Do your jeans feel a bit too tight? Have you been surprised by a higher number than usual on the scales? Are you feeling bloated and heavy? We’ve all been there. Your body is mostly water. It’s in your blood, muscles, organs, and even your bones. YES you need it, but sometimes your body holds on to too much of it. This is water retention, and it causes puffiness and swelling, stomach bloat and adds to those dreaded numbers on the scales.
Your water weight will fluctuate all the time. It depends on how much food and water you are drinking and how much you urinate.
So what causes water weight I hear you all ask ….

Salty and Carbohydrate-heavy Foods THE BIGGEST CAUSE !!!
One of the most common causes of water weight is excess salt in your diet. sodium binds with water and keeps it trapped in the body. The higher the sodium in the diet, the more fluid retention you will have. The carbohydrates we don’t use right away for energy, we store as glycogen, and Glycogen pulls in water, so the more glycogen we are storing, the more water we are taking in.
We all need sodium. It plays an important part in regulating blood pressure and fluid levels. But you only need a small amount. If you have too much in your system, your body holds in water. Table salt is one source of sodium, but we get more of it from processed food like lunch meat, crackers, chips, canned vegetables and soups, fast food, and even soft drinks.
Check the sodium levels of food and drinks before you buy them. You can help balance your sodium by eating potassium-rich foods like bananas and spinach and drinking plenty of water.

Menstruation
Due to fluctuating hormones, we retain water weight the week before our period. Fluid retention may reach its peak on the first day of your actual period before subsiding for that cycle, you may also notice swelling in your face, legs, arms, breasts, and pubic area in the days leading up to your period. With this type of fluid retention, the breasts can get really tender, and some of us also get belly fullness the dreaded BLOAT….

Your Cortisol Levels
Cortisol is best known as a “stress hormone,” although it’s much more than that. It’s involved in keeping blood sugar and blood pressure levels stable, balancing metabolism, reducing inflammation, and even forming memories, Water retention because of elevated cortisol levels isn’t common, but it can and does happen.

We can prevent gaining water weight and like wise get rid of any gained water weight with a few simple changes.

Drink More Water
You might think that putting more water into your body just adds more water weight. The opposite is true. If your body feels starved for water, it will hold on to whatever water it has. If you’re retaining water, make sure you’re getting plenty of H2O, especially if you’re also eating foods that are salty or high in sugar.
Have you ever had a takeaway especially Chinese food and woke up the next morning or during the night extremely Thirsty ?? this is because your body is overloaded with sodium and prompting you to drink water to flush it out and restore balance.
It might also help to limit tea, coffee, and alcohol, all of which can be dehydrating. Cranberry juice, on the other hand, has a slight diuretic effect and may help flush out some excess water.

Avoid Super-salty and Sugary Foods
It’s not so much the saltshaker on your table you have to worry about. The salt used as a preservative in many processed and restaurant foods contributes roughly 70% of our salt intake, your processed, packaged foods are going to have more sodium simply because the manufacturers want them to stay on the shelf longer.
Replacing sugary drinks with water is an excellent way to boost hydration while also cutting back on excess carbohydrates that can cause fluid retention. As we discussed above the carbohydrates hold fluid because the body stores them as glycogen in the muscles and liver.
Cook from scratch when you can, using non-processed items like fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. If you need a packaged item, read the label, compare sodium content across similar products, and limit how often you choose sweets and sweet drinks.

Exercise Regularly
Physical activity is key to losing water weight. Not only will you be sweating out some fluid, but you’ll also get thirsty and want to drink more water. Moving around can also help decrease puffiness. If you’re driving long distances, stop the car at regular intervals so you can get out and stretch your legs. Move around when you can on planes, buses, or trains, and do simple exercises with your feet and legs while seated.

Eat Hydrating Foods
When we are on restrictive diets and at first lose weight quickly, that really is just water weight from the loss of stored glycogen from our muscles. Choosing hydrating foods is a safe and healthy way to lose excess water weight and is almost as good as drinking water. Foods that have high water content help with increasing your overall hydration. Taking in more fluids–even in the form of hydrating foods–will ultimately help your body excrete water. Watermelon, spinach, strawberries, among other fruits and veggies, all have a lot of water. Eating potassium-rich foods like tomatoes and sweet potatoes and most fruits and vegetables can also help you get rid of excess salt.

Conclusion
If you step on the scale in the morning and you’re 3 pounds heavier than you were the day before, you’re probably holding onto excess water. To gain that much fat that quickly, you would have to eat 10,500 extra calories on top of your calorie needs, which wouldn’t be an easy feat.