Lose Water Weight: 7 Days to Skinny

Apolo Ohno was doing laundry at my friend’s house.

The how and why are not important. (In case you don’t know, Ohno is an 8-time Olympic speed skating medalist.)

The point is…

My friend could have sold his boxers on eBay, but instead, she learned his super-secret SkinnyBitch weapon for getting lean ultra fast.

Apolo was preparing for a photo shoot scheduled for the following week, motivating him to stick to an unusual diet protocol.

This was not a diet in the conventional sense.

It’s actually a diet common in the bodybuilding industry in preparation for a competition or big show.

It’s intended solely to lose water weight.

The kind that makes you look bloated and soft. Puffy, even.​

You’re probably wondering:

How much weight could I lose with just water?

The amount of weight you will lose depends on several factors, not least your genetics and your ability to drink a lot of water.

But, even with a low level of compliance, you should still be able to lose at least five pounds in a week–a lot more if you try hard.

Five pounds might not sound like a lot but that amount of water takes up a lot of space in inches.

You will look and feel very different once it’s gone.

Very few diets can deliver such meaningful weight loss results in such a short space of time.

If you only have a few days to drop weight for a big event, lose the water weight.

When it comes to losing weight fast, you have a couple of options…

Whatever your reason, it’s times like these that the slow and steady weight loss plan just doesn’t cut it.

You can lose 5 to 20 pounds in seven days with no hunger or crazy exercise.

Losing water weight will not only result in lost pounds, you’ll also lose puffiness and reduce bloating too.

In short, losing water weight will help you look great and that’s the premise of the 7 Days to Skinny plan.

Your body is up to 60% water.

You’ve got water in your muscles, in your blood, under your skin, and virtually everywhere else in your body too.

Water molecules are heavy and bulky, so losing water can significantly affect your overall weight; a single pint of water weighs around a pound, so lose five pints and you lose five pounds.

Here’s how losing water weight can be tricky:

Drinking less water won’t lead to weight loss.

Dehydration is dangerous, so you need to follow a plan designed to trick your body into shedding water quickly and safely without harming you.

Remember though, water weight is not the same as fat weight, and while you can lose both weight and inches, it will be water weight, no fat.

This means that once you finish this program, once you start drinking water normally again, you will regain much of the weight you have lost quite quickly.

This plan will help you get skinny in seven days and look your best for a day or two.

Staying that way will require a more long-term diet and exercise plan.

To look your best in 7 days…

Drink More Water for Days 1-4

The most confusing part:

– You MUST drink more water if you want your body to shed water!

When you are dehydrated or even when you are drinking the right amount, your body tends to retain water – the opposite of what you need if you want to lose water weight fast.

It’s as though your body knows that water is in short supply and keeps hold of it. After all, water is a critical bodily substance.

To convince your body that it’s okay to shed excess water, you need to drink a lot – at least for a few days. This will significantly increase urine output.

Click here to see how bodybuilders use this strategy.

How much water do you actually need to drink?

Most people will get the desired flushing effect from around six to eight liters (1.6 to 2.1 gallons) per day.

If you are under 200 lbs. aim for the lower figure.

Yes, this is a lot of water but it’s crucial to drink this much if you are going to lose a meaningful amount of water weight.

Spread your water consumption out throughout the day starting first thing in the morning and make sure you keep track of your water intake.

One effective tracking strategy is to buy four or five 1.5-liter water bottles and make sure you drink all of them over the course of the day.

Don’t worry if your body weight stays the same or even increases during this initial four-day water load – that’s normal.

It’s during the next three days that the weight loss magic happens.

Because you are going to urinate a lot more than normal, make sure you are never too far from a bathroom.

Don’t be surprised if:

You aren’t very hungry during your water load.

Your stomach is going to be full of water much of the time.

Not eating as much as normal will also help weight loss.

Drink Less Water for Days 5-7

Now that your body is in the mode of expelling a lot of water, it’s time to drastically cut your water intake.

Your body will eventually adapt to this change but, for the next few days, it will continue to expel water at an accelerated rate.

Cut your water intake down to around 1 to 1.5 liters (0.25 to 0.4 gallons) per day for the next three days.

Because you are not replacing this lost water, your weight will start to plummet at a rate of around one pound per bathroom visit.

Smaller individuals should aim for the lower end of the recommended intake, while larger individuals or those living in hot, dry climates should aim for the upper end.

Remember, this will only work if you have primed your body with lots of water for four days; that’s what sets you up for weight loss.

These three days can be tough; you’ll feel thirsty and, because you will have gotten used to drinking a lot of water, drinking so little will feel odd.

Remember though, it’s these three days of drinking less water that will give you the results you want.

However, don’t make a potentially fatal mistake:

Drinking no water at all.

That would be a serious and dangerous mistake.

Make sure you drink the recommended 1 to 1.5 liters per day.

