How to Lose Water Weight

Sufficient sleep is necessary for health and wellbeing. A study done to find the relationship between lack of sleep and its negative effects on the body showed that the sodium-potassium pump gets disrupted because of sleep deprivation.

The sodium-potassium pump is present in the outer layer of a cell (cell membrane). It works to maintain water balance in the cells by removing two potassium and three sodium ions in every cycle. When the pump is disrupted, more sodium stays in the cell, which soaks more water, leading to increased water weight.

You should sleep for at least 8 hours a day to keep your body healthy.

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You need to lower your stress levels in order to help the process of losing water weight. Stress activates the release of cortisol hormone in the body. Cortisol increases the production of anti-diuretic hormone (ADH) in the body. ADH resists the release of water from the body, thus retaining more water in the body leading to increased water weight.

You can do meditation and yoga in order to release your stress.

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Our body gets most of the sodium from the salt (sodium chloride) in our food and from processed and packaged foods. Excess sodium in the body leads to the collection of water in the extracellular space (empty space around the cells). This retained water increases the water weight of the body. A high salt diet also leads to high blood pressure, which causes further water weight gain. 

A low sodium diet involves less consumption of processed food and less salt intake.

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People who start exercising and go on a low carb diet sometimes lose three or four kilograms within a week. Doctors explain that half of that weight loss may be due to fat loss. However, in someone who is not cutting down on calories but spending more of their energy, the weight loss is probably because they are losing water weight.

Here's why this happens: our body stores some of the carbohydrates we eat in the form of glycogen. Glycogen, in turn, retains the molecules of water. The more carbohydrates we consume, the more water is retained in our bodies. Conversely, when we eat fewer carbs, our liver makes less glycogen and our body stores less water.  

To cut down on carbohydrates in your diet, you will have to avoid bread, rice, potatoes and sugary foods.

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Magnesium oxide helps the kidneys to flush out more sodium and water from the body, thus removing the excess water weight. Magnesium-rich foods include broccoli, asparagus, spinach, kale, legumes, nuts and seeds.

Potassium helps in removing the extra sodium from the cell membranes, thus reducing water retention in the body. Potassium-rich foods include bananas, broccoli, spinach, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, peas and cucumbers.

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A 30-minute cardio session three or four times a week would help in losing some of the excess fat and water weight from your body. You can take up a basic activity like running, cycling or swimming. You can start by doing these exercises for 20 minutes. Slowly build up your stamina and then increase the time of exercise.

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You should drink at least 1.5 litres of water in a day in order to keep your body hydrated. It also activates the kidneys to flush out the excess sodium from the body, thus reducing the water weight.

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