Retaining water from Dehydration! Help!

mcottle292

So I gained 5 pounds over the weekend...of water. I can feel it! I cant wear my wedding ring, I cant wear sandals. I t all started Friday night. My husband and I went on a jog and I forgot my water bottle and of all nights we got lost on a new path and were gone for 85 minutes. By the end I was so swollen my hands were hurting. I had to take my ring off during the jog and haven't been able to put it back on. I understand I was dehydrated and my body is trying to hold on to the water. But I cant seem to shake it! Has any one experienced this? Any suggestions?

dad106

Drink more water then. The more you drink, the more that your body will flush out and you'll lose that 5 pounds in no time.

jayb0ne

I keep to 5 litres a day all week but I usually let it slip a bit at weekends. I notice a bit of a gain but I always shift anything gained plus a bit more the week after.

Your body can comfortably handle up to 15 litres per day so don't worry too much about over-watering yourself - as long as you're using the toilet regularly of course - the more the better!

SeanMurphy

Also, won't help you this time, but perhaps for next time. If you get dehydrated, when you're bouncing back and guzzling water afterwards, take a small pinch of salt for every liter or so of water you take in. The salt keeps your electrolytes in balance, so your body won't hoard the water quite as viciously. This goes for anyone who, for whatever reason, has a high water intake. Either to balance heavy sweating, or because you're trying to increase excretion.

I have gout attacks in my knee if I don't keep on top of hydration, so in the summer, I'll sometimes take in up to 5L a day, because of my condition and general body size (I'm 6'6" and 280lb). I keep a little box of kosher salt (it tastes better than fine grained table salt) on my desk at work, where I consume most of my water, and i take a tiny pinch on the tongue every time I fill my 1L water bottle.

It seems counter intuitive, since excess salt makes you retain water, but keeping sodium levels balanced lets your body know it's not dying of thirst and doesn't have to hoard the water.

I've only read this on gout forums, so it might not be applicable to all situations, but I thought I'd share. I agree with the previous comment also. Drink more water.

mcottle292

I guess I should also note that I drink 3 liters of water on average a day...plus I drink a lot of green tea, not sure how much of that. I also drink 12 oz. of g2 low calorie after each work out. I dont drink any soda...most mornings I do drink a cup of coffee.