"You wake up in the morning with puffy eyes, and your fingers are so swollen you can't push your rings past the first knuckle. You hop on the scale and - bam! - you're suddenly three pounds heavier than you were yesterday." Susan Bowerman, M.S. RD, CSSD, CSOWM, FAND
Water or Fat?
The good news is, it would be nearly impossible to gain three pounds of fat overnight. To store a pound of fat, you would need to eat 3,500 calories more than you need, meaning you would need to eat more than 10,000 extra calories to gain three pounds of fat in one day.
The other good news is; water weight gain is temporary. For the healthy person, temporary fluid shifts are normal and usually can be tracked back to what you ate or maybe didn't eat. Your body is a very complex system, and hormones and minerals such as sodium and potassium help to maintain the proper balance.
Sodium
Sodium has a very important function in your body because it is a crucial electrolyte. Many foods contain small amounts of sodium naturally, but most of the sodium in the diet comes from salt. ("Salt" is the term commonly used for sodium chloride (NaCl) which is table salt. Sodium chloride is just 40% sodium and 60% chloride. While the words “salt” and “sodium” are often used interchangeably, they are not the same.)
The amount of sodium in your blood stream needs to be kept in a narrow range. We get sodium from salty foods and highly processed foods. When you eat salty foods it dumps a load of sodium into your bloodstream and your body will do what ever is necessary to 'dilute' it. It will hold onto fluid that you see the next morning with the puffy face and fingers.
The Impact of Heavy, Starchy, and Sweet
Eating a meal consisting mostly of heavy starchy and sweet foods such as pasta, white rice or sugary drinks will cause a spike in your blood sugar levels. A quick rise in blood sugar levels signals your body to release insulin, a hormone that helps your body move sugar from your blood stream into your cells. These high insulin levels can then lead your body to retain sodium and fluids.
Bottom line; a carbohydrate-heavy meal can lead to an insulin spike and fluid retention might just tag along.
Water, Water, Water
One of the simplest ways to reduce temporary water weight gain is to drink plenty of water. It's easy to think that adding more fluid into your body when it already feels 'bloated' is just going to make it worse. Not so. Drinking plenty of fluids, especially water, helps your body eliminate the excess salt and water. Try to drink at least 6 - 8 glasses daily.
Foods That Fight Water Retention
Eating the right foods also helps to reduce temporary water weight gain. Potassium rich foods are critical in our diet to help maintain fluid balance. Potassium also needs to be in the proper balance with sodium.
Potassium is found naturally in fruits and vegetables. Some of the richest sources of potassium are sweet potatoes, white potatoes, tomatoes, spinach, watermelon, butternut squash and beets. A good rule of thumb is to try and have a fruit or veggie at every meal or snack.
Sugar Substitutes
If you stock up on fat-free and sugar-free foods, you might feel the need to unbutton. That’s because these foods contain sugar substitutes that are hard for your intestines to digest, says Steven Naymagon, M.D., an assistant professor of clinical medicine at the Mount Sinai Medical Center. “They stay in the bowel and draw water in; increasing bloating.” And even if your body can digest those faux sugars, they'll just create even more gas. Ugh.
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