Well it my have something to do with just "how" overweight I am, and before I started this diet I was dealing with edema. That was one of the first things I noticed after just a week on low carb was that my edema went away. For me, a whole jar of pickles clearly effected my water retention, I know I did not grow another 3 pounds of fat overnight, (but I was consuming a lot of water and pickles)