How to Stop Retaining Water

You step on the scale to find that, even though you have been watching your fat and calories, you are actually up a few pounds. Before you chuck the scale out of the window and head for the ice cream, consider whether the weight gain could actually be water retention.

Instructions

• 1

  Exercise can banish water your body is retaining. Take a brisk 30-minute walk or go for a swim. On the other hand, a major weight-lifting workout can actually cause you to retain water weight, as water travels to repair the torn and strengthening muscles.

• 2

  Drink up. While it sounds counterintuitive, you will actually retain water if you are not drinking enough. Your body goes into a self-preservation mode and holds onto the water it is thinking it might not get more of. When you start drinking a sufficient amount it will relax and let it go.

• 3

  Cut back on your salt intake, which may be in places you would never imagine. Minimize your soft drink intake, even diet sodas. Processed foods are notoriously high in sodium, so opt for deli meats and cheese over processed slices and prepackaged lunch meat. Prepare fresh pasta sauce rather than reaching for a can or jar.

• 4

  Drink apple cider vinegar, which naturally draws toxins and excess water from your body. Pour two tablespoons and a teaspoon of honey into a hot cup of water once or twice every day.

• 5

  See your doctor. In rare cases water retention can signal heart, kidney, liver and other conditions. If you have tried everything else and still feel puffy and bloated, schedule an exam to rule out anything more serious. It might be something as simple as requiring a change in your current prescriptions.