Can Sweating Help You Lose Weight?

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Learn how much weight you lose via perspiration
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There are all kinds of diet and weight loss hacks out there, and if you’ve ever seen a boxer or wrestler “sweating it out” before a big match, you may think there’s something to the strategies involving sweat. While it may be true that sweating helps you lose a few pounds in the short term, the weight will (and must) come back as you rehydrate. In this article, we’ll break down everything you need to know about weight loss and sweat.

Will sweating help you lose weight?

When you sweat, you temporarily lose a little bit of water weight. Specifically, you’ll lose around 1–4 pounds (0.45–1.81 kg) of water weight for every hour of sweating. However, sweating does not burn calories or fat. You’ll regain the weight as you rehydrate, so sweating is not a viable way to lose weight in the long term.

Section 1 of 6:

Does sweating help you shed weight?

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  1. After bones, water is the heaviest thing in the human body. In fact, about 60% of your body’s overall weight comes from water. Since water is so abundant in your body and it’s the primary ingredient in sweat, you’ll lose some water weight every time you sweat. The weight you lose won’t stay off, though. [1]
    • Sitting in a sauna, wearing sweat-inducing clothing, and sweating it out on a hot day won’t help you lose weight permanently.
    • Why won’t water weight stay off? Water isn’t stored in fat, which is what you need to shed for weight loss. If you lose water weight you may keep a few pounds off for a few hours, but it’ll just come back as you rehydrate. [2] This is why boxers and wrestlers will “cut water weight” only right before a fight—any weight they lose will come back soon after the match.
  2. 2
    You’ll (temporarily) lose 1–4 pounds (0.45–1.81 kg) of weight per hour of sweating. For every hour of continuous hour of sweat, expect to lose anywhere from 16-64 fluid ounces (0.5-1.9 L) of water weight. This translates to roughly 1–4 pounds (0.45–1.81 kg) of body weight. [3]
    • Is losing water weight a good weight loss strategy? No. Aside from the fact that you’ll just gain the water weight back, you actually will struggle to lose weight if you don’t drink a lot of water. You must stay hydrated to lose weight safely. [4]
    • The only way to lose weight permanently is by running a caloric deficit . Exercise can help you burn calories, which can contribute to a caloric deficit, but sweating alone won’t help you lose weight in the long run.
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Section 2 of 6:

How many calories does sweating burn?

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  1. Sweating on its own burns almost zero calories. It does require some energy for your body to produce sweat, so sweating will burn calories; it’s just not going to burn enough calories to matter. If we’re just talking about sweating, we’re probably talking about the single digits. It’s normally whatever activity causing you to sweat that’s doing the heavy lifting when it comes to burning calories.
Section 3 of 6:

Benefits of Sweating

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  1. 1
    Body temperature regulation Sweating’s primary purpose is to help regulate your body’s temperature. Sweat is almost entirely water, and heat has an easier time leaving through water than it does through air (this is why a 75 °F (24 °C) day is nice and warm but swimming in 75 °F (24 °C) water feels cold). As a result, your body will naturally sweat to help avoid overheating. [5]
    • This is also why fans feel good—moving air increases the rate of evaporation, so the moisture in your skin has an easier time absorbing heat when you have the fan on.
  2. 2
    Healthy skin Sweat is mostly water, so it helps your skin stay moisturized and healthy when it’s hot (which is when skin is at the highest risk of drying out). Sweat also contains dermcidin—a protein with antimicrobial properties—which helps keep your skin healthy and happy. [6]
    • The dermcidin in sweat also neutralizes certain bacteria, which could be why people sweat a lot when they’re sick even if they don’t have a fever.
  3. 3
    Exercise aid The amount of sweat you produce plays an important role when it comes to identifying dangerous levels of exercise. If you are absolutely pouring sweat after an hour of working out, it’s probably a sign you’re at your limit. At the same time, if you’re exercising and you aren’t sweating at all, you could probably turn it up a notch. [7]
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Section 4 of 6:

Risks of Sweating Too Much

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  1. If you sweat without replacing the water you lose, you will eventually become dehydrated. Dehydration is a serious health risk, so it is essential that you drink plenty of water when you sweat. If you’re thirsty, drink water until you no longer feel the need to drink. [8]
    • Sports drinks are a fine substitute to water if you’re working out and want the electrolytes and sodium.
  2. 2
    Skin maceration Skin maceration refers to a condition where the skin becomes too soft due to overexposure to moisture. This can cause the skin to break or become infected. If you’re sweating to the point that your skin becomes puffy, discolored, or excessively wrinkly, stop whatever activity you’re doing, dry off, and take a break. [9]
    • You know when you stay in a tub for too long and your fingers get wrinkly? That’s a mild form of skin maceration.
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Section 5 of 6:

Do you have to sweat to lose weight?

