Getting Rid of Water Weight

Water weight can not only push your scale in the upward direction, but can also give you a bloated feeling. (Yuck...with a capital Y!...can anyone else say "where are my fat jeans?")              

It’s more than certain that a good percentage of your despised ‘fat’ is actually excess fluid (water retention) that you are carrying around due to a combination of too much caffeine, too much sugar, too much salt, too many grain-based foods, and a hormonal imbalance brought on by all this bad food, coupled with daily stress. Talk about a recipe for bloating and disaster!

GOOD NEWS:  It’s easy enough to trim your body of extra fluid by making a few simple changes to the way you eat... No, I’m not talking about going without water! Try cutting all of the above-mentioned foods out of your diet for 2 weeks, as well as any form of table salt. Remember that sugar, caffeine, salt and starches are often hidden in processed foods, so you may as well cut them out as well. I promise you will be amazed at the difference this will make in as little as a few days – sticking to it for 2 weeks will ensure that you actually start to lose body fat as well. Sound too tough for you? Tough luck then – you won’t be looking any leaner anytime soon.

Take it a step at the time:

-Drink eight glasses of water per day. Water reduces the amount of sodium in the blood to ease water retention.

-Lower your carb intake. Instead of eating foods high in carbs, such as breads, pastas and rice, have most of your meals come from protein sources, such as chicken, eggs, beans, beef, fish and pork.

-Limit the amount of salt in your diet. Avoid salty foods such as chips, processed foods, fast food, soy sauce, canned vegetables and canned soups. And avoid adding any extra table salt to your foods when cooking at home too. (How many of you start shaking the salt on before even tasting your food?  GUILTY here!)

-Eat fresh fruits and vegetables. Foods with high water content can help ease water retention. Consume a minimum of five servings of fruits and vegetables a day; like celery, melons, lettuce, cucumbers and spinach.

-Do high intensity cardio workouts. Workouts that make you sweat a lot can help you get rid of water weight quickly. If you are doing a 45 minute workout, half of the time, you should do high intensity cardio moves, such as running, jumping jacks or kick boxing. The other half of the time should be spent doing strength training moves, such as squats, lunges and push-ups.

Hopefully some of these tips will have you on your way with a little less puff, and alot more pep in your step!