Did you know your body is made up of 50-75% water? That’s one of the reasons why H20 is critical for health.According to research done by the Mayo Clinic, the average adult loses about 10 cups water every day through breathing, sweating, urinating and eliminating waste. While this can cause problems for your joints, digestive tract and kidneys, dehydration can also make you fat.

Here’s how – dehydrated cells are depleted, and have to rely on energy generation from food rather than water. But the body can’t find water, so it craves food. Also, the body will not metabolize fat unless it is properly hydrated to remove toxins that are often stored in fat cells.

How do you know you’re carrying water weight?
• Compare your current weight to your weight yesterday. If you’ve gained more than 200 g then it is probably water weight.
• Check whether your hands, feet and ankles are puffy. If yes, it is likely that your gain is water related.

The body bloats when dehydrated because it believes that it won’t receive enough water, so it tries to save what is already there. The only way to deal with bloating is to drink more water.

How you can rid the body of water weight
• Drink 8-10 glasses of water daily.
• Cut down salt, sugar and high sodium condiments, canned and packaged food.
• Exercise regularly, at least four times a week.
• Eating less than 1,200 calories a day can cause your body to retain water. So reduce calories gradually and maintain a healthy diet.