What makes you retain water weight?
Key causes of water weight include: Food choices. High sodium and high carb diets can lead to water retention. Potassium and magnesium deficiencies can also cause extra water weight.
- Exercise on a regular basis. ...
- Increase potassium consumption. ...
- Manage salt intake. ...
- Take a magnesium supplement. ...
- Take a dandelion supplement. ...
- Consider certain foods and herbs. ...
- Cut carbs. ...
- Take caffeine supplements or drink tea and coffee.
“Carbs such as bread, white rice, and pasta retain water,” Cruise says. “Try to cut down on carbs and your bloat will likely diminish.” Replace carbs with good fats, like avocado and coconut oil, and avoid trans fats. “Eating a low-carb diet flushes out water by reducing inflammation and glycogen levels,” says Dean.
Extra water is typically stored all over your body in the tissue or between blood vessels, and tends to pool in the extremities (fingers, toes and lower legs).
- Drinking more water.
- Avoiding super salty and sugary foods.
- Exercising regularly.
- Eating hydrating foods.
- Reducing carbohydrates.
- Trying supplements or water pills.
- Improving your sleep.
- Decreasing stress.
It's very simple: Exercise makes you sweat and sweating gets rid of excess water in your body. Therefore, try and do high-intensity workouts that make you sweat such as cardio, HIIT, or spinning to lose extra water weight.
- Drink more water. It might be a little difficult to believe but drinking more water can actually help you shed water weight. ...
- Reduce intake of salt. Too much salt or sodium in your diet may be contributing to water retention. ...
- Consume fewer carbs. ...
- Exercise.
That's why we recommend eating natural foods with high water and potassium content. Cucumbers, melons, pineapples, strawberries, and asparagus are perfect for reducing water retention. Artichokes, onions, garlic, carrots, avocados, potatoes, and rice can also help.
Some foods also have a diuretic effect. For example, adding lemon juice to your water causes more frequent urination and decrease the amount of water retention. Cranberry juice is another natural diuretic. You can substitute a glass of cranberry juice for one glass of water each day to decrease water retention.
Symptoms of water retention
bloating, especially in the abdominal area. swollen legs, feet, and ankles. puffiness of the abdomen, face, and hips. stiff joints.
How long does it take water weight to go away?
The length of time that it takes to lose water weight depends on how much water you're retaining, the cause of the water weight gain, and the action taken to lose it. If you have one high-sodium meal and then return to normal, healthy dietary habits, you'll likely return to your normal weight in 1-2 days.
- swelling of affected body parts (feet, ankles and hands are commonly affected)
- aching of affected body parts.
- stiff joints.
- rapid weight gain over a few days or weeks.
- unexplained weight fluctuations.
- when pressed, the skin may hold the indent for a few seconds (pitting oedema)

If you were to weigh yourself before and after pooping, the weight change on the scale would reflect the weight of the stool, which also contains protein, undigested fat, bacteria, and undigested food residues. Of course (and unfortunately), this doesn't mean you've lost weight.
If you press on your skin and an indentation stays there for a couple of seconds, that's a sign you have water weight. One way to check if you're retaining water is to press on swollen skin. If there's an indention that stays for a little while, that's a sign that you could be retaining water.
How Much Water Weight Can You Lose? You can lose up to 20 pounds of water weight in one week after modifying your diet and starting an exercise routine. Trinh Le, MPH, RD, claims that up to five pounds of water may be shed in a single day.
- Drink 100 oz of water per day. ...
- Eliminate processed carbs, added sugars, and grains. ...
- Sweat it out. ...
- Eat lean protein with every meal/snack.
- Eliminate added salt.
- Eliminate caffeine and dehydrating alcohol (that means all alcohol).
People often weigh less in the morning because they lose water throughout the night as they breathe and sweat. That said, individuals do burn calories during the night. However, the loss of water weight is more significant than the loss of fat.
Some herbs and dietary supplements may help you excrete water (diuretic) and help with sodium and water retention. Examples include dandelion, ginger, parsley, hawthorn and juniper. But proceed with caution before taking any products that have a diuretic effect.
Drinking enough water is essential for our overall health, but it can also help us to lose belly fat. So, make sure to drink 8-10 glasses of water each day and watch your belly fat melt away!
Coffee can make a quick difference in the short term because it is a diuretic, but excessive caffeine intake is known to increase water retention, as is alcohol, so avoid over-indulging.
Does caffeine cause fluid retention?
Caffeine is can also lead to fluid retention and low-level dehydration. One thing that many people don't realize is that dehydration can cause fluid retention. Proper hydration means drinking plenty of water. Soda, coffee, and most teas are not appropriate for hydrating the body.
- Cut back on salty foods.
- Exercise (sweating help eliminate water from the body)
- Drink more water.
- Eat less carbs, which cause the body to store water.
Eating food that is rich in potassium like bananas, tomatoes and avocados can easily help you lose water retention in your body. Research has indicated that potassium could easily counter the harmful effects of sodium in the body.
Lemons and limes are two of the most effective of these and can dramatically reduce the signs of water retention overnight when a substantial quantity is consumed. Simply adding several slices of lemon or lime to a glass of water is one way to reduce bloating in a minimal amount of time.
If you're consuming too few calories your body essentially goes into starvation mode and receives the message that it needs to protect itself. This means holding onto weight for protection's sake. The body perceives reduced calorie intake as a stressor.
Fluid retention
People with heart failure, kidney disease, liver disease, or those taking certain medications may experience this type of weight gain. You should always report rapid or significant weight gain and fluid retention to your doctor, even if no other symptoms are present.
Fluid retention may be a symptom of serious underlying conditions, including: kidney disease – such as nephrotic syndrome and acute glomerulonephritis. heart failure – if the heart does not pump effectively, the body compensates in various ways. It starts to retain fluid and increase the volume of blood.
Water, or fluid, retention occurs when there is a problem with one or more of the body's mechanisms for maintaining fluid levels. The main symptoms are swelling and discomfort. The circulatory system, the kidneys, the lymphatic system, hormonal factors, and other bodily systems all help maintain healthy fluid levels.
Unintentional weight gain occurs when you put on weight without increasing your consumption of food or liquid and without decreasing your activity. This occurs when you're not trying to gain weight. It's often due to fluid retention, abnormal growths, constipation, or pregnancy.
- Drink more water. It might be a little difficult to believe but drinking more water can actually help you shed water weight. ...
- Reduce intake of salt. Too much salt or sodium in your diet may be contributing to water retention. ...
- Consume fewer carbs. ...
- Exercise.
Why I gain weight even I eat less?
There are some medical conditions that can drive weight gain and make it much harder to lose weight. These include hypothyroidism, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), and sleep apnea. Certain medications can also make weight loss harder — or even cause weight gain.
When the kidneys detect the diminished blood flow, they activate hormones that prompt the body to retain fluid and sodium in an effort to boost the volume of blood in circulation.
Symptoms of water retention
bloating, especially in the abdominal area. swollen legs, feet, and ankles. puffiness of the abdomen, face, and hips. stiff joints.