Why You Are 5lbs Heavier Overnight & 5 Ways To Drop The Water Weight

Today you are not thinking about healthy food/lifestyle choices. You will indulge in all those tasty foods, packed with high fat, high salt, high carbs & refined sugars. You will add to that a few alcoholic beverages. Possibly packed with more sugar. Maybe on a nice hot summer day. After all, we all gotta live a little, right?

Then comes the next day. You look and feel “puffy”. Your feet, ankles, fingers are swollen, and the scale reads 3-5lbs more than the day before. You start to beat yourself up and feel like you are now “fatter” due to your choices the day before.

Sounds familiar? We have all been there.

The first and most important thing I would like to tell you is: Do not ever feel guilty about allowing yourself a day to enjoy yourself with friends and family. Foods and alcohol are typically a big part of socializing in the world we live in today. And if that is something that brings you pleasure, you should never allow negative feelings towards yourself for it. Just remember that the key always is moderation.

Furthermore, as you will not get leaner after one day of dieting, you will also not get “fatter” after one day of overeating. The real culprit here for your extra weight and overall rounder look is water retention.

The reason why you hold to all that extra water is simple and so are some of the ways to alleviate the problem so you can get right back in the game.

Some reasons for your water weight/retention:

• Unhealthy food consumption- Unhealthy foods are typically packed with sodium, and high amounts of sodium will throw off your water/sodium balance, making your body hold on to all the water it can to help balance things out until it can flush out all the extra sodium.

• High amounts of carbohydrates- Carbs are used for energy and any amount not used right away will be stored as glycogen. Every 1 gram of carb is stored as glycogen holds on to 3 grams of water, and all of that extra water will reflect on the scale.

• Dehydration- Warm weather, as well as alcohol consumption, causes dehydration, further forcing your body to hold on to the little water it has to protect itself, as it does not know when it will get enough water again.

5 things you can do to drop the water weight:

1. Drink a lot of water- This is the most important and effective thing you can do. The more water you drink, the quicker your body will be able to flush out all the extra sodium. Staying hydrated will allow your body to relax and not see the need to hold on to all the water it can.

2. Move your body- Go for a walk or a run. Moving your body gets the blood flowing and breaking a sweat is a great way to speed up the extra sodium out of your body. Also, exercising will use up some of the stored glycogen further eliminating retained water.

3. Add cream of tartar to your water- Just add approximately 1 teaspoon of cream of tartar to your water bottle. Cream of tartar is potassium, and potassium acts as a diuretic, counterbalancing the effect of sodium in the body and increasing urination.

4. Supplement with magnesium- Magnesium is a very important mineral involved in many of the body’s functions, including water regulation. Studies have shown that magnesium alleviates water retention and bloat especially associated with hormonal changes, such as in premenstrual women.

5. Sip on Dandelion tea- Dandelion leaf is a natural diuretic, as well as a rich source of potassium, making it a powerful natural remedy in reducing water retention.

-Your Coach