Water Retention or Weight Gain?

This next month be aware that your weight may fluctuate more than usual.  It may either be real weight gain or water retention. The difference between the two is that water retention lasts only a day or two but real weight gain will hang on.  So get reality checks with the scale at least once a week and stay accountable if you really don’t want to gain any weight over this next busy month ahead.  These are some things that may contribute to weight gain:

- Excess food consumption particularly foods high in sugar and/or refined white flour may inch the numbers on the scale upward. Note the word, carbohydrate. These foods contain more water and more calories.
-Going out more than usual to restaurants and fast foods.  Consuming these high sodium foods may increase water weight/gain.
-Traveling more by either car or by plane especially, can cause water weight. When you are flying, or even very inactive sitting in a car for a long period of time you may retain more fluids. This lack of activity and poor blood circulation contributes to water retention.
-Avoid salty snacks, alcohol, and excess caffeine. These will all dehydrate you and cause you to have even more fluctuations with your weight.

Although this may not be related to holiday eating or travel, sometimes specific medications will cause water weight gain so if you are just starting a new one keep this in mind.

Tomorrow I’ll give you more specific things you do to avoid the excess water weight gain.