Hi ,
Last Wednesday, I was traveling. With 3 flights plus a few longer layovers, I ended up traveling for 25 hours straight. And if you have ever flown, you know that retaining water and getting a little bloated is fairly common. The pressure in the airplane and the change in altitude influences the water distribution in your body, which is why your
feet swell up and you can't get your rings off.
So, picture 25 hours of that.
Then, the next day, I was actually only home for 24 hours before heading out again, so I hit lunch with my brothers, and being that they are 20 years old, we went to a Mexican restaurant where I got a huge spicy chicken chopped salad and had a few tortilla chips. Later that day, I grabbed dinner with my sister-in-law Dr. Jillian, of Fix Your Digestion, at our
favorite BBQ place in NC. And ironically a few glasses of Riesling goes well with BBQ. Who knew? ;)
So, picture two meals out, salty meat, alcohol and probably still behind on water consumption from my trips.
Then, the next morning, I got back in a plane and flew another 6 hours.
And there I was. A little on the puffy side, retaining water and a little dehydrated. Understandably.
NDB.
But I also don't love that feeling. I know it's transient and I know it's not fat I am gaining, but my skin feels tighter, my clothes are not as comfy and I need to be able to get my ring off to lift, dammit!
And so over the last few days, I have done 4 simple things to shed the water and get back to normal:
1) This is probably the most important step: I didn't
stress about it.
The first realization is knowing that when I get on the scale after a couple days of travel and high-sodium meals, I'm going to be up a couple pounds. It doesn't mean I automatically gained a whole bunch of fat. So I take everything in stride. And interestingly, stress causes water retention too, via a hormonal cascade starting with cortisol and the catacholamines (adrenaline and noradrenaline) and the result is water and
electrolyte redistribution. The outcome, especially in the case of chronic stress, can be a sustained puffier look. Again, there's no judgment about the word "puffy" -- I'm just using it to describe the look (less defined, water retained under the skin, more bloat, etc). And so, for me, the first was realizing that water retention is transient and just as fast as it came on, it can be remedied. And that's just what I did over the next couple days. NBD.
2) Chug water.
Your body will retain water when it senses a decrease in blood volume, usually as a result of less water consumed and/or a higher sodium intake. And I simply wasn't able to get nearly enough water over the course of 3 days of travel and dining out (plus, well, alcohol) and so when I got to my destination, I immediately upped my water intake. Plain water, 3L a day minimum.
Usually I am not someone who's super militant about drinking water. Yes, I think it's healthy and of course necessary for optimal metabolic function but in general, I don't like making it a mental drain every day, which for me for a long time it was becoming: "Where am I with my water today?? Oh shoot, I've barely drank any, I have to catch up!!" The last thing I want to do is stress about getting a specific number of water ounces, buuuuuut when the goal is to
shed water, you gotta drink enough so that the blood volume increases and the body doesn't feel like it needs to hold onto it. So I chugged.
3) Move to more of a hypoallergenic meal strategy.
I love cheese, so this took a bit of effort ;) But in general, I try to get any potential allergens out of my diet for a few days. Things like gluten, dairy, nightshades (like
tomatoes), sweeteners (even natural ones) and I even take a break from processed foods like bars and shakes. I don't necessarily have sensitivities to these things like some people do, but even in people who don't have symptoms, these things can compromise the gut lining when eaten in excess and cause symptoms like digestive upset, water retention, gas, autoimmune responses, and more. Again, nothing to stress out about, but a few days off cheese is never a bad idea. And so I moved to
mostly lean protein, veggies and hypoallergenic carbs like fruit and potatoes.
4) Work out intensely.
Sweat is a natural detoxifier, and when we sweat, we release water, but also electrolytes including sodium. It helps to re-regulate water/electrolyte balance and I don't know about you, but just mentally, getting in a tough, sweaty workout sesh resets your mind and puts you back into a
healthy place mentally. Not to mention, heavy lifts release hormones like growth hormone and testosterone, which are natural muscle-builders and fat-burners. I aim for Metabolic Effect's Bs and Hs in all my workouts: (B) breathlessness, (B) burning in the muscles, (H) heavy weight and (H) hot and sweaty.
People are constantly asking me about supplements and vitamins and products to help them shed water quickly. Natural things like dandelion tea or B vitamins, all the way up to super sketchy diuretics that require you to live in the bathroom for 24 hours. And don't get me started on wraps and creams.
No.
You don't need this stuff. The natural approaches can certainly
be safe, but if you don't have the basics in place -- nutrition, exercise and water -- then it's not worth the stress and money wasted in using even them. AND, you can get 90% of the situation remedied with good ol' tight nutrition and paying attention to a few key things. So why take the more complicated route when eyeing your food and movement for a couple days is all you need?
If you are human, then chances are you've felt bloated at one time or another.
After a big weekend of eating and drinking, after a week-long vacation, after the holiday season or after a lot of travel, like me.
And it's useful to have a process that you can simply slot yourself into when those times come about a few times a year. And only do it a few times a year, because remember, de-bloating is not a long-term weight loss strategy. You don't keep doing it and lose fat ongoing (doesn't work anyway, and it's also unsustainable). Instead,
it's simply a way to clean up your GI system over a couple days and shed 2-5 lbs of water that is not normally there. So use it for what it is.
Now through Thursday at midnight EST only. Great program, super simple and natural. No supplements or crazy cleanses!