Water retention, help

[tonymctones]

Ok started a thread on this a couple months ago and didnt get any post on it so i thought Id create another thread.

I was told by a competitive bobybuilder that I seem to hold alot of water. I didnt really think much of it but I started sitting in a suana after workouts once or twice a week and noticed that the day after or so I had alot more definition and my face seemed less fat 

so Im thinking about messing around with my sodium intake to see if it really is water retention.

How much should I take in?

how much do competitors take in the weeks leading up to their comps?

thanks in advance guys

[tonymctones]

also any tips on how to limit water retention other than sodium?

[Princess L]

Before messing around with sodium, how much water to you take in on a daily basis?  No guessing.  How much?

[loco]

Are you preparing for competition?  If not, drink a lot more water throughout the day and you'll stop retaining water.

[tonymctones]

Before messing around with sodium, how much water to you take in on a daily basis?  No guessing.  How much?

LOL little to none...I drink lots of liquids but very little water 

more water im guessing?

[tonymctones]

Are you preparing for competition?  If not, drink a lot more water throughout the day and you'll stop retaining water.

no not preping for a contest just was curious...

[Princess L]

LOL little to none...I drink lots of liquids but very little water 

more water im guessing?

Are you preparing for competition?  If not, drink a lot more water throughout the day and you'll stop retaining water.

[tonymctones]

can I still drink no calorie sodas and monster drinks along with the water or do i need to cut that out?

I dont think I could live without my monster drinks 

[Princess L]

can I still drink no calorie sodas and monster drinks along with the water or do i need to cut that out?

I dont think I could live without my monster drinks 

How 'bout cutting back to shots instead?

Here's a challenge for you.  Try cutting the sodas and drinks by 1/2 and replace with water.  How many ounces would that be?

[tonymctones]

How 'bout cutting back to shots instead?

Here's a challenge for you.  Try cutting the sodas and drinks by 1/2 and replace with water.  How many ounces would that be?

a very conservative guess is say about 48 ounces...probably more 

I drink about 3 or more monsters/red bulls a day to be honest and then coke zeros 

[Princess L]

a very conservative guess is say about 48 ounces...probably more 

I drink about 3 or more monsters/red bulls a day to be honest and then coke zeros 

Okay - it's a start.  Work yourself up to a gallon and have all the cokes and monsters you want.

[tonymctones]

Okay - it's a start.  Work yourself up to a gallon and have all the cokes and monsters you want.

yesh yesh I can do that, thanks for the help L

[el numero uno]

Maybe this is a stupid question but, some foods makes you hold more water or is just the sodium on them? I think tuna and whey makes you hold water, right?

[Princess L]

Maybe this is a stupid question but, some foods makes you hold more water or is just the sodium on them? I think tuna and whey makes you hold water, right?

Most canned foods are very high in sodium.  Again, the less water you drink, the more you'll retain.

Tony,

How's the water intake going?

[tonymctones]

Most canned foods are very high in sodium.  Again, the less water you drink, the more you'll retain.

Tony,

How's the water intake going?

Hey L

it was going pretty good for a few days I concentrated on taking in as much water as I do monsters and coke zero. I noticed that I actually didnt bloat as much in the face which was nice. Ive gotten a little worse the last couple days ive been pretty busy with work and mid terms so ive been having like 4 or so monsters a day to try and stay awake but midterms are over on monday so hopefully by then Ill be back to drinking less monsters and more water.

thanks for checking up 

[tonymctones]

bump for more questions...

so i started watching my sodium intake a little more, Im trying to stay below 2500mg a day which is actually pretty tough due to the amount of processed food I eat. Ive also started eating more veggies as I read they contain potassium which helps you release the sodium stored in your body easier.

I never realized how much sodium i took in until i started keeping track. Its been a few days and I can already notice a difference.

questions:

anybody ever try dandelion root pills? Ive heard they help you drop a little water weight and dont have the jittery side effects of weight loss pills.

Also I read about some ppl using preperation H lol to help lose water weight? Ive never heard of this before which is odd seeing as when I was younger and did Judo the sauna was always packed with ppl trying to sweat off weight right before weigh ins.

[Princess L]

bump for more questions...

so i started watching my sodium intake a little more, Im trying to stay below 2500mg a day which is actually pretty tough due to the amount of processed food I eat. Ive also started eating more veggies as I read they contain potassium which helps you release the sodium stored in your body easier.

I never realized how much sodium i took in until i started keeping track. Its been a few days and I can already notice a difference.

questions:

anybody ever try dandelion root pills? Ive heard they help you drop a little water weight and dont have the jittery side effects of weight loss pills.

Also I read about some ppl using preperation H lol to help lose water weight? Ive never heard of this before which is odd seeing as when I was younger and did Judo the sauna was always packed with ppl trying to sweat off weight right before weigh ins.

2500 is still a little high, but it's a start.

Prep H is commonly used topically for trouble spots in extremely low bodyfat conditions...not general use. The effect is temporary. Not worth the bother unless you are very lean and competing.

[suckmymuscle]

Ok started a thread on this a couple months ago and didnt get any post on it so i thought Id create another thread.

I was told by a competitive bobybuilder that I seem to hold alot of water. I didnt really think much of it but I started sitting in a suana after workouts once or twice a week and noticed that the day after or so I had alot more definition and my face seemed less fat  

so Im thinking about messing around with my sodium intake to see if it really is water retention.

How much should I take in?

how much do competitors take in the weeks leading up to their comps?

thanks in advance guys

  If you eat too much Sodium, you will retain water because Sodium is toxic and cells protect themselves by sucking in water to dilute the Sodium. But cutting out Sodium will not dry you out more than normal because Sodium is also essential to life, so if you reduce Sodium beneath what the body needs, your body will increase the release of aldosterone which will make you retain Sodium and water.

  If you want to dry out, the best advice I can give you is to slowly redfuce water intake - reducing it fast will increase water retention - and to decrease your Potassium intake. Sodium and Potassium must be balanced in the body because them being imbalanced can result in disturbances in your smooth muscles contractions, which can be fatal due to the risk of cardiac arrest, so if you dramatically decrease your Potassium intake, your body has no choice but to expel Sodium to keep the Sodium/Potassium pump balance, and that will make you drop water. But do it only a couple days before a contest, because this is very bad for your health.

SUCKMYMUSCLE

[tonymctones]

2500 is still a little high, but it's a start.

Prep H is commonly used topically for trouble spots in extremely low bodyfat conditions...not general use. The effect is temporary. Not worth the bother unless you are very lean and competing.

yea i think its a tad high too but ill get down to that and when I get some free time ill start making my own food again and Ill try to drop it to below 2000 and see how i start to look. Ive really noticed a decent difference in my mid section so far and I do look a little more vascular in my arms too.

yea thats what I read as well I dont think im quite lean enough to really see a difference but I just didnt know if it was actually a practiced tactic or not.

Any negative side effects?

[Princess L]

yea i think its a tad high too but ill get down to that and when I get some free time ill start making my own food again and Ill try to drop it to below 2000 and see how i start to look. Ive really noticed a decent difference in my mid section so far and I do look a little more vascular in my arms too.

yea thats what I read as well I dont think im quite lean enough to really see a difference but I just didnt know if it was actually a practiced tactic or not.

Any negative side effects?

Not that I'm aware of.

It's also often used as a puffy eye remedy (ie; models before a photo shoot).