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  1. No, although sweating is a good sign if you’re exercising. To lose weight, you must maintain a caloric deficit where your body burns more energy than it consumes. For example, if you burn 2,000 calories a day and you only consume 1,500 calories, you’re going to lose weight. None of that requires sweat. However , if you are exercising, sweating is a great sign that you’re putting in some good work! [10]
    • You naturally sweat to control your temperature. If you’re sweating while working out, it means your body is overheating and needs to cool off. While sweating doesn’t necessarily burn a lot of calories, exercising absolutely does, so keep up the hard work. [11]
    EXPERT TIP

    Dean Theriot

    Personal Trainer
    Dean Theriot is a Personal Trainer and the Owner of Timberline Fitness in Houston, Texas. With over 25 years of experience in the fitness industry, Dean specializes in personal, group, and sport-specific training. Dean holds a BS in Exercise Physiology from LSU. Dean combines resistance and cardiovascular training with pilates exercises for comprehensive workouts for his clients. His sport-specific training includes football, basketball, and baseball.
    Dean Theriot
    Personal Trainer

    Don't worry about sweating more to lose weight or burn calories. There is no serious value in forcing your body to sweat more than it naturally does.

Section 6 of 6:

Why do some people sweat more than others?

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  1. Everybody is different when it comes to how much they sweat. If you feel like you sweat too much, see a doctor—there are several medical conditions that can cause you to sweat more than normal. [12] Other factors that influence your propensity to sweat include:
    • Genetics . If your parents were kind of sweaty, you probably will be, too.
    • Weather . People sweat to cool down the body’s temperature, so if it’s hot where you live you’re going to be more prone to sweat.
    • Hormones . Changes in testosterone or estrogen levels can trigger sweating, as can certain thyroid conditions.
    • Illnesses . You’ll sweat more if you’re frequently sick, since fevers increase the body temperature and sweating cools it down.
    • Diet. Caffeine, alcohol, and spicy food will all elevate the body’s temperature and cause sweating.
    • Stress . Sweating is a common reaction to the fight-or-flight response , so if you’re stressed out or anxious a lot, you’re likely to sweat more often than others.
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      Tips

      • If you tend to sweat a lot, drink plenty of water, wear light clothing, and use an antiperspirant. You can also minimize how much you sweat by cutting back on caffeine and alcohol, which tend to increase sweat levels. [13]
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      • Sweating doesn’t “speed up” weight loss. Studies on the subject seem to indicate that sweating doesn’t improve your body’s ability to lose weight. One study, from 2020, followed yoga enthusiasts. They compared the health outcomes between the regular yoga folks and the people who do “hot yoga” where you exercise in a steam room. The researchers found that both cohorts lost (more or less) the same amount of weight. [14]
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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK541059/
      2. ↑ https://hcavirginiaphysicians.com/about/newsroom/the-truth-about-water-pills-and-weight-loss
      3. ↑ https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-01-weight-good.html
      4. ↑ https://hcavirginiaphysicians.com/about/newsroom/the-truth-about-water-pills-and-weight-loss
      5. ↑ https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/sweat
      6. ↑ https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/dermcidin
      7. ↑ https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/sweat
      8. ↑ https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dehydration/symptoms-causes/syc-20354086
      9. ↑ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30589248/
      1. ↑ https://news.umiamihealth.org/en/sweating-and-weight-loss/
      2. ↑ https://www.cdc.gov/healthy-weight-growth/losing-weight/index.html
      3. ↑ https://health.clevelandclinic.org/why-do-i-sweat-so-much
      4. ↑ https://health.clevelandclinic.org/why-do-i-sweat-so-much
      5. ↑ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7241641/

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