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Eat to Beat Water Weight
By Michelle DeLiso
Your body does an amazing job of correcting fluid imbalances. But poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle can tip the scales toward water retention. Click through the yellow arrows below to get eleven water log prevention tips that will help you look leaner.
Get Slim Quick
Go Bananas
Bananas are a natural source of potassium, a nutrient needed to help the body balance fluids. Not a banana fan? Apricots, avocados and raisins are potassium-rich, too. Strive for 5 grams of potassium daily. Other nutrients to include each day through diet or supplements: 300-400 milligrams of magnesium (food sources include green vegetables, nuts, seeds) and 1000-1200 milligrams of calcium (orange juice, yogurt, tofu). Getting an adequate amount of each can help alleviate bloating.
Stock Up
Many foods and herbs promote digestion and fluid-shedding: yogurt, fiber-rich cereal, brown rice, cabbage and cranberry juice. Ginger and dandelion have a mild diuretic effect. Both are available in tea so you can brew yourself a slenderizing drink.
Ban Salt
Surplus salt makes the body retain fluids, but you'll need to do more than hide the salt shaker. Steer clear of high sodium foods like hot dogs, olives, salted nuts, pickles and many frozen foods. Be on the lookout for less obvious sources such as soy sauce, ketchup, deli meats and cheese.
Skip the Sugar
Too much sugar can raise insulin levels, decreasing the body's ability to excrete sodium. Avoid high sugar foods, like sweetened cereals, cakes, cookies, ice cream toppings and products containing high-fructose corn syrup, such as soda.
Don't Undereat
Of course a low-cal diet will help you lose weight, but shed too many calories and you could create water retention. Don't eat less than 1,200 calories per day and include lean protein, an important nutrient in short supply in very low-cal diets that helps stave-off water retention.
Move More
Your lymphatic system can't drain excess fluid out of tissues without body movement. Exercise about four times a week to relieve your body of extra fluid and salt through sweating and increased respiration.
Get Dry
Alcohol acts as a diuretic at first, making you lose excess water. But that loss can lead to dehydration, causing the body to preserve its fluids. Opt for virgin cocktails, or dilute that glass of wine with seltzer.
Get Wet
Take a swim. Water pressure forces fluid out of tissues and ultimately, the bladder. To emulate those results, take some of your workouts to the pool.
Fill Up
While it seems contradictory, drinking plenty of plain
water -- 8 to 10 glasses per day -- will flush salt and fluid out of your system. A well-hydrated body in less likely to retain water.
Spread It Out
Eat five or six small meals instead of three big meals. Nibbling or drinking at frequent intervals will keep you nourished and hydrated and will help avoid the rush of fluid to the tissues that may occur with eating large infrequent meals.
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MOSKI388 07:04:00 PM Mar 30 2009
I have now lost 70 lbs and eat whatever I want even though I am not someone who likes fast food or junk food never have...good nutition is about mixing it up....eating alot of different foods and not just sticking to anyone one thing!! lots of different fruits and vegetables and meats fresh fish and never getting stuck on one type of food...These articles that try to have the panacea for all of the different conditions that bother humans really get to me.First of all diet has to be specific to each individual and their condition...genetics will always play the biggest part in how healthy you are...You can help yourself by eating well and avoiding risks like smoke and alcohol
MOSKI388 06:55:56 PM Mar 30 2009
i had four kids and never had a weight problem no matter what I ate until my thyroid went on me..Then no matter how good of a diet I was on the pounds poured on me!! Now that I have the normal thyroid hormone in my system the pounds are coming off again and I am as sedentary as you can get!! The pounds went on when I was very active a a nurse and I KNEW there was something really wrong as I would go hiking with my husband over a weekend and come home heavier then when I left...Yet I still could not get a doctor for six months to take my condition seriously even though we had thyroid in the family !! This was all because I was middle age and one of the tests (TSH) was in the normal range! If this happens to you do NOT let a doctor talk you out of proper medical care!! I ended up gaining 120 1bs in 10 months because I was not being treated for the disease even though I had been a size 5 my whole life and I had EVERY symptom of the disease..By the time I saw an endocrinologist she was liv
Dxbeen 11:21:29 AM Mar 26 2009
I think this is great advice. I know what it's like to try and lose weight. I lost 47 pounds in 6 weeks using the Rapidthin diet at www.rapidthin.com. Good luck to all. Use what works for you.
Eirinn827 10:31:08 AM Mar 26 2009
I hate healthy food but am a size 2. I freeze peeled bananas as a desparate yet effective attempt to psych myself into thinking I'm eating junk-food.
KayC1939 08:59:07 PM Jan 30 2009
sweetheart70 8:50PM Jan 30 2009 Report ThisUse Isagenix, its terrific and a great eating revolution. It will change your life.
KayC1939 08:53:31 PM Jan 30 2009
I have used Isagenix to lose weight and i've lost thirty lbs in 6 mos. Its the greatest and healthiest way of eating hat I have ever done. I have been trying to lise weight for many many yra and nothing worked.
BadaBing337 10:52:14 AM Jan 28 2009
I am morbidly obese with severe GI issues that causes me to be very cautious about my foods. Unfortunately, this hasn't helped with weight loss and I have looked for different ways to stay motivated to at least exercise while navigating the murky waters of GI health. I started a blog called 30 Days where I have challenged myself to get on my treadmill for 30 days in a row. Time spent, distance walked, calories burned do not matter. It's the idea of successfully changing one habit at a time. I am only on day 3 as of today, it would be great if others would take the challenge with me. http://www.thethirtydayexperiment.blogspot.com/
Orndorfa 04:30:06 AM Jan 26 2009
Slim Fast does work. I have lost 25 pounds. Take a silm fast drink with youwhen you are shopping. It stops the hunger and stops you from buyinga coke to drink. If one can does not stop the hunger drink 2.
