Are you wondering how to lose water weight safely and effectively? Perhaps you’ve heard the term and want to learn more about it. Or you know you’re carrying some excess water weight and need practical ideas for reducing it.
There are lots of ways to address water retention that can decrease your waistline and help clothes to feel looser. In this article, we look at some of the most effective techniques.
- What is Water Weight?
- How Diet Affects Water Weight
- How To Lose Water Weight – 6 Effective Strategies
What is Water Weight?
Water weight is the H20 that’s stored around your body. In the average person, between 50-70% of their weight is actually made up of water. This isn’t a bad thing – being properly hydrated is essential for your body to function optimally. Without enough water, your body can’t maintain a healthy temperature, excrete toxins, or protect joints from the force of everyday movements.
However, excess water weight can manifest itself as bloating or puffiness. It’s often especially apparent around the stomach, arms, and legs. Water retention can cause your weight to vary by 2-4lbs in one day. In severe cases, it may also be a symptom of disease relating to the kidneys or heart.
The amount of water weight you carry will depend on your sex, age, and body composition (i.e. how much fat or lean muscle you have). But it can also be hugely influenced by what you eat and drink…
How Diet Affects Water Weight
There are two nutrients that are the biggest contributors to water weight: carbohydrate and sodium. If you eat more carbs than your body can burn then the excess gets stored for future use. In order to do this, your body binds 1g of stored carbs (known as glycogen) with 3-4g of water. This means that over-eating on the carbs can lead to quadruple the weight gain in water!
Sodium also has a big influence on your water levels. It’s a natural electrolyte that attracts water towards it. But if you have too much (say, by eating a super-salty fast-food meal) then your sodium levels dramatically rise. This means that even more water is attracted to it and ends up causing excess water weight to be stored in various tissues.
If you’re wondering how to lose water weight quickly, then cutting back on your intake of carbs and salt can have a significant effect. Those of you who have tried a low-carb diet will probably know how quickly the first few pounds disappear. They practically seem to fall off in the early stages but this is because you’re losing water, not body fat.
It’s thought that almost 70% of initial weight loss is usually water. Once your carbohydrate stores are depleted (and the water has gone with it), your body then switches to burning off its fat reserves. This is where the long-term weight loss happens.
How To Lose Water Weight – 6 Effective Strategies
If you’re wondering how to lose water weight fast, then here are some practical strategies. These approaches will help you to shed water in a safe and effective way. They can also kick-start longer-term weight loss efforts by helping you develop healthy lifestyle habits.
1. Ditch Processed Foods
The most effective way to lose water weight is to cut down on processed foods. This means eating less junk and packaged items like chips, pizza, and cookies. Foods that have been highly processed are usually loaded with carbs and salt – both of which contribute to water retention. By cutting down on your intake, you’ll be directly addressing the source of the water weight.
If you find it tough to kick the carbs, then an appetite suppressant like PhenQ can help. It’ll reduce your cravings so that it’s easier to make dietary changes and stick to healthy foods. This means that making positive food choices will become a natural habit that’s ingrained long-term. PhenQ also boosts your metabolism so that you burn more calories and shift those excess pounds faster.
2. Drink More Water
Drinking more water probably sounds like the opposite thing to do. After all, won’t consuming additional water mean that even more is retained? But in reality, drinking fluids can actually help you avoid water retention. If your body is even slightly dehydrated, then it basically goes into panic mode. It conserves as much water as it can because it doesn’t know when or if it’ll get more. This means your retention levels increase. But by remaining adequately hydrated, you can avoid this problem and ensure that your water levels stay balanced. For most people, this means drinking around 2 liters of liquids per day (more if it’s hot or you’re exercising).
3. Get Sweaty
If you’re wondering how to lose water weight in a day, then exercise is your best bet. A decent workout will attack water retention on several fronts. It’ll burn through your glycogen stores which means the water that it’s bound to is immediately released. For roughly every 4 calories that you burn, you’ll be releasing 3-4g of water. You can easily burn 400 calories or more in an hour at the gym which would equate to 100g or more of water. It may not sound like a lot but that amount will certainly make a difference to how tight your jeans feel. Added to this is the fact that sweating excretes sodium from the body. This means there’s less of it floating around in your system to attract excess water. So, by having a medium intensity workout, you can get the dual benefits of shifting carbs and salt at the same time.
4. Consume More Magnesium & Potassium
Magnesium and potassium are both minerals that influence water balance. They can help to combat the negative effects of sodium and counterbalance its retention efforts. By consuming more of these nutrients, you can ensure your body is able to recover from salt influxes quickly and easily.
Whole foods like vegetables, fruits, and pulses are rich in both potassium and magnesium. Bananas, leafy greens, avocados, tomatoes and nuts are all good sources. This is another reason why following a diet that’s rich in fruit and veg is beneficial for your health. You may also want to supplement by taking a daily multivitamin to guarantee that you’re getting enough.
5. Sleep
Want to know how to lose water weight overnight? The secret may be getting a good night’s sleep. We all understand the importance of rest when it comes to health and wellness. But research shows that it may also be beneficial for the kidneys which play a crucial role in water balance. They regulate sodium levels and filter out toxins, so keeping them healthy is a priority. Getting enough sleep also appears to support the body’s hydration control and help to keep water retention to a minimum. Aim for 7-9 hours of good quality shut-eye to ensure you’re adequately rested.
6. Switch Your Seasoning
Cutting down on your salt intake is another way to decrease water weight. It’ll mean there’s less sodium in your system to draw water into your tissues. But if your taste buds are used to salty foods then it can be hard to ditch them cold-turkey. You might find that meals taste plain or even bland without it. But switching salt for other types of seasoning can improve the flavor of your meals while helping to shift water weight. Ground black pepper, herbs, and spices can all be used to enhance the taste without adding extra calories.
Summary
Water weight is usually caused by storing excess carbohydrate and increased sodium levels. Consuming lots of processed foods is the main culprit so cutting back on these can help. Drinking more water, exercising, consuming key minerals, getting more sleep, and decreasing salt intake will also work. By developing healthy lifestyle habits, you can not only reduce your water weight but improve your overall health too.
