Water retention can be one of the hidden enemies to revealing a strong, sculpted six-pack, and an unknown opponent is almost impossible to defeat. If you’ve been working relentlessly at developing your midsection and cutting down body fat, but there’s still no sign of your abs’ true shape and definition – you could be storing subcutaneous fluid in your cells that creates a bloated look and prevents your hard-earned muscles from fully appearing on the surface.
Before we go any further, note that this article is for those who already have a low body fat percentage. If you’re not there yet, don’t rush to blame it all on water weight, since it’s highly likely that excess fat is what prevents your abs from becoming fully visible. Focus on working out harder and eating smarter.
But if you know you carry very little body-fat and yet you still can’t see your abs, know that there’s only one last obstacle standing on your way to ideal muscle definition and luckily, overcoming it is very simple. Here are 8 tips to cut water the natural way and reveal your shredded abs to the world at last. Try them now!
8 ways to cut water weight naturally
1. Reduce Sodium
A diet high in sodium inevitably leads to excess water retention. To cut water weight, read the label on everything you buy and make sure to avoid high-sodium foods, the majority of them being over-processed products that you should be steering clear from anyway.
Oh, and take it easy on the table salt. At first your less-salty food might feel disgustingly bland, but you’ll get used to it relatively quickly if your efforts are consistent.
2. Drink More Water
If you assumed that drinking less water will reduce water retention, you were terribly wrong. As counterintuitive as it may appear, water retention can be immediately halved by simply increasing your water intake.
Water is essential for optimal function of your body; it helps your body flush out toxins and waste from all cells, so if you’re not properly hydrated, the cells will tend to store water until they can get enough of it. So to cut water weight you actually nee to drink more water!
3. Sweat It Out
What is sweat if not water stored in the body? If you’re working out regularly and intensely, you are probably sweating enough to shed a portion of your stored water, which then gets replenished as soon as you rehydrate.
Therefore this is not a real solution, but a quick method you can use in the case of an upcoming event where you want to look as dry as possible.
4. Cut Down on Creatine
Creatine is one of the best-researched supplements with a stable reputation stemming from its repeatedly proven efficiency for muscle building. While it works great for adding size to your frame, it also increases water retention in muscle cells in order to enhance protein synthesis, so water weight gain is to be expected when taking it regularly.
If you’re looking to cut water weight and look shredded for a competition or show, simply stop taking creatine 2-3 weeks prior to the event.
5. Stop consuming alcohol
If you’ve been a part of the fitness community for quite a while now, you’re probably well-aware of the detrimental effects of alcohol on many functions of the body.
For starters, alcohol is dehydrating, and the more of it you drink, the more efficient your body becomes at holding onto water. Anyone who wants to improve muscle definition needs to substantially reduce alcohol consumption, or even better, step into an alcohol-free lifestyle. Sad but true!
6. Eat Asparagus
As long as you avoid adding salt to it, eating asparagus can help reduce water retention and cut some water weight. This quirky and incredibly versatile vegetable can act as a natural diuretic and will accelerate the elimination of toxins and excess salt and fluid, which is why it’s especially recommended for people who are suffering from high blood pressure or are at risk of developing kidney stones.
7. Drink Cranberry Juice
Cranberry juice is another natural diuretic that will help clean out your entire organism by flushing out toxins, harmful bacteria and excess water without depleting potassium levels, which is a common side-effect of prescription diuretics. Of course, you want to opt for product free of added sugars, such as organic cranberry juice or cranberry juice concentrate.
8. Dandelion Root
In low doses, dandelion root can be consistently taken as a daily supplement for detoxifying the liver, blood and kidneys, as it has phenomenal diuretic properties. Excessive doses, however, might lead to too much potassium in the body and impair healthy functioning, so keep it light. You can either take capsules containing dandelion root or prepare it as a tea by steeping 1 tbs. of the plant in hot water.
Keep in mind that if your total amount of body fat isn’t at 10% or below, you won’t see much benefit from implementing these solutions. However, if you’re super-lean and battling water retention, they are guaranteed to help you naturally achieve the dry, hardened abdominal musculature you want!
Thank you, they were some good tips.
Considering I haveva BMI of like 35 to 40%, I doubt water is my problem. LOL
The BMI is not a precise tool for measuring muscle/fat mass. Most bodybuilders (who actually carry low body fat and dense muscle mass) will have a high BMI index.