Water weight; How to lose water weight ??

Ever wondered why your weight keeps fluctuating every day ? you work out more than usual in the gym on a particular day only to find your weight has increased by a kg instead of reducing. and you wonder ” why ? ” well the reason is ” Water weight”. While above written lines are true for most men who work out for weight loss, Women worry more about the water weight and how to lose water weight.

Water Weight : Reasons of gaining water weight 

1] Hormonal Fluctuations –  women experience bloating and  gain water weight of 2-3 kgs just before their menstrual cycle.  This weight usually clears off by 5th day.  women in menopausal age often gain off and on water weight.

Hormonal problems like PCOD  and PCOS may also lead to bloating and water weightgain.

2]Excessive gym workout –  Normally if you work out harder in the gym on a particular day you would expect to burn more calories and lose more weight. But majority of you would notice a weight gain on the next day.

Well you definitely burnt more calories, but the weight gain amounts to water weight. when the muscles get over worked they hold more water for their repair and recovery.

3] Excessive intake of sodium – excess intake of table salt / pickles / ketchup / other foods with sodium as a preservatives will all lead to water weight gain.

Alcohol, canned foods, sugar and excessive crash dieting will lead to gaining waterweight.

Now you know the reasons of gaining water weight. lets now see how to lose water weight.

Water Weight ; How to Lose Water Weight

1]  Drink more water –  while it may sound contradictory, but you need to drink 8 – 10 glasses of water everyday to flush out the excessive sodium in the body. Along with water , you should also increase the intake of other liquids like herbal teas and green tea, cranberry juice, and other juices. Avoid soups during bloating as it may contribute to increase sodium in blood.

2] Limit sodium Intake –  Sodium binds water in the cells and increases water weight. If you wish to reduce swelling / bloating / water weight, you should limit your salt intake to 1000 mg a day (1/2 tsp / day) till your bloating is reduced.  and then increase it to 2000 mg /day (1 tsp/day).

Reduce the intake of processed foods / canned foods / pickles / chutney and soups. replace  salted nuts with unsalted ones. replace the regular sodium salt with pottasium salts / rock salt / black salt.

3] Fruits and Vegetables  –  Melons, papaya and Citrus fruits like orange and lemon  have a diuretic role. increase the intake of these fruits.

increase the intake of cucumber, lettuce (salad patta), tomatoes, peppers, carrots and onions. see this article for a list of diuretic foods that will help you in losing water weight.

4] Stop Crash Diets –  Crash diets are bad and can lead to water weight gain. stop crash dieting and eat something every 3-4 hourly to get rid of water weight.

5] Exercise –  Exercising is important for losing not only fat weight but also your water weight.  exercise increase the respiratory rate and helps lose water weight through increased sweating.

edema due to illness can also contribute to gaining water weight. Above mentioned tips are safer way to reduce the water weight instead of popping pills each time. Changing your lifestyle to increase liquid intake and healthy eating will help you in both losing fatand water weight.