How to Lose The Bloat in a Week

This isn’t a lose weight fast kinda blog. I’m not a fan of that sort of thing, anyway. Today’s entry is all about losing the bloat — that fluffy feeling you sometimes wake up with. From head to toe, but especially around the belly.

Disclaimer: please consult with your doctor if you’re suddenly bloated and it hurts, you’ve been experiencing painful abdominal bloating for some time, or you’ve done the things I mention below.

How to Lose The Bloat (and Fluffy Feeling) in a Week

One day you wake up and you’re like,

“Gosh, my rings are tight, my clothes are fitting more snug… but I’m exercising and my food hasn’t changed that much! So, why do I just feel fluffy? I really need to get rid of this by the weekend!” 

Again — I’m not talking about dropping body fat (because we can’t do that in three days). 

But when you’re feeling fluffy, your body is just inflamed. And remember, inflammation is the body’s natural response to protect it.

So, if there’s something going on because you…

• haven’t gotten great sleep
• are under a ton of stress
• ate foods you’re sensitive to
• hit the gym too hard 

…your body thinks that it’s under attack.

Cue: inflammation (i.e., holding on to extra water).

The absolute easiest, most sure-fire way to quickly drop water weight is to…

Increase your sleep.

Maybe it sounds crazy, but if there’s any way you could get an extra hour or two of sleep (in addition to what you normally get), it’ll help the bloat immensely.

Other ways to reduce your water retention over the next week:

Don’t exercise so hard. 

Any workout where you are really breaking down muscle fibers due to the intensity (like, lifting extra heavy weight), will ensure your body holds on to water. 

Walk at a brisk pace. 

And it’s not just the sweating that is going to occur that’ll help you to drop that water, it’s also the biomechanics of your muscles moving. That mechanical process helps the body to push water out through your tissues. 

Drink more water. 

It certainly doesn’t hurt to add lemon and ginger to your water. These things really help the digestive process to, again, just rid itself of the water it’s holding on to. 

Green tea instead of coffee.

Long story short: not all caffeine is created equal. 

For so much more detail on all things noted above, plus:

• When you want to seek medical advice re: feeling bloated
• How I solved my (once) constant bloat
• The “healthy” foods I was eating during my bloated days
• What you need to know about sodium
• How to fix chronic dehydration
• My thoughts on lymphatic massages
• The role exercise plays in dropping water weight

Then, you must check out this episode of The Chalene Show:

And don’t forget to subscribe to TCS for weekly shows dedicated to your overall health — both physical and mental!