Have you ever tried to lose weight and plateaued?
It might be because you need to increase the intensity of your workload, maybe because you're having too many sweets or consuming too much sodium.
It’s also possible that you’re just retaining water.
Water retention, also known as edema, is a condition where your body stores excess water. It makes you look puffy and bloated, and might be the reason why you aren't seeing the number on the scale drop.
Although water retention can be a sign of an underlying health issue, such as kidney disease or being pregnant, for most people, it’s a sign of something much less serious, like a need to tweak your diet or routine.
Now, there is a difference between losing water weight and weight loss due to fat loss. What we are going to go over today is focused on weight loss and making sure you are not retaining excessive amounts of water.
This will help you look and feel a bit leaner, as well as help drop the number on the scale a little. Remember though, the scale should not be the only tool you use to gauge success.
Keep in mind, the real results come from fat loss. In almost every situation, when someone says they want to lose weight … they really mean they want to burn fat (which will help you look and feel your best) and this blog by Dr. Chad Kerksick will explain why.
If you're also looking to find the best ways to lose water weight, this blog is for you!
In this article, I'll share the factors that can contribute to water weight along with eight different tips on how to lose water weight.
What Causes Water Weight Gain/Water Retention?
Sometimes, excess water weight can be a more complex issue than you may realize. Other times though, the solution can be simple.
It really comes down to what is influencing this water weight retention. Let's look at how your lifestyle habits, diet, and even hormones may be involved...
Sodium and Potassium Imbalance
A lot of times, excess water weight could just be due to a sodium or potassium imbalance. For example, excess sodium in your diet can throw off the balance between salt and water in your body, leading to bloating and water retention.
This imbalance normally comes from poor dietary habits and choices.
Hormonal Havoc
Hormonal fluctuations can also be a contributing factor to water weight retention. This is especially true for the ladies during menstruation and pregnancy.
While this is a completely normal response from your body, persistent water weight can signal underlying hormonal imbalances that may require medical attention.
Chronic Health Concerns
Consistent and stubborn bloating, especially around the feet and ankles, may be a sign of more serious health issues like heart, liver, or kidney problems. If water retention persists beyond a few days, seeking guidance from a healthcare professional is a crucial step.
But now that you know what may be the causes water weight, let's dive into practical ways to address it. Here are eight effective strategies on how to cut water weight…
How to Lose Water Weight - 8 Different Ways
1. Drink Plenty Of Water
This surprises many people. One of the best ways to lose water weight is by drinking more water. Let’s try to explain why more water means less water retention.
Your body needs water. It needs to be hydrated just like it needs to be fed. When you eat food, your body will convert some of it into fat. This is how the body stores excess calories for later.
Your body does something similar with water. Instead of turning water into fat, it stores water in the muscles. This excess water can make you look puffy and bloated, but ultimately, the body is trying to protect itself from dehydration.
The main difference between your body’s food-storing and water-storing capabilities is when the body decides to store them.
Your body is always looking for new ways to store food.
In times of feast and famine, your body wants to accumulate as much body fat as possible. With water though, your body only tries to store water when it senses that water is scarce.
The more you purposefully try to avoid water, the more your body will hold onto it.
Make sure to drink plenty of water so your body doesn’t feel the need to hold on to any of it.
This is different if you’re preparing for a specific event, like a bodybuilding competition, but we won't cover that here.
2. Get Enough Sleep
Sleep helps get your renal nerves in order, meaning it helps your kidneys rest and become more efficient. The kidneys play an important role in sodium regulation as well as water balance.
If you’re not getting the right amount of quality sleep, then your kidneys will not work as well as they should. That’ll lead to more water retention.
Make sure to get the recommended 8 hours of sleep you need in order to give your kidneys a break.
3. Find A Way To De-Stress
Other hormones also play an important role in a variety of metabolic processes.
If you’re feeling stressed for long periods of time, your body’s hormones are more likely to change and alter your body’s ability to regulate water consumption and expulsion.
The best thing to do in this case is to find a way to de-stress that works for you. For some people that might mean a nap during the day.
...and if you truly are looking to learn how to lose water weight, it's important to find what works best for you. That could be anything from yoga to meditation or a specific breathing exercise. Whatever you choose, make sure it's a healthy and productive way to de-stress.
4. Exercise Consistently
Working out or exercising is kind of a double-edged sword when it comes to water retention.
In the short-term, exercise will increase water retention. That’s because your body retains more water around injured muscle tissue to make muscle repair easier.
Still, your body will benefit from regular exercise. Consistent, long-term exercise helps stimulate blood flow and reduce lymphatic fluid buildup in the arms and legs.
As long as you’re exercising regularly, the benefits of working out will outweigh the negatives.
5. Give Magnesium A Try
Supplements which contain magnesium are helpful because magnesium has been shown to reduce water weight.
It’s especially helpful in reducing water weight in women. Magnesium is helpful in controlling water weight because of how it interacts with salt, which causes the body to retain water.
6. Switch Up Your Diet
If you're looking for one of the best ways to cut water weight, start paying attention to your diet.
Your diet is especially important if you’re looking to lose excess water weight. Carbohydrates are either used quickly by our body for energy, or stored as glycogen. This stored glycogen (muscle fuel) is used during resistance training or intense workouts.
This glycogen also pulls water into the muscle cell with it. This isn't a bad thing, but we only need a certain amount of carbs for this process. Consuming too many carbs that cannot be used properly can cause excess water retention. However, if we switch from simple carbs to complex, fiber-rich foods, this can help give the body time to properly use these carbohydrates, which can help to reduce water retention.
Additionally, drinking coffee and tea helps your body further get rid of excess water. These drinks are natural diuretics.
7. Cut Back On Sodium
If you can only change one thing in your diet, it would be cutting back on foods that are excessively high in sodium.
Sodium has a crucial role in our diets as it helps with many functions in the body and nutrient delivery.
Unfortunately, though, many Americans have a diet that is high in processed foods, or dining out, both of which typically have excessively high amounts of sodium. Therefore, many people consume too much salt, and sodium forces the body to retain a lot of water.
Cutting out savory junk food and processed foods will help minimize your salt intake.
But to be clear, this does not mean cut out all salt, or heavily monitor the exact amounts you are getting… it just means to be more conscious of your food choice and lifestyle. If you find yourself dining out frequently or eating highly processed foods, make an effort to eat healthier or cook at home more often.
8. Drink Electrolytes
If you are working out, and sweating heavily, your body will be losing electrolytes that play a crucial role in regulating water. Therefore, drinking electrolytes such as potassium, calcium, and magnesium to help replenish those lost electrolytes can be beneficial.
1st Phorm Can Help You Lose Weight And Get Fit
Whether you need help getting rid of some extra water weight or you need a little more energy to finish your workout, we can provide you with the necessary resources and guidance to help you succeed.
If you have any questions about your plan or want help as you work towards your goals, please reach out.
No matter what your fitness goals are, we can help.
Here at 1st Phorm we have a team of NASM Certified Personal Trainers that can answer your questions and help you all for free.
And we’ll help you even if you don’t shop with us or use any supplements.
So if you have questions, feel free to send us an email at CustomerService@1stPhorm.com or give us a call at 1-800-409-9732.
