Water retention?

[[Ma...]]

I'm only 6 months off, don't let the ticker fool you. I should get rid of it. Anyway, anyone else notice really bad water retention. I was thirsty last night, drank a lot of water and woke up swollen and up nearly three pounds! Feels awful. Either that or I'm getting really fat. This is the least of it really but insult to injury.

m

[[NY...]]

Yep, this is an ongoing symptom of mine, all through taper and recovery.  It goes away for a while, then returns.  When my waves break, I typically pee most of it out right away.  Bizarre, but yes, a symptom!

[[Ma...]]

Thanks NYCWaverider. I've never had this before. I keep hoping I'll pee it out today, but it's not happening. Oh well, another symptom, why not? lol

m

[[gi...]]

Excessive sodium intake contributes to water retention, it's a known fact.  So as a starting a point, I would watch how much salt you consume in your food, and I would especially watch out for processed foods, they contain a lot of hidden sodium.  Next, I would increase the intake of potassium, which counters the effects of water retention and acts as a natural diuretic.  The foods rich in potassium are tomatoes, tomato sauce (but watch the sodium content, I use 'low sodium'), avocados, spinach, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, beans, oranges, green/leafy vegetables, yogurt and salmon.  I would stay away from bananas, although they have potassium, they also contain a lot of sugar and starch, which contributes to water retention and swelling.  Avocados, tomatoes, and spinach are much better sources of potassium than bananas.  We need 4,700mg of potassium daily, and it's very hard to get that from diet alone or from potassium pills.  I use potassium citrate in powder form, it works like magic, I get mine on amazon.com.  I eat healthy overall and get potassium mainly from dark green/leafy vegetables, tomatoes, avocados, spinach and beans, but I also supplement with potassium citrate to meet my daily requirement.  Finally, the lack of sleep can also contribute to water retention and puffiness, so I just wanted to throw that into the mix.

 

You also said that you were very thirsty last night and drank a lot of water, to me that's a sign you had too much sodium in your body, as excessive sodium causes thirst.  But the best way to drink water is to sip on it out throughout the day, and not drink a whole lot of it at bedtime.  The recommended amount of water is 64oz daily, but I usually drink about 100oz throughout the day, as I'm active, and I don't drink a whole lot at night, as it causes me to wake up and urinate often.  So the bottom line, I would decrease sodium, increase potassium, and drink plenty of water throughout the day, that works for me.