If you need to lose weight fast, then eliminating water can be an effective way to prepare for that special occasion. Most women panic when they notice a few extra pounds on the scale, but knowing the difference between weight for fat and weight for water can help to understand weight gain, and that can provide ideas on how you can shed those extra pounds.
Water weight vs. fat weight
There are essentially two types of body weight – weight for fat and weight for water. The main difference between water and fat is the speed at which this type of weight is gained and lost and where your body stores it. Here are some tips to help you determine if you have gained fat or water:
- Check your scale.
You can gain water weight easily and it tends to fluctuate daily. Fat takes longer to gain and longer to lose. If you’ve gained almost a pound overnight, then you are probably retaining water. - Check your hands and ankles
Your body stores fat in various places, especially around the torso, arms and muscles while water is stored in your capillary cavities, tissues, and the body. Water retention is often seen in the ankles, hands, and legs. If your wrists or ankles look swollen, then you’ve likely gained water rather than fat. - Check your body fat percentage
If you have a body fat percentage meter or go to a gym, then you can measure your body fat to get an accurate idea of whether you have gained water or fat.
If you have fluid retention, then you need to try to figure out why your body is storing water to effectively shed those extra pounds. There are several reasons why your body retains water:
- You are not drinking enough water. If you don’t drink enough water, you may already be experiencing these warning signs that your body is lacking in water.
- You are eating too much salt.
- Your diet contains too much sugar.
- You are experiencing your monthly menstrual cycle.
- You may be deficient in certain essential vitamins and minerals.
Losing water weight will depend on your particular reasons for storing the weight. Here are some tips on what you can do to encourage your body to shed those pounds through water.
How to lose weight by removing water?
1. Drink more water
Much has been written about the benefits of water, such as drinking water when you wake up. Your body uses water to dissolve compounds like sodium and potassium to help ensure electrolytes in the body remain balanced, to filter waste from the body, and to support energy production.
It may sound strange that you need to consume more water in order to lose water weight, but if you don’t drink enough water, your body will start to store it to make up for the lack of water.
To help reduce water, your body stores, therefore you need to increase your water intake.
- Try to drink eight to ten glasses of plain or filtered water daily to ensure your body releases the retained water.
- Don’t drink everything at once. The body cannot absorb a large amount of water in a short time. Drinking too much water can be dangerous.
- Drink water throughout the day to help your body absorb and use the water you drink effectively.
2. Eliminate salt from your diet
Water is the body’s main solvent, and it is responsible for ensuring that electrolytes remain balanced. The main electrolytes in the body include sodium, potassium, chloride, and bicarbonate. In order for your electrolyte balance to remain balanced, your diet must include balanced amounts of these electrolytes.
When you eat too much sodium, your body needs more water to dissolve and ultimately remove excess sodium and other wastes from your body. This means that your body needs to retain more water.
You should limit your salt intake to a maximum of 2,300 mg of salt, or less than 1,500 mg per day if you are over 50.
Salt is often a hidden ingredient in processed foods, so be sure to take those foods into account when evaluating your daily salt intake. It also includes the salt that is naturally found in many of your foods such as vegetables, milk, and meat.
Cutting back on salt can help you get that extra water weight off.
3. Ditch sugar and other refined foods
When you eat foods rich in refined sugars, your insulin levels are affected. Too much sugar increases insulin levels, which in turn reduces the body’s ability to eliminate sodium, which can cause water retention.
Cut back on refined sugar and add fiber-rich foods to your diet instead of helping regulate healthy blood glucose and insulin levels, and reducing insulin spikes. If you are looking for tips and tricks to stop refined sugar, read our article: Our year without sugar, however, if suddenly it is difficult for you to leave it, at least you can change from refined sugar to a healthier sugar, we recommend that you read our article: 10 alternative sweeteners to refined sugar.
A breakfast to lose weight, can be for example, a plate of oatmeal with cinnamon and apple, or an oatmeal cereal with rice milk, these two can help you feel full for longer and can help reduce insulin spikes.
4. Keep track of your menstrual cycle
As women, we conserve more water at certain times of the month. Knowing your menstrual cycle and monitoring your weight during these periods can help you determine if your weight is water, as a result of this natural cycle.
You can reduce the effects of the cycle by eating a healthy diet full of fruits and vegetables, and getting enough exercise . Incorporating physical activity into your daily life is one of the habits to achieve health.
5. Exercise
Exercise can also help shed water through sweat. Aerobic exercise, for example, is also one of the ways to increase circulation, release toxins, and also promote healthy lymphatic flow in your body – all of these factors can help reduce water retention.
6. Make sure you get the right vitamins and minerals
Sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium affect the amount of water your body retains. A healthy and balanced diet should include sufficient amounts of these vitamins and minerals.
Taking supplements can affect the body’s natural balance, but supplementation can be vital for some people these days (for example, millions of people are magnesium deficient). Discuss your supplementation needs with your doctor to create a healthy nutrition strategy for your individual needs.
Healthy ways to eliminate water
The methods described above are healthy and natural ways to shed water. Some people use diuretics to relieve fluid retention by urinating more. Diuretics are often necessary for people suffering from certain conditions, but the use of diuretics should be avoided, unless you have discussed their use with your doctor. Diuretics affect fluid and electrolyte balance in the body, and this can affect your health in the short and long term.
