Water Retention

Tinkerbell011
Tinkerbell011 Posts: 6
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi,

Been on here about 4 weeks, and doing pretty well. I am now following a low carb diet as unfortunately as much as I love carbs, they really hate me.

Since I started to change my diet and lose weight, I have been drinking 2-3l of water a day and have noticed a slight increase in my bathroom trips, which I kinda expected. Am pretty sure that I read that low carb diets are meant to be a bit diuretic, so why on earth were my ankles/feet massive yesterday? I had a similar issue last year and the doctor suggested a mild diuretic as it was water retention. Which lasted through most of the summer, and I took dandelion root on and off the whole time. I was hoping that the diuretic effect of low carb would prevent a re-occurrence this year (last year was the first year it ever happened), but yesterday evening my feet/ankles were huge!

Does anyone know how I can stop this? I don't want to spend another summer with elephant feet :(

Oh, not sure if its relevant but I work in an office, so sat down quite a bit, do gym 3 times a week. And the guys in the office love the air con system and keep putting it on. Wanted to start running, but until I can stop my feet swelling up with water, I cant run :(

Thank you to anyone that takes the time to reply x

Replies

  • GreatDepression
    GreatDepression Posts: 347 Member
    Sounds like you have lymphoedema?
  • Tinkerbell011
    Tinkerbell011 Posts: 6
    Just looked that up, and from what I can tell it doesn't sound like it. But thank you for replying to me :)
  • CA_Underdog
    CA_Underdog Posts: 733 Member
    Check your sodium intake. Eating too much sodium is a common cause of water retention.
  • AwesomeGuy37
    AwesomeGuy37 Posts: 436 Member
    Have you been tested for diabetes recently?
  • Tinkerbell011
    Tinkerbell011 Posts: 6
    Thanks CA_Underdog, I have just had a quick look and in te last week I only went over my sodium one day. Tho it was Tuesday, so maybe that didn't help? Will try and keep more of an eye on my sodium levels

    AwesomeGuy, I haven't been tested in a few months, but apparently the levels were perfectly normal. But I don't know the exact numbers.
  • AwesomeGuy37
    AwesomeGuy37 Posts: 436 Member
    Thanks CA_Underdog, I have just had a quick look and in te last week I only went over my sodium one day. Tho it was Tuesday, so maybe that didn't help? Will try and keep more of an eye on my sodium levels

    AwesomeGuy, I haven't been tested in a few months, but apparently the levels were perfectly normal. But I don't know the exact numbers.

    I would try to limit the sodium, not sit for long periods of time or wear constricting clothing around the thighs. There are something called TED hose that help blood flow in the feet and calves. They are not too awfully expensive, but they aren't usually covered by insurance. $30 a pair at my local medical supply store.
  • Tinkerbell011
    Tinkerbell011 Posts: 6
    My office are gonna love me wandering around :) but I shall try and move about a bit more during the day, and definitely keep an eye on the sodium levels.

    Will look into the TED hose too, hopefully they aren't to expensive over in the UK
  • cmacr
    cmacr Posts: 6 Member
    Water retention is normal when a person is on a calorie deficit, when on a period of reduced calories your body tries to maintain balance. This need for balance tends to result in your body retaining water for a period of time i.e. up to a few weeks.

    After a few weeks if your diet is in check; you will normally find that your body will suddenly lose that retained water as your hormone levels adapt to the fact that you have lost weight/body fat (this is the "woosh" effect people experience when the scales don't change for a few weeks then all of a sudden you drop 3-4lbs).

    If what you are experiencing is far more long term than that then it could appear something is amiss; perhaps hormonally & you should have a doctor check it out again.

    As previous posters have pointed out, ensure you keep an eye on your salt levels & drink plenty of water.

    It may seem counter-intuitive to drink more water, but ensuring you are properly hydrated is the key to overcoming ordinary water retention as it "flushes" the body out.

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