Reader Q&A: The Sauna, Weightloss Miracle or Pointless Waste of Time?
Question
One of my readers wrote in with:
I have a friend who swears by the weight loss properties of the Sauna. He says he goes in and comes out feeling (and weighing) lbs lighter. I told him he’s just sweating the weight off but he says that’s exactly the point and says I do the same thing when I exercise. So is the sauna the same as exercise?
Answer
No, absolutely not. A sauna is NOT the same as exercise.
What Is Sweating?
Sweating is the body’s way of trying to cool down. The human body needs to maintain a relatively even temperature. If it gets too warm, it tries to cool off by sweating. Part of this cooling off mechanism is sweat. When we sweat, glands in our skin are letting water from our bodies flow out. The evaporation of the water uses some of the heat energy which in turn helps our bodies cool down.
Why Do We Sweat When We Work Out?
Easy, because exercise warms our bodies up and in order to stay cool, we sweat. However, sweat is just the side effect of the exercise.
Why Do We Sweat When We Sit In The Sauna?
Easy, because it’s really really warm in the sauna and our bodies are trying to cool down.
Well, That Sounds The Same As Exercise
Not really. With exercise, our bodies are warming up because of something we’re doing. We’re being active and burning energy to workout. This causes our temperature to rise which in turn causes sweat. However, it’s the exercise itself which burns calories and gives us the positive effects of physical activity. With the sauna, we’re not doing anything. We’re just sitting there baking in steam. The heat of the sauna causes our bodies to overheat and this in turn causes sweat. There’s no energy burn here, no calories being used.
But I Weighed Myself and I Weigh Less After The Sauna
Sure, and I weigh about 6lbs less after a long run. That’s just water loss from sweat. Drink some water and it will all come right back. Remember, the sweat you lost is primarily water, with a bit of salt. You didn’t really burn any energy in the sauna. At least the run burned some calories along with all that sweat.
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Sitting in the sauna is no replacement for exercise. It may make you sweat, but that’s just a reaction to an outside influence rather than the result of physical activity. That kind of weight loss will last about as long as it takes you to drink a glass of water.
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That weight is indeed water weight that will be gained back as soon as you rehydrate yourself. When MMA fighters have to make weight for a fight, they can drop up to 20 pounds of weight in a day. They become severely dehydrated.
The bottom line as the article stresses is that weight lost while in the sauna is a temporary fix, and in order to lose weight it takes some work!
Maybe it doesn’t work for weight loss but I have fond memories of the sauna at my Finnish girlfriend’s grandparents cabin years ago - jump from the sauna to the lake and back. And then beat yourself with branches. Fun times.
This is how “Biggest Loser” contestants lose weight - they dehydrate in the saunas available to them. I was reading an article in TIME magazine where they admit to it, and one guy put on like 30+ pounds in a matter of a few days just by drinking water after he left the ranch.
This is just a lazy “dieting” technique. If you need to shed a couple of pounds for a big event, the results may allow you to fit into the outfit, but by the end of the event, it’s kind of doubtful you’ll still fit into it comfortably.
at the end of the day, we all know that its only water we shed in a sauna but if its the difference between making the weight and not making the weight then its worth it. just rehydrate when you step off the scales.
big deal
Yes you do lose water in the sweating and replace it. But a sauna just feels so good, and the relaxation and destressing just has to be good for you.
I agree that the weight loss from a sauna is temporary and will be regained as you drink water to replace that which you lost during the sauna.
But a sauna has many health benefits other than weight loss. I enjoy daily use of my sauna and I definitely feel better after using the sauna.
While the weight loss is temporary there are other benefits to using a sauna. I use my sauna three to four times a week and I feel better after I finish using the sauna.
I often found it amusing that people think that using a sauna is a good weight loss strategy. As we all know, the weight will be put back on when we rehydrate.
The problem is that people look for a quick and easy fix. Sitting in a sauna makes you lose weight and it’s easy. So people do it without thinking about the fact that you’ll put all that weight back on when you drink a glass of water.
There are no quick and easy fixes.
Gal
I would be careful about getting too carried away. The body is 75% water so any weight you sweat out will come straight back on
Are their any benefit to using the sauna for weight loss at all?
I use the sauna daily, and it does do wonders for overall lowering blood pressure and improving mood. I am losing weight, but that is most likely also do to working out (before and/or after the sauna) and eating healthier foods and drinking more water and not soda.
Jeff
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The Journal of the American Medical Association stated, a bather in moderate condition who sweats off about 500 grams in a sauna nevertheless uses up some 300 calories - or the equivalent of running a couple of miles. The Journal went on to observe that while, yes, the water weight is regained once you rehydrate, the calories that were consumed in the sauna are not.
WEll just so you know your body turns your stored fat into soluble fluid which is whats being sweated from your body ,It’s NOT JUST WATER like all these people are saying .i put the sauna to the test myself and ive lost 40 lbs in 4months not working out just sitting in the sauna for an hour or more 5-6 times a week .I take a gallon of water into the sauna with me and drink as i sweat .i havent put 1lb of that weight back on thank you very much .also a good thing is to drink plenty of distilled water it makes liver and kidney work easier and more efficient .so yes you do burn fat in the sauna not just water weight .the heat and the raise in the heartrate turn your fat in to soluble fluid and that is released from the body along with water
I greatly disagree with most people here and the article. Regular Sauna use has tons of benefits. It is true that if you are sitting on your butt and not doing any other form of exercise or dieting then what the heck do you think is going to happen?? A Sauna forces your cardiovascular system to work harder causing the feverish state. The skin is depleted of heavy metals which can cause cancerous conditions. It is also purged of toxins that develop within the skin. By the way, I am on a diet program, exercise regularly, and use the sauna regularly. I have lost over 40 lbs in the past two months. And my skin feels as soft, clean, and toned as a baby’s. I wonder why that is??
@Jason
My guess is that your weightloss and skin improvement are a result of your better diet and exercise. Sauna may feel great, and I have nothing against it, but it’s not a significant weightloss tool. Does your body work harder to keep cool? Sure, but you could accomplish the same thing by slightly lowering the thermostat in your house during winter. It’s minor compared to a healthy diet and physical activity.
Gal
Your body uses ATP (energy/calories) to sweat. It is an active process regardless of how hot one is. Nuff said
@Gal, your last reply indicates that you must not have very much experience with saunas at all. Maybe you tried it once and didn’t get the reasoning behind people’s love for saunas, hence the article?
Yes, weight lost by water in a sauna is not “true” weight loss, and it’s not the same as real exercise. I completely agree with all that. If that was your point, fair enough. Except you missed all the other benefits to a sauna and implied it was a erm.. Pointless waste of time. That’s slightly ignorant.
If you ever do sauna on a regular basis, you would know that saunas increase your heartrate, relax you, detoxify you, and soften your skin. Some of the benefits you can get from say rowing or running, but if you know how to sauna properly, the results are unparalleled. Sauna even for a week, whether or not you exercise regularly, and you will have much softer skin, quite a contradiction to what you incorrectly assumed in the comment above.