Fluid Retention And How To Lose Water Weight

Fluid Retention And How To Lose Water Weight

I’m sure that by now you’ve heard about water weight. Dealing with water weight can make you feel pretty uncomfortable and miserable.

That is because you end up feeling bloated and even swollen. This happens when your body retains water that normally should go to the kidneys.

Your body stores the extra fluids between your organs and skin, instead of peeing it out. Yes, water weight can eventually go away on its own but you still have to feel bloated and swollen when retaining fluids.

You can easily manage water retention just by knowing what can cause it. There are a few factors that contribute to water retention.

So, to make sure that water weight avoids you, there are a few things you should take into consideration.

Causes Of Water Weight

From what you are eating to certain medications or hormonal imbalance, you can experience that bloated feeling caused by water retention.

To understand better what causes those extra pounds you seem to have put on overnight, here are a few things that can contribute to that.

1. Eating Too Much Salt And Carbs

Too much salt in your diet is usually the most common cause of water weight. The sodium will link with the water and it will keep it trapped in your body.

The more sodium you consume in your diet, the more water your body will retain.

Carbs can also add to your water retention. If you had a period of dieting or restrictive eating, adding carbs back into your diet can make you feel bloated or swollen.

2. Medication

There are certain meds that can cause you to retain water. These are usually the medication for high blood pressure, diabetes meds, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

Your pharmacist or your doctor will be able to tell you if the medication is causing you to retain fluids as a side effect. Then, the doctor can recommend some alternatives to those meds that may not have the same water retention side effect.

3. Traveling

When you are sitting down for a long period of time, for example on a long road trip or a cross country flight, your body can gain water weight.

Your muscles will contract from sitting for too long and your legs and feet can swell up because the fluids can accumulate there.

4. Pregnancy

When you are getting closer to your due date, you can gain water weight. You can experience swollen hands, feet, or even ankles.

You might blame most of the water weight on your hormones but the constantly growing belly puts a serious strain on your blood vessels.

Usually, you’ll lose all the extra water weight once you deliver the baby. But if you experience sudden swelling that hurts, you need to see a doctor because you can have a spike in your blood pressure or a blood clot. Whatever the cause may be, you should go see a doctor right away.

Yes, water retention can have many causes. Some of then you can avoid, like eating too much salt, but some can be hormonal and they can’t be that easily avoided.

So if you want to get on top of that fluid retention, there are easy ways to do it.

Tips That Help You Lose Water Weight

These are easy tips that will help you lose water weight fast. And, in those cases where the fluid retention is hormonal, these tips will still help you control the situation.

1. Manage Your Salt Intake And Avoid Too Salty Foods

Your biggest problem is not the salt that you put in your food. I’m pretty sure you’re putting the right amount of salt in your dish when cooking.

You need to worry about too much salt when it comes to processed foods. According to the FDA, processed foods contribute to about 75% of our salt intake.

This happens because many of these products use salt as a preservative. The manufacturers of these processed foods are adding excess salt to make sure that the item can stay on the shelf for long periods of time.

Try to avoid these processed items and cook from scratch. Use non-processed ingredients like fresh fruits or vegetables when cooking.

If you find yourself still craving processed items, read the label before you buy them. Check the sodium content of your product and try to choose one with lower salt content.

2. Try To Drink More Water

When you are drinking enough water, you are reducing water retention. You need water in your system because when your body feels famished for water it will hold on to all the water it can find.

So, if you are retaining fluids, make sure that you drink plenty of water, especially if you are consuming salty foods.

You will also need to limit your coffee, tea, and alcohol consumption because they can dehydrate you.

Another great thing for you to drink can be cranberry juice. It can have a slight diuretic effect on you which means it can help you flush out some of that excess water.

You need to find a balance when it comes to drinking water. Too much water can have the same effect as too little water.

If you are drinking more water than you should, you’ll actually boost water retention.

So only drink water when you are thirsty, and when you feel hydrated, stop.

Also, your body might feel the need for more water in hot temperatures and when you are exercising. Make sure you drink more water than usual in these situations.

If you wanna know if you are well hydrated, you can check your urine color. If it is light yellow or fairly clear that means that you are well hydrated.

3. Exercise Regularly

The best thing you can do to lose the water weight quickly is to exercise.

By exercising, you will sweat out some of the fluids and you’ll also get thirsty. And by getting thirsty, you will end up drinking more water to stay hydrated.

Choose any kind of activity, even walking is good. You can reduce the “puffiness” that people associate with water weight by moving around.

For example, if you have a long drive, make sure you stop a few times to stretch out your legs.

If you are on a bus, flight or train, just walk around a few times or do some simple exercises with your legs and feet while seated.

At the gym, after doing your workout routine, visit the sauna for a few minutes. It is a great way to increase your sweating and reduce water weight.

4. Make Sure You Are Eating Hydrating Foods

You can increase your overall hydration by eating these kinds of food. They can be as good for you as drinking water.

Your body will take in more fluids when you are consuming hydrating foods which will eventually help eliminate the excess water.

Make sure you add foods like watermelon, strawberries, oranges, cucumber, lettuce, or tomatoes, among many other fruits and vegetables. They have a high water content which will help you stay hydrated.

You can also add potassium-rich foods to your diet. Eating sweet potatoes, mushrooms, pumpkins or eggplants will help you get rid of some excess salt in your system.

These tips will help you flush out excess fluids and get rid of that puffiness that comes with water retention.

But if the fluid retention is persistent or seems to be severe and even increases suddenly, you might wanna seek out some medical attention.

There are some cases where excess water retention could be the cause of serious medical conditions.

But if your diet consists of too many salty foods, or you are eating processed food regularly, or you just don’t drink enough water, try to follow these tips to get rid of the water weight.

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