Water Weight Gain – What Causes it and What You Can Do About It
Susan Bowerman, MS, RD, CSSD, FAND
A few simple dietary changes may help with temporary water weight gain.
Temporary water weight gain happens to everyone once in a while. But that doesn’t make it
any less annoying. You wake up in the morning with puffy eyes, and your fingers are so
swollen that you can’t push your rings past the first knuckle. You hop on the scale and
suddenly you are three pounds heavier than you were yesterday.
Is it Water or is it Fat?
The good news is that temporary water weight gain is just that – it’s temporary, and it’s
water… not fat. (Just for the record, it would be nearly impossible to gain three pounds of fat
overnight. To store a pound of fat, you’d need to eat 3500 calories more than you need –
which means you’d need to eat more than 10,000 extra calories to gain 3 pounds of fat in
one day.)
But how do you wake up with a few pounds of temporary water weight? If you’re in good
health, temporary fluid shifts are normal and often can be traced back to something you did
– or didn’t – eat. Your body uses a complex system that involves hormones and minerals –
like sodium and potassium – to maintain the proper balance. But sometimes that balance
gets temporarily tipped, and you experience some temporary water weight gain.
Sodium and Temporary Water Weight Gain
Eating too much sodium – from salty and highly processed foods - is often to blame. Sodium
serves very important functions in the body, but the amount in your bloodstream needs to
be kept in a fairly narrow range. So if you eat a very salty meal (which then dumps a load of
sodium into your bloodstream) your body will do what’s necessary to ‘dilute’ it – mostly by
holding onto fluid that you see the next morning in the form of a puffy face and hands.
Starches and Sweets and Temporary Water Weight Gain
A meal high in refined carbohydrates can sometimes be at fault, too. If you have an evening
meal comprised mainly of sweet and starchy foods like pasta, white rice and sugary drinks,
it can lead to a quick rise in your blood sugar, which signals your body to release insulin – a
hormone which helps your body shuttle sugar from the bloodstream into your cells. But
high insulin levels can also lead your body to retain sodium and fluid. Since a carb-heavy
meal can lead to an insulin spike, fluid retention might just tag along.
Hormonal Shifts and Temporary Water Weight Gain
Other hormones can come into play as well. For women, hormonal shifts that occur with
monthly cycles can also lead to water weight gain – often in the range of a kilogram or two
that can stick around for a week or more. While you can’t avoid the fluctuations in hormone
levels, dietary changes may help.
Tips for Reducing Temporary Water Weight Gain
© 2015 Herbalife. All rights reserved. USA. #1540967 12/15
Temporary water weight gain can often be tackled with a few simple dietary changes. That
said, there are medical conditions and certain medications that can also cause fluid
retention, so if are experiencing frequent or prolonged water weight gain, be sure to speak
with your health care provider.
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Reduce your salt intake. Focus on foods that are as close as possible to their
natural state, since the more processed a food is, the more sodium it’s likely to have.
Keep salty snacks, soups, condiments and sauces to a minimum and use the salt
shaker lightly in cooking and at the table.
Cut back on refined starches and sweets. Rather than highly refined
carbohydrates like white bread, regular pasta and white rice, turn to whole grain
varieties. Since they take longer to digest, they’re less likely to cause a big spike in
blood sugar - and insulin - when you eat them. And, switch from sugary drinks to
water or tea instead.
Drink plenty of water. It seems like that last thing you’d want to do – put more fluid
into your body when it already feels overloaded. But drinking fluids will help your
body to eliminate excess salt and water. Aim for 6-8 glasses a day.
Push potassium. Potassium plays a critical role in maintaining fluid balance in the
body, and needs to be in the proper balance with sodium. Potassium is found in
abundance in fruits and vegetables, but most people don’t get nearly enough
potassium in the diet. Try to have a fruit or veggie at every meal or snack.
© 2015 Herbalife. All rights reserved. USA. #1540967 12/15