Ways to lose water retention After a humungous squat and dead lifting session I’ve decided to treat myself, take a long soak in a hot bath, play a little music and lie back pondering the issues relating to that all-important six-pack. Obvious issues come to mind first such as fat loss and ab development however between “YMCA” and “Girls just want to have fun” playing on my I-pod it dawned on me….the problem that is water retention is a lot like having a girlfriend whose a terrible kisser…it happens, yet no one really wants it. As always, let me share my musings: The phenomenon that is water retention, medically known as edema, can be caused by many different factors… excess dietary sodium, heart or kidney disease or even just normal shifts in body fluid. And is basically the swelling of the soft tissues of the body, due to the accumulation of water in those areas and can therefore be responsible for ‘weight gain’ or the hiding of those lovely abs of yours. But never fear for there are many different supplements to combat the problem that is water retention, just as there are many different methods to combat the dilemma that is ‘the poor kissing girlfriend.’ Perhaps the most common way to solve water retention is the use of mild herbal diuretics, the most popular being Uva ursi, derived from the leaves of the bearberry tree, uva ursi contains arbutin, a natural substance that increases urine output. This frequently used technique is comparable to the, “diplomatically talking” approach used by men the world over, this is often successful so long as the words, “you kiss like a Hoover with tongue” are avoided…. very important gentleman can’t stress this enough. Secondly, a herb that has proved very successful, is horse chestnut; mainly because of its two main ingredients aescin and aesculine which possess mild diuretic properties. Not as popular as the Uva ursi, horse chestnut has still been very successful with many people, somewhat similar to the, “tactless talking” style adopted by some men when addressing the issue of poor kissing. Amazingly some men still have a girlfriend even after saying, “Yikes…if you’re hungry you should have just said…less teeth good woman…I’m a man not a burger.”   Lastly is a supplement I have/continue to use prior to a shoot, to loose any access water retention, that is Dandelion root. Not only does it contain the mineral potassium, which helps regulate the balance of water in the body it also contains two diuretic chemicals, eudesmanolides and germacranolides. Used by many models, this is comparable to the method used by many men regarding the issue of poor kissing, the, “put up with it” technique. Because lets face it, no matter how bad it is it’s always going to be better than going solo, spending many lonely nights in watching late night TV with Palmer Handerson a.k.a. your hand.  So there you have it gentleman, various methods proven to work for different people. My advice would be to try the different techniques and see which one works for you. But with regard to the ladies, use with caution since I don’t want thousands of ‘poor kissing, angry females’ emailing me. Now I really must get out the bath, the water is beginning to get quite cold and that’s never nice. Happy training guys More articles by Ross: Cardio Training, Science of Fat Loss, Getting a 6 Pack, Thoughts on Fat Loss Supplements