How to Drop Water Weight

Edited by Susan901, Einar Kramer, BrianFSU, Harri and 14 others

Four Methods:HydrateModify Your DietExerciseMake Lifestyle Changes
Whether you have a big event coming up, feel unusually bloated or just want to shift the scale
down a few pounds, losing water weight is a temporary solution to looking and feeling better in a
short amount of time. Follow these easy steps to see immediate benefit, with weight loss
peaking after two to four days depending on your body.
Edit
Method 1 of 4: Hydrate
1.
1
Drink more water. Believe it or not, you may be retaining water because you haven't been
drinking enough of it in the first place. Lack of water affects your kidneys, which in turn affects
your liver, which stops doing its job of burning fat. Not only that, your body doesn't have the fluid
it needs to flush out waste, so it holds on to what water it has, causing you to feel fat and
bloated.
[1]

Drinking more water can bring the body's functions back to equilibrium and help your body rid
problems of water retention.
[1]

Water pushes new fresh hydration into your cells and allows your body to release water through
breath, urine, sweat and feces.
Water enhances metabolism to some degree. When you drink water (especially cold water) the
thermogenic effect that it has on your system plus the increased efficiency of a well-hydrated
body will let your metabolic processes operate optimally and can add to weight loss.
[2]

Adequate hydration will relieve any constipation your may be experiencing, as infrequent bowel
movements are a common culprit of that bloated or puffy feeling.
Ad
2.
2
Sip steadily. The best way to take water is to drink small amounts continuously throughout the
day. Chugging a gallon of water doesn't provide your body with the water it needs because that
"flood" of fluid gets passed on to your bladder and only a slight amount is absorbed by your
body.
[1]

Edit
Method 2 of 4: Modify Your Diet
1.
1
Reduce salt intake. This is one of the most important steps in reducing bloat because it has an
immediate effect on the way that your kidneys control the water balance in your body. Too much
salt causes the body to retain water leading to bloating and swelling, particularly in the limbs.
The American Heart Association recommends consuming less than 1500 mg of sodium each
day.
[3]

Avoid obviously salty foods. Stay away from chips, pretzels and other crunchy, salted snacks.
Steer clear of condiments such as soy sauce, ketchup and relish and vegetable juices and
soups.
Check for hidden salt. Processed and fast foods are loaded with salt. Choose fresh, whole food
items rather than canned goods and frozen entrees.
Stay away from MSG. MSG, or monosodium glutamate, also contains sodium and is found not
only in Chinese food but in many processed foods. Check food labels for "MSG" or "hydrolyzed
vegetable protein," which contains MSG.
If you need to drop water weight fast, reduce your salt intake to below 1,000 mg per day. This
requires some planning, so be sure to read the packages of your food under the label "sodium"
and don't forget to multiply the value of sodium by the serving size to calculate the total amount
of salt in the product.
2.
2
Have a high potassium/high fiber breakfast. Fix yourself a bowl of oatmeal and mix in
banana, raisins and milk. Potassium regulates fluid balance and helps the kidneys to eliminate
waste.
[4]

Choose other hot or cold cereals like oatmeal that are high in fiber to relieve constipation, which
is often the cause of bloating.
Don't overdo it. Be sure not to add too much fiber to your diet too fast; it can cause bloating to
worsen.
3.
3
Eat your fruits and vegetables. Fruits and veggies not only contain a lot of water, they're also
high in bioflavonoids and Vitamin C, two substances that strengthen tissue and reduce the
tendency of capillaries to leak fluid into surrounding tissue spaces.
[5]

Fruits that have the most bioflavonoids are those that are brightly or darkly colored orange,
yellow, red, purple, blue or dark green.
[5]

Fruits with a particularly high water content include watermelon, oranges, cantaloupe, grapefruit,
peaches, pineapple, strawberries and blueberries.
[6]

Drink fresh fruit juices, especially cranberry juice, which is well-known for its diuretic properties.
Be careful--drinking too much fruit juice can mean a lot of extra sugar calories in your diet,so
you might want to simply add unsweetened fruit juice to water to give it some flavor.
Cut up some cucumbers. Cucumbers are not only diuretic but also a natural laxative that can
encourage temporary weight loss.
[7]
Cucumbers are rich in sulfur and silicon to stimulate the
kidneys into better removal of uric acid.
You may enjoy the refreshing flavor cucumbers add to a glass of water, but to get the full
benefits of this veggie, you have to eat it skin and all.
4.
4
Stock up on yogurt. Yogurt has more to offer than just a high water content. It also promotes
the growth of good bacteria in the stomach, which can reduce gas and bloating.
5.
5
Heat up broth-based soups. Cook up a pot of homemade vegetable broth for a meal that's
high in water content but also filling. Canned soups are extremely high in sodium, so look for
broths labeled "low sodium" and read the label for specific amounts per serving.
Be sure to stick to broths. Creamy soups, purees and chowders may seem like good choices
because they contain vegetables, but they're also high in saturated fat and calories.
6.
6
Count on caffeine. Coffee, tea and cola drinks are diuretics and mild laxatives, and eliminate
water from the body. Drink them in small amounts and don't drink enough to cause dehydration.
Parsley is the best known diuretic herb. To make parsley tea, take two teaspoons of dried
leaves for each cup of boiling water and seep for ten minutes. Drink three cups a day.
[8]

