8 Ways to Lose Water Weight

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If you’re experiencing bloating and sudden weight gain despite meeting your nutrition and exercise goals, you may be retaining water. Though following a weight loss diet and sticking to the perfect workout plan for you can go a long way toward reaching your goals, if you’re dealing with fluid retention, figuring out how to lose water weight can help get you feeling back on track.

The truth is that your weight fluctuates day to day, so those pesky pounds could be a sign that you consumed too much salt one day, or your diet was carb-heavy another day. Visiting the drive-thru often or eating too many processed foods are other reasons you might be taking on water weight.

Meet the experts: Keri Gans, R.D., author of The Small Change Diet; Jessica Cording, M.S., R.D., author of The Little Book of Game-Changers: 50 Healthy Habits For Managing Stress & Anxiety; Bonnie Taub-Dix, R.D., creator of BetterThanDieting.com; Amy Shapiro, R.D., founder of Real Nutrition in New York City

That said, there are steps you can take to lose water weight. We spoke to four dietitians about what water weight is, plus the easiest and safest ways to shed the extra H2O.

Your body is made up of 55 to 60% water. “Any water in excess of that is considered water weight,” says nutritionist Keri Gans, R.D., author of The Small Change Diet.

Some water weight is normal, says Jessica Cording, M.S., R.D., author of The Little Book of Game-Changers: 50 Healthy Habits For Managing Stress & Anxiety. But, when you gain it in excess, it can translate to a higher number on the scale, she says.