Sip iced water or suck ice chips to keep thirst at bay.

Water loss can be further accelerated by using natural diuretics such as dandelion (we like this one), green tea extract (like these), or celery.

Caffeine can also help, but avoid consuming unnecessary water by sticking to straight espresso shots.

Starting your day with the juice of a lemon in a small glass of warm water will also enhance water loss.

Remember though, all fluids consumed must be counted toward your 1 to 1.5 liter-per-day water intake allowance.

Double Down on Removing BIG Molecules

Carbohydrates such as rice, potatoes, and bread are broken down into glucose and then stored in your muscles and liver as glycogen.

Glycogen is essentially a form of sugar combined with water.

Because of its water content, glycogen is a big, bulky molecule.

Still with me?

Reducing your carbohydrate intake will mean your body has to use glycogen for energy. This means you’ll get rid of those pesky molecules that are puffy you up.

Minimize your carb intake for seven days by replacing bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, etc. with leafy vegetables such as cabbage, kale, lettuce, and watery vegetables such as cucumber and zucchini. As well as being low in carbs, leafy and watery vegetables are high in fiber which helps to speed up the digestive system which will lead to even greater weight loss.

You also need to avoid fruit. It’s a high water-content food and it’s full of carbs.

Important Note:

Apolo ate kale salad with olive oil and a dash of apple cider vinegar. Absolutely no fruit though.

Increase and then Decrease Sodium

Sodium, commonly found in table salt, is an important mineral that your body needs for several essential physiological processes.

Sodium is required for moving fluids from one area of your body to another and for muscle contractions.

When you get too much sodium:

Your body uses water to flush out the excess that accumulates.

Increasing your sodium intake during your four-day water load will increase your urine output even more, leading to faster weight loss.

How to do this:

Simply add copious amounts of salt to your meals and eat plenty of salty foods.

Ideally, you need to consume around 5000 milligrams per day for days 1-4.

On day 5, when you cut your water intake, simultaneously cut your salt intake too. Your body will continue to flush out the accumulated salt taking water with it.

Sweat the Rest Out

Another effective way to shed unwanted water weight is to sweat it off; sweat is water after all. Sweating is how your body controls its temperature so any activity that makes you hot will cause you to sweat.

Exercise is the obvious choice but there are several other options too…

• Hit the sauna or steam room

• Have a long, hot bath or shower

• Turn up the heat in your car, home or office

• Use hot water bottles or heating pads

Sweating can make you thirsty but it is important that you fight the urge to drink lots of water.

Otherwise, you could end up taking on more water than you have lost. Sip ice-cold water to control your thirst.

Sweating is best left to the final three days of the Skinny in 7 Days plan.

The Short of It

Days 1-4

Six to eight liters/1.6 to 2.1 gallons of water per day. No diuretics. 5000 mg sodium per day. Reduce carb intake.

Days 5-7

1 to 1.5 liters/0.26 to 0.4 gallons of water per day. Natural diuretics if required. 500-1000 mg sodium per day. Maintain low carbs. Add sweating to further enhance water loss.

Don’t Hurt Yourself

Professional athletes and weight lifters use these exact methods to lose weight fast before an important event. If it works for these guys, it’ll work for you too. But, losing water weight is not without a few risks that should be taken into account before starting this plan…

Drinking a lot of water can cause dilutional hyponatremia or water intoxication. This is very rare but is a serious medical condition. It’s caused by the dilution of essential minerals, called electrolytes. For this reason, make sure you eat lots of fruit and vegetables on days 1-4.

Frequent urination can cause sleep disruption.

You can expect to go to the bathroom several times per night.

If you cannot afford to be sleepy during the day, this may not be the plan for you.

Warning:

Manipulating water levels can be tough on your kidneys.

This plan is not recommended if you have a history of kidney problems or kidney disease.

Mild to moderate dehydration is the name of the game for this plan – especially in the last three days. It’s only by ridding your body of excess water that you will lose weight.

However, dehydration means your body will be low in essential water and if water levels get too low, dehydration can occur.

The recommended daily intake of water will be enough to prevent dehydration, but unusually hot climates or other circumstances can change that.

If you are uncontrollably thirsty, stop sweating altogether, feel faint or shivery, suffer any mental confusion or disorientation, feel sick, or are otherwise unwell, increase your water intake immediately.

After You Slim Down

All good things must come to an end. Our super stealth diet isn’t meant to last you through the big weekend. Once you have dropped your water weight, it’s time to rehydrate. This is best achieved by drinking little and often and consuming around 2 liters/0.5 gallons of water per day. Plus whatever other hydrating beverages you fancy. Sports drinks are ideal because they contain those all-important electrolyte minerals that will have become depleted during the final three days of the plan.

While short-term dehydration is not a big concern, long-term dehydration can be dangerous, so make sure you replace lost fluids once you have completed the plan.