Kim Kardashian talked about losing ‘water weight’ through sweating. Is that how it works?

But she is not the only Kardashian who has received flak for obsessing over her weight. Kim Kardashian’s look for this year’s Met Gala made global headlines, especially after she admitted that she lost some weight to fit into the iconic Marilyn Monroe dress that she wore in 1962 to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to former US President JF Kennedy.

Kim was called out for perpetuating an unhealthy body image, after it was revealed that she had lost 16 lbs (7 kg) in three weeks to fit into the dress. During an episode of The Kardashians, the mother-of-four was seen labouring to wear the dress, working out on a treadmill in a sweat-suit, and telling the camera, “I have this sauna suit, and I put it on, and it makes you just sweat. Even if it is water weight, it’ll help.” As bizarre as Kim’s logic seems, water weight is a real thing, but it is not what the SKIMS founder has made it out to be.

Dr Bikky Chaurasia, consultant internal medicine at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital Mumbai, told indianexpress.com that water weight refers to extra water in the body, or water retention in the body, which is medically termed as ‘edema’ when it affects certain body parts, and ‘anasarca’ if it affects the entire body.

“Patients suffering from kidney or heart diseases often experience edema of the feet. Edema of the face occurs due to allergic reactions to certain drugs, and is sometimes also seen as a side effect of kidney diseases. Thyroid patients, office workers on their feet all day and patients who are allergic to certain drugs often complain of lower-leg edema,” the doctor said.

He added that excess water retention in the abdomen region is called ‘ascites’, wherein a patient suffers from “bloated or distended abdomen” and breathlessness. ‘Pleural effusion’ is where the lungs suffer from extra water weight.

Dr Siddhant Bhargava, fitness and nutritional scientist, and the co-founder of Food Darzee told this outlet that water weight is “just plain water that your body stores”.

“Depending on the person, water weight can change overnight. A high salt or sodium intake, a sudden increase in carbohydrate intake, a long time without exercise, a low potassium intake, and a few other things can affect how much water weight is present,” he said, adding that a feeling of fullness, especially in the stomach area, swollen legs, feet, and ankles — besides the stomach, face, and hips — and stiff joints are ways of identifying water retention.

Dr Bhargava also said by drinking 64 ounces of water per day, or more if you exercise, your body learns it “does not need to store water and will drain the water and return to normal”.

“Water weight can be actually avoided by drinking enough water and decreasing diets that are high-sodium and carbohydrates, while increasing potassium. Have fresh fruits, vegetables, and proteins along with regular exercising to lose water weight and feel energetic,” he advised.

Dr Chaurasia, meanwhile, said in case one suffers from edema, they should restrict fluid intake if required, and pay the doctor a visit. “A quick and temporary solution to independent edema (edema not caused by underlying issues) is to place pillows beneath your leg and keep it inclined at 30 degrees,” he stated.

📣 For more lifestyle news, follow us on Instagram | Twitter | Facebook and don’t miss out on the latest updates!