You’ve just had a seriously sweat-filled workout, and you’re already feeling lighter. You step on the scale, and your suspicions are confirmed — you’ve actually lost a pound! Yes!
This proves sweating helps you lose weight, right? Not exactly.
While you did step on the scale and see that your “weight” has dropped, it’s due to fluid loss, not permanent weight loss. In other words, as soon as you rehydrate (which you should do, stat, especially if you’ve seen a drop in your scale weight since before your workout), your weight will return to the level it was prior to the start of your session. For proper rehydration, the general recommendation is to drink 16–24 ounces of water per pound lost during exercise, which is important because dehydration can cause everything from muscle cramps to dizziness if not addressed quickly.
OK, but doesn’t sweating a lot mean you’re burning more calories, and that will help you lose weight faster?
That isn’t exactly true either. Despite what some brands or products claim, those heated yoga classes or sweat suits won’t help you permanently drop pounds by increasing your sweat level alone. Why not? Your calorie burn isn’t measured by the amount of sweat you shed during a workout but rather by the amount of intensity or effort you put into it. Measuring your heart rate or tracking your perceived exertion level during your workout is a much more accurate way to track your expenditure than by how sweaty you are by the end.
And if you don’t get super soaked during your gym session, don’t “sweat it” either — the amount each individual perspires has to do with the number of sweat glands you were born with. (Most of us have somewhere between 2–4 million of them.) The functions of sweat are to help cool your body and to regulate your temperature, whether you’re rocking it out in cycling class or waiting for the bus on a hot summer day.
So, what does it all boil down to? Sweat is a good thing — it’s your body’s cooling system, but don’t count on using it as your gauge for lasting weight loss. Breaking a sweat (and the amount you perspire) has more to do with your genetics and the temperature of your environment than the intensity of your workout or the amount of calories you are burning. Skip trying to simply sweat off the pounds with saunas and sweat suits. For true, lasting weight loss, instead keep your focus on a consistent, balanced workout plan and a healthy diet with the right caloric deficit.
12 Responses
How is this a secret??? You tricked me into reading one of the biggest “DUH” blogs I’ve seen. What a waste.
Yeah this article is just weird. I thought I was going to read something breakthrough or at the very least , informative..
However, it’s just a catcher title, with forced content.. I don’t think ANYONE at all was thinking “oh if i sweat, it means im losing weight!” what the heck
Unfortunately, there ARE people who actually do think that. I have a coworker who legitimately believes that saunas and working out with saran wrap around your middle will cause real weight loss due to sweating.
There’s simply no reasoning with those types, alas.
I agree, Kat. I know people who will wear hoodies and sweats on an 85 degree day so they will lose more weight during a workout. Weird.
Older and old school work out people still use those silver sweat suits or put on heavy hot 100% cotton hoodies in the middle of a heat wave. Its funny to watch. Its more a generational thing.
I think this is a great article. So many people are looking for the easy way out (like a sauna or sweat suit) when they should be eating for weight loss and exercising for health.
Can sweating help you lose inches?
wow…
Dear author, thanks to this catching headline about the “secret” behind sweating, I clicked on your article. Congrats. You got me. The bad news is that I’m now unsubscribing from my fitnesspal because of it. Great job.
Same
I skimmed the article, and there’s nothing wrong with it–it’s good information. However, I’d also say a better focus is to especially emphasize consistency with nutrition, if weight loss is the goal. Working out hard can actually increase appetite, so moderation and consistency in whatever exercise you do is probably wise…and then track your daily dietary intake and see what works for you! Tweak as necessary, stick with it. Everyone gets discouraged at times, so just get back up whenever you falter or struggle, keep going when you stall, and eventually, you’ll WIN!
I’m grateful that the article debunked an assumed association. Trainers and the like always berated me for not “working hard enough” because I’ve never been a big sweater. Now I can tell anyone who cares to take a long walk off of a short pier and just let me work as hard as I can.