Water retention

Abi_bug04
Abi_bug04 Posts: 220
in Food and Nutrition
Hello everyone!

I'm slowly learning more and more each day, but the topic of water retention still eludes me.
I was wondering, in general, what type of foods increase the amount of water you retain, how much can this affect the scale, and how long the effects of this last.

It might seem like a silly question, because I know foods high in sodium probably increase retention, but I was wondering if there are other things I should avoid in higher quantities (eg. types of ingredients, condiments, cuisines, etc.). I was also wondering if there are ways to minimize the amount of water retention?

Thanks in advance,
Abi

Replies

  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    For me: foods high in sodium will cause water retention. I always know the scale will show 2LBS more the morning after a night of SUSHI. Soy Sauce is notoriously high in sodium. Even so-called "low salt soy sauce".
  • supermodelchic
    supermodelchic Posts: 550 Member
    Yes you can use salt free seasoning's like Mrs. Dash, avoid condiments like catsup, soy sauce a1 sauce,ect, mustard is okay, , avoid soups, asian food is really bad lot's of salt in that..just try to make fresh food . avoid takeout , fast food, ect.. frozen meals
  • Abi_bug04
    Abi_bug04 Posts: 220
    Thanks very much!
    I never considered getting my hands on some salt-free or low sodium seasonings! I definitely need to stock up on those!
    And yes, I'm notorious for takeout (once a week, sometimes less...) but definitely notice the extra pounds afterwards, even if I am very strict in my portions! Sushi is my Kryptonite! It's basically the only healthy thing in the cafeteria at my workplace...I'll probably skip the soy sauce next time!
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,458 Member
    Excess sodium isn't really that good for your cardio vascular system either. While water retention-weight is temporary, weak blood vessels are not.

    I think the newest recommendations are 1500mg in the U.S. That's a pretty hard number to hit if you eat anything at all that comes in a bag, box, can, or bottle.

    2500mg is the default setting here.

    I use a lot of Mrs Dash, chipotle pepper, plack pepper, garlic, onion, and other spices. Never use the salt shaker anymore. I get plenty in my other sauces and cheese.
  • Abi_bug04
    Abi_bug04 Posts: 220
    Yeah, I know that higher sodium intakes can be associated with cardiovascular issues, but 1500mg! I had no idea, I definitely consume WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY too much sodium! I never add salt to anything, but I do eat a lot of processed foods, and probably have some high sodium seasonings.

    Definitely something to keep in mind, thanks!
  • jjo202
    jjo202 Posts: 9 Member
    My body is super sensitive to salt - any time I eat out or eat processed foods I'm about two to four pounds heavier the next morning and lose that over the next few days. I try to bring natural diuretics into my diet to compensate - things like heavily diluted cranberry juice (100% cranberry, though, not the ocean spray style "cocktail"), green tea, and I read recently that celery, onion, eggplant, asparagus and watermelon have diuretic effects as well. But the biggest effect is definitely from salt intake - so frustrating! Even though it's "just water" a few extra pounds still make my jeans too snug... Oh, and I've also noticed that I retain extra water when it's hot out, although I'm not sure why.
  • seena511
    seena511 Posts: 685 Member
    seems counter intuitive, but drink lots and lots of water. when a surplus of water is available to you, your body will allow itself to release more water through urine (you'll realize this when you're getting up to go to the bathroom every 15 minutes, literally)
  • Abi_bug04
    Abi_bug04 Posts: 220
    That's a good idea, I don't have too many diuretics in my usual intake- I will try and incorporate some!
    And I know what you mean, I also feel like I retain some extra water when it's hot out...and I can definitely tell I am retaining water by how loose or tight my rings are, and sometimes my clothes too!

    Perhaps I will minimize high sodium foods, and try my best to stick to my sodium macros.
  • Abi_bug04
    Abi_bug04 Posts: 220
    And yeah, I usually drink lots of water if I feel as though I have ingested too much sodium...though I do avoid drinking too much water before a weigh-in...for some reason, I feel as though it will show up on the scale, because I know I have eaten something that I shouldn't have!
  • Ge0rgiana
    Ge0rgiana Posts: 1,649 Member
    Sodium, yes. I also find any kind of heavily processed starch, salty or no, will aggravate my edema.
  • jcwmarch
    jcwmarch Posts: 8 Member
    Soup always does it for me! I gain a few pounds for a couple of days after eating soup... but because I know that's the reason behind the gain, I keep eating it. Also, oddly enough, mashed potatoes do it to me!
  • greasygriddle
    greasygriddle Posts: 32 Member
    carbs carbs and more carbs, this is what retains water. that is why when you do a "carb free diet" you think you've lost *kitten* loads of weight. WRONG. i retain water better than a camel, just sayin... i can swing 5 pounds in a day..
    :drinker:
  • imtrinat
    imtrinat Posts: 153 Member
    Carbohydrates will make you retain water too. Carbs turn into glucose which then gets stored as glycogen to be used as energy. Each glycogen molecule bonds to 3 (or 4?) molecules of water. That's why people lose weight so fast when they go low carb. It's mostly water weight as first.
  • tyresank
    tyresank Posts: 174 Member
    Yes this has been an issue for me over the past week or so, retaining water in fact I showed a 5 lbs gain. But I almost always stay under 1000 mg with my macros set to 1200mg. Naturally occasionally I hit over 1000 mg. I buy as much as possible that is low sodium, never use soy sauce but still even veggies have salt so if you eat quite a bit of those it adds up quick. I think no matter what you go through times of water retention, I drink over 100 oz per day of water and often more like 130 but even that did not counter the recent off retention. But today when I got on the scales it was gone which was nice, plus my socks are not leaving as much indenting marks as they were. It is quite hard to keep under 1000mg but it can be done with a lot of effort.
  • Colleen118
    Colleen118 Posts: 491 Member
    Sodium and carbs... highly processed foods, some people see it with sugars if they are insulin resistant. Drink a lot of water as noted already. It will take a few days to come off so I also suggest not getting on the scale until the 3rd days after a knowingly high retention causing day, Don't allow yourself to get discourged by seeing the gain.
  • Abi_bug04
    Abi_bug04 Posts: 220
    Thanks so much for all the wonderful advice! It's nice to know that I'm not the only one who gets frustrated by this issue! Lot's of good ideas in here, that I'm looking forward to incorporating! (And I'm definitely not stepping on the scale again for a couple pf days!)

    :flowerforyou:

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