So I tend to retain a bit of water regularly, not just during TOM or on days where I have sodium heavy foods. My doctor prescribed a diuretic, hydrochlorothiazide, which I have stopped taking after over a year of trying to "adjust" to it. It not only caused me to pee more often (not a problem), but it caused me to practically have to run to the bathroom every single time I felt the urge. This is particularly troubling as I do work and attend college. We all know that the bathroom is not always just around the corner. On days when I did not take it, like days that I knew we would be traveling or out and about all day, I had no problems with urgency or almost peeing my pants. Those are directly related to the medication. I've been off it solid for about a week now. The doctor took me off of it when I asked him about it. I'm sure all he heard was "I pee a lot and I don't like it." I really just wanted to try a different drug. Anyways, today was my weigh day and I am up 6lbs. It is impossible to gain 6lbs the way I have been eating so o know it is water weight. I just don't know what to do about it. I drink about a gallon of water each day and I'm fairly active. Anyone else have any ideas?? I feel lost. Today I tried to eat under 2000mg of sodium. That was hard. Everything has so much in it!

First of all WPS!!
OK so I've had the whole weight fluctuations research thing a few months ago when my scale said I gained 5 pounds over night so I found this article that told me it could fluctuate 5 pounds just from water retention especially if it was that awful time of the month. Hope this helps! (I'm too new to post the link but it is on fitday.com)

Weight Fluctuations Explained / Fitness / Weight Loss
http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articl...explained.html

Nevermind it just let me paste it finally ^ _ ^

Thanks! I will read that! And yes, WPS!!! I feel like everyone keeps telling me to drink more water and I'm already drinking around a gallon a day.

I do my best to get my water in and that's all I've drunk since starting. I hate the constant bathroom runs and it feels like the excess water makes me cramp while exercising which really messes up my burn lol my hydrating does seem to keep fluctuations at bay though unless it's the dreaded TOM and then I get spiked numbers on the scale

Did your dr do blood/urine tests to check your kidney function first?

Surely your doctor tried to get to the reason for WHY you are retaining so much water regularly? I really think you need to get to the bottom of that! Though honestly it sounds like your doctor prefers to just prescribe medicines to reduce symptoms rather than find the cause. :-/

Tracking your sodium intake sounds like a good starting point, but please consider pestering your doctor a bit more to get to the bottom of it. Do you drink that much water because you're really thirsty? That could be a sign of something else. Good luck to you. This is not something you have to live with.

The doctor did a complete blood panel on me. They do that every three months and that's just normal procedure for their office. I do take a low dose blood pressure medicine which is what had the hctz combined with it. I don't mind peeing a lot, but I do mind having to worry about not making it to the toilet. And I only have that issue on days that I took the hctz medication. Any other day is completely normal.
I drink that much water for a few reasons. I feel that water does wonders for the body in many ways including issues such as dry skin, which I suffer from, I am heavy and I do try to drink at least half my body weight in ounces, but I typically drink more, I also drink water in an attempt to flush out and detox my body and help with the water rentention. The more water you drink, the less your body will hold onto the sodium. Water consumption also improves digestion in general as well.
I have only been off the hctz for a little over a week now and I'm going to see how it goes for a bit. I didn't retain water regularly before they put me on one. Originally I was prescribed hctz alone to help lower my mildly high blood pressure. They then put me on the combo drug. I've never thought I needed the diuretic before as I had only had the occasional bout with water retention. Maybe my body is just reacting to not having the drug in my system after having it for so long.
I've on

The only time I held water was when I was pregnant, but two things helped me out and maybe they are something you can try in conjunction with what you are currently doing:

1. I swam, it helped immensely and my ankles did not puff until I laid back down until the end of the day.

2. Eat watermelon. That was something a fellow co-worker learned during her pregnancies and passed on to me.

I don't know if either might help you out. I guess I'd question the doctor if there was another drug that didn't have the side effects. My mom is on HBP meds and a water pill as well. She had more problems w/looking like she was bloaty/water retention - and it was more the HBP med (inderal I think). She switched meds and that all went away. If it persists, I'd ask for further looking.

The other thing you mention - a lot of salt in your food - are you eating prepared by you meals? Does your day allow you to make your own, even if it's one meal you prep w/o salt, that will help you out some too. Good luck with finding something that helps. I know it's not a fun feeling at all.

I have discovered that I can gain 2-3-4 or more pounds overnight when I eat bread or bread like carbs and it takes a 2 or 3 days to go away. I'm not really an advocate of across the board restriction of certain food groups, but for me sticking to high fiber, lower sugar, and higher protein and fat vs carbs is what works for me.

Read the Waterfall Diet by Linda Lazarides. Most effective diet for people with Water retention.

I have the same problem, my feet look like balloons after a long flight, or if I stand a lot during the day. Here are some things that work for me, aside from watching sodium....

Drinking water (I know you've heard that, but it bears repeating)
Eating asparagus
Swimming
Walking (not super long, but keeping my steps above 5000 a day helps)

I agree with Angie and others who mentioned to push more water and movement. I myself have been working through water retention but mostly in my mid body region. The past few days I drank a lot of water and herbal tea. My voiding has increased but the discomfort of the water is finally (slowly) dissipating. I think layers of water cling to fat cells, so that's why it so easily accumulates in mass amounts. Plus n my case, I started to rebegin my iron WOs. That broke my muscles down to fluids during the reconditioning of the tissues, then create yet more fluid build up . I've decided to lose more pounds before getting serious either my iron again.
Just keep moving and hydrating. Try to be patient. The body is unaware of your wish to rush as the system works in a rythm all on its own.

Suggested foods for water retention: celery juice, pineapple or pineapple juice, cranberry, watermelon, cucumber, etc. Oh and by the way, if you drink 2 glasses of coconut water per day, it helps with eliminating water and bloating.

Just finished week 1 of the Waterfall Diet. I lost 3 kilos.