Trainer Jillian Michaels has brewed up a recipe for a diuretic tea that's meant to rid the body of
excess water weight. Take 16 oz of distilled water and add 1 tbs. sugar-free cranberry juice, 2
tsp. lemon juice and 1 dandelion root tea bag.
[9]

7.
7
Go low-carb. A low-carbohydrate diet leads to water loss in the body and quicker weight loss
than the reduction in calories would indicate.
[10]

8.
8
Use diuretics with caution. These medications sometimes referred to as water pills are
available over-the-counter and by prescription to help reduce fluid buildup. Be aware that taking
ibuprofen or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and diuretics at the same time can
cause kidney damage.
[11]

Edit
Method 3 of 4: Exercise
1.
1
Get moving. Exercise can help eliminate water weight through perspiration. You lose excess
water as well as the sodium that causes you to retain the fluid.
Exercise helps to widen blood vessels. That means more fluid can get to and go through the
kidneys to be excreted.
Get into a regular exercise routine. 30-40 minutes of daily exercise can help combat water
retention, increase your metabolic rate and prevent constipation.
2.
2
Sweat it out. Sweating is a quick yet very temporary way to lose water weight. It opens the
pores for deep cleaning and rids the body of excess salts and water.
Water weight lost through heavy sweating will be quickly regained once fluids are replaced.
Check with your doctor if you have health concerns about using a sauna. If you have irregular
blood pressure are pregnant or sensitive to heat, you should not sauna.
Do not sauna for longer than 20 minutes.
Edit
Method 4 of 4: Make Lifestyle Changes
1.
1
Rest. Getting seven to nine hours of sleep is a key to getting rid of water weight. Adequate rest
means your body can function at its peak and, therefore, utilize water at an enhanced rate
compared to an unrested, sluggish body.
2.
2
Track your cycle. In women, hormonal changes often cause bloating beginning seven to ten
days prior to menstruation. Higher levels of estrogen and progesterone during that part of the
cycle cause the body to retain salt (sodium) and therefore to retain fluid in tissues.
[12]
Keeping
track of your menstrual cycle will allow you to plan ahead to make adjustments in your diet to
minimize water weight gain.
Nearly 90% of menopausal will gain weight from a shift in hormones; however, some of this
weight is just due to water retention and bloating from decreased progesterone levels.
[13]

"Replacement hormones (especially estrogen alone) can also cause substantial bloating and
weight gain," says Marilynn Pratt, M.D., a private practice physician who specializes in women's
health.
[12]

3.
3
Pay attention to vitamins and minerals. If you're not getting enough potassium, calcium or
magnesium in your diet, you may be setting yourself up to retain fluid, according to David
McCarron, M.D., professor of medicine and head of the Division of Nephrology, Hypertension
and Clinical Pharmacology at Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland. He recommends
the following:
[12]

Potassium - 3,500 milligrams a day, which can be obtained by eating at least five servings of
fruits and vegetables. Potassium is lost in cooking water, so steam, grill or roast your veggies
rather than boiling them.
Magnesium - 400 milligrams a day. Nuts, legumes and whole grains supply the most
magnesium; other good food sources are green vegetables and bananas.
Calcium - doctors recommend striving for 1,000 to 1,500 milligrams a day. One quart of skim
milk contains about 1,400 milligrams of calcium.
Vitamin B6 helps the liver process hormones such as estrogen and progesterone more
efficiently and balance sodium levels, which leads to a reduction in water retention. Adults need
between 1.2 and 1.7 milligrams of B6 a day.
[14]

4.
4
Try acupressure. There are four pressure points on the body that are believed to help with
water retention.
[15]
You can apply pressure to these areas on your own or visit a licensed
acupressure facility for treatment.
Sea of Energy - located two finger widths directly below the belly button.
Shady Side of the Mountain - located on the inside of the leg below the knee and under the
large bulge of the bone.
Three Yin Crossing - located four finger widths above the inner anklebone on the back inner
border of the shinbone. Caution: Do not stimulate this point during the eighth and ninth months
of pregnancy.
Illuminated Sea - located one thumb width below the inside of the anklebone.
5.
5
Get a checkup. Very often water retention is harmless and caused by issues covered here
such as a high sodium intake, dehydration and hormonal fluctuations. In some case, however,
water weight gain may be a sign of blood clots, high or low blood pressure, allergies and kidney,
and liver and cardiovascular disease. See your physician if you have experience prolonged
bloating, swelling and/or discomfort from fluid retention.