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Sudden Water Weight Spike After a Cheat Meal on Cycle

19 replies11 peopleJun 29, 2026☆ Follow
Summary

why did one high-carb high-sodium meal cause massive water retention that won't drop even with training and deficit

A user on multiple peptides plus testosterone and primobolan gained roughly 25 lb of water after sushi and has stayed bloated despite continued deficit and activity. Others report similar rebounds from carbs or sodium they aren't adapted to and suggest green tea, soups, dandelion tea, or electrolytes to trigger a whoosh. Some blame the AAS or peptides while others say the body simply holds water until sodium and carbs normalize.

What this discussion establishesWhere people disagree

whether the peptides, the AAS, or simply the meal itself is the main driver

Still open

when or whether the retained water will finally drop for this individual

Nothing here is advice.

19 replies · 11 people
AmberQuill88archiveopening postJun 29

I'm on eight peptides and ten supplements along with testosterone and primobolan. Hitting protein and staying consistent, dropping half a pound daily while adding muscle and feeling strong. Weighed 195 one morning. Then on Father's Day we got sushi, the first rice and big sodium hit in almost two months. Still ate lightly and stayed in a deficit, but got very thirsty and downed four bottles of water. Woke up the next day at 211. My body apparently had no idea what to do with the white carbs or salt so it held every drop of fluid. The weight has kept climbing since and I'm now near 220 even though I'm still training and walking 15k steps in a deficit. Feel like an overfilled water balloon, though the gym pumps are oddly better. Hoping the whoosh finally shows up because the scale is clearly lying right now.

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SlowAnchor19archiveJun 29

As someone who lives in Vegas I got a kick out of the nun reference. I can pack on ten pounds of water in no time. When that happens I switch over to mostly liquids, smoothies, and soups. Green tea is my go-to and usually drops the extra water within a day. I also fast if it gets bad. Hope some of that helps and let us know how it goes.

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AmberQuill88archiveJun 29
↳ replying to @SlowAnchor19

I'll give the soups and green tea a shot. I'm picky about tea and have been on white tea lately, so I'll switch and check the results.

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SlowAnchor19archiveJun 29

Hope it works out, I know how annoying that situation is.

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RustTimber22archiveJun 29

I've seen doctors use this for edema patients: juice a whole 4 lb watermelon and drink the juice at about a liter a day. Watermelon has a diuretic effect that isn't widely known.

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GreenAlder78archiveJun 29

Lower the sodium, keep doing everything else right, and the water should come off. Also drop any peptides that cause retention.

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AmberQuill88archiveJun 29
↳ replying to @GreenAlder78

Could some of these compounds be making me hold fluid? Right now I'm on reta plus motsc, five amino one mq, nad plus, glutathione, ss thirty one, klow, thymalin, semax, hcg and hgh. hgh seems like the obvious one but I'm keeping it anyway since it's almost as key as reta. The remaining ones shouldn't be doing anything in that regard. I figured the androgens along with extra sodium and carbs I'm not accustomed to were the cause. Those two hormones started not long ago so maybe my endocrine balance is still settling which could be adding to it.

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CopperThistle19archiveJun 29

Dandelion leaf tea works well for me when I need to drop water.

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KeenTimber66archiveJun 29
↳ replying to @AmberQuill88 (opening post)

You could add 200 mg a week of mast to help shed the water. Just an idea, don't take my word for it.

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AmberQuill88archiveJun 29
↳ replying to @KeenTimber66

I actually have some on hand so I might try a small dose and see if it moves things. Appreciate the tip.

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AmberQuill88archiveJun 29
↳ replying to @CopperThistle19

Just made some green tea after the earlier suggestion. Not sure if I have any dandelion around though.

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PlainSignal90archiveJun 29

I eat low carb in a deficit and the same thing always happens after a carb-heavy meal. The body holds water when carbs aren't part of the usual intake. It used to mess with my head and sometimes led to losing control of the diet, but after a few months on tirzepatide the anxiety went away. Now I just know it will settle back to normal after a few days of regular eating.

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AmberQuill88archiveJun 29
↳ replying to @PlainSignal90

Yeah I wasn't worried about derailing the diet, just surprised by how it happened. Do you think carrying the extra weight burns more calories now, kind of like wearing a full-body weighted vest?

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AmberCinder46archiveJun 29

I've had the same thing happen a few times when trying to eat clean. Just keep drinking plenty of water and the body will flush it out on its own. Got that advice on this forum somewhere.

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IronHarbour22archiveJun 29

I've seen some weight come on after a high-sodium meal but sixteen pounds is a lot.

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AmberQuill88archiveJun 29
↳ replying to @IronHarbour22

I've been gulping down plenty of fluids starting from then and continuing daily. To tell the truth, my bathroom visits have been infrequent lately. Whenever I take a sip now, I question if it's going to increase the count.

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PlainSignal90archiveJun 29
↳ replying to @AmberQuill88

Never considered there might be any upside to it.

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PlainAlder11archiveJun 29

You're on a ton of compounds so it's hard to know exactly what's happening. I had to start adding electrolytes because my sodium got too low from drinking huge amounts of plain water trying to lose weight. That just flushes the good stuff out. I usually do a zero-sugar Gatorade with 250 mg sodium added or split one Liquid IV packet between two bottles. At least you're winning the most-stuff-taken contest.

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LevelWillow41archiveJun 29

Going out on a limb here but I think the AAS are probably involved.

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AmberQuill88archiveJun 29
↳ replying to @LevelWillow41

That seems very possible.

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