As you go through your massive weight loss, you'll see lots of up and downs in weight especially when you weigh yourself on a daily basis. I recall getting bummed out when I would work so hard during a week only to see that I actually gained a few pounds. I was sticking with the healthy eating and exercise program so how could it be that I actually gained weight. The answer? WATER RETENTION. So, here be some interesting facts about why we tend to retain water, ALL of which are extremely unhealthy for us. Bottom line: gaining a few pounds of water weight is a real bummer but the bigger issue is WHY we're retaining water.  

Causes of Water Retention

The changes within your body which lead to water retention are intimately linked to what you eat. They can be set off by any of the following

• Regularly eating too much salt and/or sugar
• Not eating enough fresh fruit and vegetables
• High levels of wastes or toxins in your body
• Taking certain commonly-prescribed medications
• Long-term use of very low-calorie diets, which tend to be deficient in protein and other nutrients
• Food intolerances (similar to allergies)
• Lack of exercise

Salt and Sugar

Salt affects your kidneys and blood pressure. The sodium in salt makes your kidneys hold on to water instead of excreting it. Eating too much sugar raises levels of the hormone insulin. High insulin levels make it hard for you to excrete sodium, so people who indulge a sweet tooth can also be prone to water retention.

Fruit and vegetables

Certain fruits and vegetables contain special ingredients which help to prevent your blood vessels from leaking fluid into your tissue spaces. To treat or preven****er retention, it is vital to include them in your diet.

Wastes and toxins

Cellulite is a form of fat complexed with retained water. Sometimes it holds so much water that it is painful to the touch. Metabolic wastes and toxins such as pesticides which the body cannot easily release tend to be stored in this fat and water. The only way to get rid of them is to use foods and herbs which support your body's detox mechanisms.

Prescribed medicines

Water retention is a little-known side effect of some of the most commonly prescribed medicines. They make you retain water because they affect your body's handling of sodium and insulin. The contraceptive pill is a well-known example.

Low-Calorie Diets

If you have water retention you are very likely to be overweight. But overweight people tend to go on a low-calorie diet. A low-calorie diet will unfortunately not get rid of water retention - it can actually make it worse, especially if you eat less than 1,200 Calories a day for months or years. One of the most important nutrients to preven****er retention is protein. Protein is in short supply in very low-calorie diets.

Food Intolerances

Overloading the stomach, drinking alcohol, taking medications and antibiotics, consuming too much sugar, not getting enough dietary fibre - all these modern-day habits can affect your digestive ability. Undigested particles can get into your blood system and stimulate your immune cells to produce histamine. This histamine is a very big cause of water retention.

Lack of exercise

People who spend a lot of time immobile, e.g. those in hospital beds, wheelchairs, or on long-haul flights, even "couch potatoes" can develop water retention because without regular movement to help it, your lymphatic system cannot drain excess fluid out of your tissue spaces.