Tips for reducing water retention

sugarlemonpie
sugarlemonpie Posts: 311 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been eating out a lot with my parents lately, been making better choices but restaurant/fast food is always full of sodium! I know I haven't been over my calories and have been working out regularly, but feel the excess water in the form of slight bloating and swollen fingers (always shows there for me).

Anyone have any great tips to help with water retention after eating a lot of salt? I try to drink as much water as I can to help, also heard potassium is great so I had a banana.

Replies

  • ravenmiss
    ravenmiss Posts: 384 Member
    Patience. :)
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    Eat less sodium, drink a lot of water. That is pretty much it.
  • cwoyto123
    cwoyto123 Posts: 308
    Eat less sodium, drink a lot of water. That is pretty much it.
    Potassium?
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    Eat less sodium, drink a lot of water. That is pretty much it.
    Potassium?

    Well any ionic compound will influence water retention, should we list them all or just the major culprit which is sodium. Most people get a fairly steady amount of potassium in their diets...its sodium that ranges wildly due to its use as a preservative.
  • gakette420
    gakette420 Posts: 107 Member
    The only things I would add are no soda. Drink caffeinated drinks such as tea and coffee, (they are natural diuretics). Drink small amounts of water through out the day. Eat lots of fiber especially fruits and veggies. Plenty of yogurt intake also helps. Eating broths and soups adds extra hydration and is healthy and filling. Get plenty of sleep (8-9 hours a night). And last but not least, work out daily to sweat it out. I also wanted to add that it may be your cycle adding the water weight. I always swell up the week before Aunt Flo arrives.
    Good luck!
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    The only things I would add are no soda. Drink caffeinated drinks such as tea and coffee, (they are natural diuretics). Drink small amounts of water through out the day. Eat lots of fiber especially fruits and veggies. Plenty of yogurt intake also helps. Eating broths and soups adds extra hydration and is healthy and filling. Get plenty of sleep (8-9 hours a night). And last but not least, work out daily to sweat it out. I also wanted to add that it may be your cycle adding the water weight. I always swell up the week before Aunt Flo arrives.
    Good luck!

    What is wrong with soda?
  • sugarlemonpie
    sugarlemonpie Posts: 311 Member
    Soda has sodium :)

    Thanks guys! Gonna make some green tea now haha.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    Soda has sodium :)

    Thanks guys! Gonna make some green tea now haha.

    Soda has like 19mg of sodium in 8oz, that is next to nothing compared to the normal intake of 3000mg and is far outweighed by the water content. In comparison tap water has about 10mg of sodium in 8oz. So we are talking a 9mg difference here. Think its a little silly to avoid soda for that reason but yeah okay 8oz of water will do you slightly slightly better than 8oz of soda in terms of water retention.
  • gakette420
    gakette420 Posts: 107 Member
    I guess it wasn't fair of me to discount all sodas. You don't have to avoid them altogether if you tend to retain fluids often. You can read labels and choose a soda that is low in sodium, or forgo labels and just drink seltzer, which is simply carbonated water. For flavor, squeeze a wedge of lemon or lime.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    Soda has sodium :)

    Thanks guys! Gonna make some green tea now haha.

    Soda has like 19mg of sodium in 8oz, that is next to nothing compared to the normal intake of 3000mg and is far outweighed by the water content. In comparison tap water has about 10mg of sodium in 8oz. So we are talking a 9mg difference here. Think its a little silly to avoid soda for that reason but yeah okay 8oz of water will do you slightly slightly better than 8oz of soda in terms of water retention.

    If you are talking about regular soda, the sugar in it can also contribute to temporary water retention. Extra sugar causes you to produce more insulin than usual, and the extra insulin can cause water retention. Just like extra sodium, it is temporary and will be gone soon with patience and getting back to lower sodium eating.

    My quickie way to lower the water retention: drink more plain water, lower the temp in the house, and eat a bunch of parsley (sweetens the breath too).

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