WEIGHT GAIN DOES NOT ALWAYS MEAN FAT GAIN

Are you feeling bloated? Are your ankles left with bumps from socks? Looking in the mirror with a puffy face?

Don't worry; it's probably perfectly normal and can result from several factors. Hot weather, dehydration, lack of sleep, stress, a passive daily routine, or an irregular diet, especially one high in salt and carbohydrates, are typical causes of swelling - dehydration. Drinking alcohol also contributes to bloating in the following days. Swelling increases body weight rapidly and profusely; a weight gain of 1-3 kg in one day can be perfectly normal. Typically, swelling is misinterpreted as an increase in body fat. If the bloating is accompanied by difficulty breathing, severe abdominal pain, or fever, then medical attention should be sought, and it may be something other than normal fluid retention.

Increased water retention in the body is the body's normal way of protecting itself from external factors. For example, if you sprain your ankle, fluid will build up around the ankle and there will be visible swelling. This phenomenon causes fluid to build up similarly in the body if you have a very stressful everyday life, sleep poorly and you eat too little or unhealthily. What is important to recognize is that bloating and fluid retention is a very common phenomenon and certainly does not always mean that there is increased fat in the body.

My body has always been very sensitive to fluid retention. Anything out of the ordinary is immediately visible to me as weight gain and increased bloating. A restaurant dinner, a hearty evening snack, and a bad night's sleep will leave me bloated for the next day. My face and fingers are always the first to swell. But hey, it's just liquid! It will go away as long as I sleep well the next night, exercise, and eat regularly during the day.

So don't worry if you get a little swollen at the end of summer. It's fluid that will go away when you start moving again, avoid junk food and manage your workload and stress by getting enough sleep.

Evidence-based exercise programs and nutrition plans tailored to your body weight from the online store