weight gain, water retention, bloating…

rest easy lol this is a normal sign of heat acclimatization so it should go away in a week or so. if not get your electrolytes checked as it can also mean an imbalance

Conservation of sodium chloride (NaCl) also occurs during heat acclimatization. The NaCl losses in sweat and urine decrease during days 3-9 of heat acclimatization, resulting in an expanded extracellular fluid volume. Subsequently, NaCl losses in sweat and urine increase toward pre-acclimatization levels, once physiologic strain (i.e., cardiovascular, thermal) moderates. Francesconi and colleagues (1993) recently demonstrated that NaCl losses, during a strenuous 10-day heat acclimatization protocol, were related to plasma renin (PR) and plasma aldosterone (A) concentrations. When subjects consumed a low salt diet (4g NaCl per day) and a moderate salt diet (8g NaCl per day), both PR and A increased during the first four days of heat acclimatization, but decreased during the remaining 6 days of heat acclimatization. The improved cardiovascular stability, which occurred on days 1-4 of heat acclimatization, allowed equivalent exercise performance with both diets and apparently reduced the stimulation and need for large elevations of PR and A. No change in plasma levels of arginine vasopressin (AVP) were observed across time, in either dietary group, possibly because hourly water intake matched the fluid lost in sweat. Usually, AVP synthesis is stimulated by an increase in plasma osmolarity or alterations in blood pressure, plasma volume, and renal or hepatic blood blow. Therefore, it is unlikely that the ability to successfully sustain exercise, during the latter days of the heat acclimatization process, is specifically related to the action of hormones that regulate fluid-electrolyte balance. This is particularly true when salt balance has been achieved

this swelling and retention happens to me when I come back from a break or have a few hot classes in a row. it goes away in a few days to a week

what is happening is that your body is losing salt and minerals through sweating so in defense it hangs onto to all the sodium in your blood it can. It is happening now rather than before because it takes a bit for your levels to get out of whack….. the drinks should help and if it does not get better soon get your levels checked
ps the low energy is also a good indicator of low blood sodium
pps what I meant by normalizing after a week is a week or so after the bloat starts…..

this is all research I’ve done carefully and discussed with doctor after being in hosp over night for low blood sodium levels …. not that your case is like mine, what happened to me is an extreme circumstance. Just that it is normal for your body to hang on to salt when it is loosing it all of a sudden and that once it gets used to it it should relax and let go if it does not … look into it to make sure you are replacing your minerals well enough

what I meant to say…. and perhaps did not put it very well was this…
Bloating and hanging on to fluid IS a a sign of acclimatization AND it is also a sign of your electrolytes being off. I would too be concerned and am concerned which is why i suggested she get her levels checked. If it is a normal sign of your body adjusting to heat it should go away after a couple of days to a week after it started if it continues then your levels may be off.
especially if you are drinking A LOT of water (with no hymilain or other sea salts/electrolyte replacements) your blood sodium may be low. In my experience (and that is the only place I am speaking from and not pretending to be an expert 😉 ) that is what happened to me…. I was overly preoccupied with getting dehydrated and drank too much water LOL and diluted my blood. There are lots of things though that can cause an imbalance

Hi Mary

There is a condition of drinking too much water and depleting sodium. It’s called hyponatremia. It’s very serious and people die from that.

Please search online for hyponatremia. Also search for mild hyponatremia because the first search will give you the really serious symptoms which from your posts you have not indicated. However you could possibly have mild symptoms.

It’s really worth checking out. It is possible that the excessive sweating through many classes along with the amount of water you are drinking is causing some fluid retention. It’s counter-intuitive isn’t it?

You really should see a doctor.

You mention you drink a lot. How much water do you drink?

We could go down the track of what you’re eating and see if there’s something in your diet that is present or lacking. You could tell me if you cook most of your food. And you should get rid of your table salt and only use the sea salt for everything gastronomic for you and your family, from now on. That other stuff is sea salt with EVERY SINGLE BIT of goodness extracted so that all that’s left is sodium chloride. Sea salt is a necessary addition to your diet that will help keep your body in balance. (I have a friend who just recently told me that because salt is so bad for you, that she and her family have none. She had signs of some very poor electrolyte balance and I went out and bought her Himalayan salt that day).

To answer a previous question above; you asked about electrolytes. Sodium or Na+ is just one electrolyte present in the body. There are a number of them. They regulate MANY complex systems. If you are low in electrolytes (I won’t get specific here) then your nerves may not fire correctly, your muscles may not function optimally (spasms, twitching, weakness) your heart may not function well, your blood will not have the right balance (acid-base), your oxygen delivery will be affected and so on and so forth. Your mood may be affected. Electrolytes control blood pressure and help regulate the amount of fluid in the body. Yes, if you are depleted then you could get some water retention as Amy said in an effort to preserve your electrolyte levels.

You may have read elsewhere the suggestion to salt your food with sea salt or even salt your water. If indeed you are depleted then you need a teaspoon every day. Go get some quality sea salt (perhaps from a health food store: Celtic, Himalayan, Hawaiian).

You could take a break from the yoga for a week (I know, you don’t want to 😉 ) or even just 3-4 days to see if the lack of yoga actually does make the puffiness subside. The aim would be to see if the same habits minus the yoga affects you differently. Then go back and see what happens.

[strong]YOUR MISSION NOW: Get a blood test [/strong](include your Vitamin D levels by asking for a 25 hydroxy test). The other part of your mission methinks: Take a few days off hot yoga!

Please keep us posted. Please get tested.

Namaste
Gabrielle 🙂

I am fairly new to hot yoga…. I’ve been doing HY for about 5 weeks now… Unfortunately my practice has been sporadic, once a week here, twice a week there… but last week I went 4 times…

I am now feeling much like the person in the original post on this thread. BLOATED and gross. My jeans feel tighter and I feel icky and swollen.

I try to drink at least a liter and a half before class during the day… I drink almost a liter during… and also about 1 after. Sometimes I can only drink like a half liter before class.

I am now concerned that my sodium is out of whack or my body is trying to get used to the extreme heat. I see some recomendations about increasing electrolytes… but how? Would Pedialyte work? Gatorade? Are there vitamins that contain sodium?

I actually found this site via this thread after doing a google search for “temporary weight gain after yoga” I just had my first class last night and I am very militant with diet. However this am I was up two lbs on the scale. I read through this thread with a little relief seeing this could happen, and I have added sea salt to today’s shopping list.

I way myself every morning at the same time before I eat or drink. I am militant about it. I have lost 100 lbs and have maintained that for 6 yrs, so daily weigh in is what works for me.

I have been having the same problem, I have been doing hot yoga for three months and just finished a 30 day challenge. I have been eating better and trying to lose weight but nothing has changed. When I did hot yoga a few years ago I had the same issue, and finally changed back to going to a gym, and within a few weeks the weight came off like magic. Could hot yoga be causing water weight? I would like to continue my practice, but not if it is causing me to retain unnecessary weight.