibuprofen. Getting deep into the human biological aspect of water was interesting. How the kidneys and liver work in concert to use the fluid and food you ingest is an amazing process and it is one I have abused or have taken for granted for years. Certainly, the specific toxins (salt is a Godsend and an enemy) water rids your system of each day is enough impetus to make sure you drink more each day. Since I live, literally, smack dab in the middle of a desert it even becomes more important. Water is pulled out of your body at an alarming rate in a cold or dry climate due to the low humidity. Before you know it you are dehydrated and your organs start to shut down.

Beyond general health, water is your best friend if you are trying to lose weight. It helps you feel fuller and studies show that people who drink more water have significantly lower weight gain over their lifetimes. Water, scientifically, is one of the least understood substances on earth. Scientists are often baffled by its ability to change state and transform under certain conditions. It's like the stuff was some sort of magic elixir. I am here to tell you that it is.




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