There’s the right way and the wrong way to lose water weight, and here we’ll be focusing on how to do it safely. The key is identifying why you’re storing excess water, and then taking steps to fix the underlying problem, rather than simply focusing on the symptoms.
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1. Cut Out Sodium
If you’re carrying around excess water there’s a high likelihood that you have too much sodium in your diet. Processed food such as the kind you find in bags and boxes in stores, as well as fast food, often comes with a high sodium content. Sprinkling table salt onto your meals can also be a contributing factor.
You should make the distinction between sodium and natural salt sources like sea salt and Himalayan pink salt. These natural salts are not the same as the table salt you find everywhere, or the salt used in processed foods and cold cuts.
[color-box color=”main”]Why It Works: Less sodium in means less sodium you have to get out through sweating and proper hydration. Start at the source of the problem and you’ll be able to avoid many of the negative effects of storing too much water.[/color-box]
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2. Increase Water Intake
It may sound counterintuitive but staying hydrated is key to losing excess water weight. Dehydration is actually a cause of storing water weight, not a way to get rid of it. If you’ve been going through an extended period of dehydration from not getting enough water, make sure to take things slowly. Don’t go from little water to a lot of water in just one day.
Instead of following the one-size-fits-all mantra of 8-10 glasses of water a day, take your body weight and drink half of that number in ounces of water each day. If you weigh 150 pounds you need 75 ounces of water. If you weigh 200 pounds you need 100 ounces, and so on.
[color-box color=”main”]Why It Works: Staying properly hydrated reduces the chance of storing too much water in the first place. When you combine the right amount of water with less sodium intake and working up a daily sweat, excess water weight will no longer be a concern for you.[/color-box]
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3. Consume Natural Diuretics
There are foods and drinks that will naturally induce more urination from you, which will help purge your system of excess water weight. These are highly preferable over drugs that have the same effect.
Note: The three methods above, sweating more, eating less sodium, and drinking enough water, should be enough to normalize your water weight. Diuretics may be used in an effort to speed things up, or help in severe situations, but in most cases will not be necessary. Also, eating enough fresh fruits and vegetables in a balanced diet will give you enough diuretic effect to regulate your water weight without direct effort on your part.
[color-box color=”main”]Why It Works: Diuretics get you to go to the bathroom more frequently and will speed the process along. Just be sure that you’re also drinking enough water as described above, or you can speed along the dehydration process as well, only exacerbating your water weight problem.[/color-box]
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4. Sweat It Off
Seating is one major helpful thing you can do to help shed any water weight that doesn’t belong. The key is not to try to sweat it out all at once, but to use the power of accumulated days to do the trick. Make it your priority to build up a sweat daily. You’ll be amazed at the additional health benefits you receive on top of losing excessive water weight.
Surely you’ve tasted some of your own sweat before, and you’re familiar with its salty nature. This is excess sodium that is no longer in your body and will help with the total water weight you’re carrying.
[color-box color=”main”]Why It Works: Sweat not only helps you get rid of any extra sodium you may be carrying in the body, it releases toxins as well.[/color-box]