Body fat accumulates gradually. We know that, right? That’s why people get alarmed upon gaining sudden weight without changing their dietary and exercise routines. Imagine you wake up one morning, and your legs seem different.
You then press one of them and find a dimple that’s not ready to bounce back. After googling a bit, you come across something called water weight. The next thing you have in mind is a question: what is the fastest way to lose water weight?
Since water weight is entirely different from fat-induced weight, it is essential to know it in essence first. The next step in line should deal with getting rid of it. Let’s delve into understanding what we’re dealing with.
What’s with Water and Weight?
Whoever has a know-how of Biology is familiar with the building blocks of living beings. Those who don’t shall familiarize themselves with cells. Sometimes, the fluid volume inside these cells reaches a level that it oozes out and settles in the spaces between them. A localized injury can also lead to cellular damage. With that, cellular fluids can leak and accumulate in the same way.
Medical science recognizes this form of fluid retention as Edema. Unlike the exemplary scenario above, Edema can manifest in different body locations. In cases of a local injury, it occurs within a localized area.
However, it can also affect the whole body, lower body, or vital organs like the brain (after brain infection) and the lungs (the common cause of which is heart disease).
When to Treat Edema at Home?
If you’re looking forward to finding a way to lose water weight, you need to find the underlying condition causing Edema. If you’re treating this condition at home, the source of water retention will define the severity of the situation you’re dealing with. A better understanding of the three types of Edema will help determine if you can self-treat it with the remedies and tips shared in this post.
· Mild Edema
This form of water retention usually gets resolved using typical remedial measures. And this is the tangible domain wherein you can help yourself or a loved one at home.
· Acute Edema
It lasts longer than the prior and can stay up to 72 hours. There are chances that this swelling results from medical conditions. That’s why it’s safer to consult a medical practitioner when household remedies don’t aid in gradual decline.
· Chronic Edema
As the name suggests, this is no less than a condition that demands emergency protocols. It is caused by medical conditions affecting vital organs, including the heart, liver, and kidneys.
Fastest Ways to Treat Mild Edema
As mentioned earlier, this is the only type of water retention that leads one to carry weight that goes away within safer limits. Let’s look at some of the remedies following which you may accelerate relief.
Consider Elevating Your Limbs
Logic says any extra weight your lower limbs carry can cause you trouble under the influence of gravity. And that makes sense, especially when your legs or feet need to remove water weight.
Mild Edema usually targets your lower body since it gets pulled down from the upper extremities. To relieve yourself, try lying flat on your back and elevate your legs, bending your knees at a 25-degree angle to get things going.
The elevation method will change slightly if your arm and hand are affected by Edema. For that, lift the affected limb above your heart level so that it’s raised over your head. Additionally, open and close your fists. This procedure shall last at least 30 minutes.
Move Around a Bit
One of the fastest ways to manage water weight is exercise. If you can’t tolerate that, at least move around a bit. The movement works in two ways: 1) you will lose water in the form of sweat, and 2) the movement of limbs can shift water into your muscles.
Familiarize Yourself with Lymphatic Drainage Massage
Lymphatic Edema is a condition that leads to the accumulation of protein-rich fluids in your tissues. This fluid would have otherwise exited your body through your lymphatic system.
But since it didn’t happen in your case, it caused your limbs to swell. That’s when a lymphatic drainage massage can stimulate your lymphatic system. However, you shall attempt to do that under the supervision of a licensed massage therapist.
Electrolytes Infused Water Can Help
Consumption of electrolytes such as potassium and magnesium has been proven effective dietary supplements to reduce water weight. Sometimes, an imbalance in the electrolyte content of the body can trigger Edema. In such cases, treating the root cause works best.
Fix Yourself a Dose of Caffeine
Coffee, black tea, or green tea, all come packed with caffeine. Although the amount of caffeine in each varies, you may consume any since caffeine acts as a natural diuretic, i.e., a substance that releases bodily fluids through urine.
The dose in which you consume a caffeinated drink matters regarding its diuretic properties. For instance, a standard cup of coffee would unlikely exhibit desired results. But two to three cups of the same drink have a diuretic effect.
Epsom Salt Bath
When Edema has affected your lower limbs, you can try soaking them in a warm Epsom salt bath. You can make the solution by filling 1/3 of a regular bathtub and adding 2 cups of Epsom salt. Give the salt ample time to dissolve fully. It shall take you 12 to 20 minutes till the results show.
Get Prescribed with Diuretics
As a last resort, when home remedies don’t work, you can ask your health care provider for diuretic pills (water pills). They allow your kidneys to excrete added salts and water and lower blood pressure. Ideally, you shall take them in the morning as you’ll visit the toilet frequently after consumption.
Drink More Water
Our body primarily tries to hold on to water when it notices that there is a danger of dehydration. As a response, it will retain as much water as it could to enusre that vital organs keep functioning properly.
In order to counteract this body reaction, you need to drink more water to send a clear signal to body that there is no shortage of water and that there is no need to hold on to extra water. Target drinking minimum 8 glasses of water to stay fully hydrated and help body flush out execessively retained water.
Cut Back on Salt
Electrolyte balance in our bodies is very delicate and sodium is a vital nutrient that is crucial for our bodies. But sodium also has a tendency to increase water retention, which might appear as swelling or bloating. Since most of our salt intake is attirbuted to processed foods like chips, pizza, and sauses, therefore, it will be better to prepare home food with low sodium added.
Try to add other flavors too to your food and for that you might use herbs. Also carefully read sodium content on food labels and avoid high sodium foods.
Exercise
Exercise is another tool that you can use to decrease fluid retention in the body. It doesnt have to be a sweat breaking exercise. Even light workouts will also help. Even low intensity exercises like walking, swimming and yoga can also stimulate lyphetic system which is responsible for removing excess water from our tissues. So, in order to lose water weight quicklyl, try to exercise for at least 30 minutes on most days of the week.
Take Natural Diuretics
Diuretics are natural or artificial compounds that help flush water from your system by increasing urine output. Theere are some natural diuretics in foods like celery, cucumber, lemon, and parsley.
Some supplements like dandelion root or green tea also act as natural diuretics. However, it’s essential to be mindful of your overall health and consult with your doctor before taking any supplements because diuretics are also used for other medical problems.
Avoid Carbs and Sugars
Since caarbohydrates and sugars in our food get converted into glycogen, which holds onto water molecules which means that more sugar and carbs mean more water retention in the body.
Reducing your intake of these foods can decrease water retention significantly, leading to weight loss. So, trying to limit your consumption of high-carb foods like bread, pasta, and sweets will be a good strategy to reach your goal faster.
Final Word
Always try to treat Edema at home by monitoring the cause and severity of the condition. Only then you’ll be able to figure out the fastest way to lose water weight. Additionally, two remedies that produce the same results shall not be consumed simultaneously, e.g., decide if you want to work with natural caffeinated drinks or water pills.
