Shearing doesn’t make you lose weight: Let’s immediately dispel this false myth. Sweating is an important process of thermoregulation of the body and causes the loss waterfall and go up minerals (this is why immediately after a workout in which we sweat a lot the scales could show a lower weight), but these must be quickly reintegrated drinking. So yes we “lose weight”, but it is a loss of liquids, therefore a loss of weight fictitious and temporary. Using methods that make you sweat more, such as girdles, antiperspirant clothing or even wrapping yourself in cling film to sweat more, not only does not help with weight loss, but can have serious health repercussions. Ditto for the sauna: Sweating in the sauna makes you lose weight in the form of water, not fat. So let’s see what science says about it.
What is sweat and what does it contain?
Sweat is a fluid secreted by special glands (sweat glands) scattered throughout the body, with the main functions of regulate our body temperatureto keep our skin hydrated and defend ourselves from some bacteria and pathogens thanks to the presence of substances antibacterial action.
It is mainly composed of waterfall and mineral salts, mainly chloride sodiumbut also salts of magnesiumpotassium and socceras well as a very small percentage of vitamins, sugars and amino acids, peptides and lipids.
So when we sweat, whether it’s for a training intense or on a torrid August day during a wedding in the open countryside, what we lose is basically… water salty!
How weight loss works
When we talk about weight loss, however, we are talking about a loss of body mass. What we look for when we are overweight is a fat losswhich, if in excess, leads to an increased risk of various types of diseases, especially cardiovascular and metabolic.
For weight loss ponderal And long-lasting the energies we introduce with thediet must be less than those consumed by the body (caloric deficit). As reported by both the ISS and the WHO in the guidelines for the fight against a sedentary lifestyle, this objective can be achieved with a balanced and adequate diet to our specific needs, with the contemporary increased physical activity.
In fact, by doing physical activity we lose weight because we consume more calories than we ingestand our body is forced to take the necessary energy from fat reserves.
The risks of excessive sweating
Although sweating is a good thing in hot weather because it helps the body avoid overheating, excessive sweating (such as when using sheaths, films and clothing that do not allow sweat to evaporate, as well as not drinking to replenish lost fluids) leads to a excessive increase in body temperature and an imbalance in the concentrations of water and salts in our body.
The biggest risk is the dehydrationcharacterized by symptoms that affect our entire body: cramps, asthenia, irritability, dizzinessheadache, confusion, nausea and tachycardia are the most common. If we do not quickly replace the fluids lost through sweating, it can also occur hallucinations and kidney damage.
According to the recommendations of the Ministry of Health, an adult should drink 2 to 2.5 L of water a day: let’s remember to always drink the right amount of water and to pay even more attention in case of excessive sweating.
