What you see on the scale in the morning is often the result of what you ate and drank in the last 12 hours, how you slept, and how much you moved the day before. In any case, it's good to know what's happening in your body and how to fix it at home—without expensive diets and miracle powders.
- Salt – the silent, everyday culprit for water retention
If you ate pizza, prosciutto, cheese, chips or some packet soup yesterday, the reason for that extra kilo in the morning is almost certainly salt. Salt contains sodium, a mineral that helps regulate fluids in the body. When we eat too much, the body responds as a smart hoarder: it holds onto water to balance the salt concentration in the blood. The result? We feel bloated, heavy, and watery.
According to Harvard Health (2023), the average European consumes about 9 grams of salt daily, which is almost twice the recommended amount (WHO recommends a max of 5 grams daily). This means that almost every day we intake an extra 4 grams of salt, which can cause up to 1.5 kilograms of extra body weight in water in just one day—not fat!
What you can do at home:
Instead of salting your food, add more fresh herbs (parsley, basil, chives, or thyme...).
If you know you ate very salty the day before, increase your water intake. Yes, more water means less water retention. The body can then excrete sodium more easily through the kidneys. A glass of warm water with a slice of lemon in the morning helps kickstart your metabolism and decrease bloating.
- Slow digestion – the silent sabotaging factor
Another reason why you wake up heavier is incomplete digestion. If your body doesn't fully digest food, leftovers remain in the intestines, which not only affects how you feel, but also influences the number on the scale.
Scientifically speaking, our intestines contain between 0.5 and 2.5 kilograms of content at any given moment, depending on how often we go to the restroom and what we eat.
According to a study published in the European Journal of Nutrition (2021), as many as 27% of adults have problems with regular bowel movements, which means the body is not cleansing itself fast enough. And when digestion stalls, we also retain (too) much water and toxins.
What helps at home:
In the morning, drink a glass of warm water with a pinch of salt and a few drops of lemon. This old folk remedy from India helps stimulate bowel movement. Also, consume more fiber, especially plant-based, which the body cannot digest, but they help keep everything moving along (read: they have a mild laxative effect). You’ll find them in apples, oatmeal, flaxseeds, and prunes.
If you feel like food is still lingering inside you, try 15 minutes of walking after meals. Movement activates the intestinal muscles and speeds up digestion.
- Carbohydrates – energy that holds onto water
Carbohydrates have a bad reputation, but the truth is our body needs them for energy. The problem arises when we eat more than we use. Every gram of carbohydrate we eat binds about 3 grams of water. This means if you ate more pasta, bread or sweets yesterday, you’ll weigh more today. But not because of fat, but because of the water your body holds in the muscles and liver.
According to the Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2022), people who switch to a low-carb diet lose between 1.5 and 2 kilograms in the first 48 hours—not fat, but water released from stored glycogen (the form of stored energy in the muscles).
How to balance it:
If you feel heavy in the morning, try eating more vegetables and less bread or pasta for a day. Folk wisdom says a day without bread rests the body, which is also confirmed by modern research on the impact of insulin and water in the body.
Instead of white bread, try oats or buckwheat porridge. These foods have a low glycemic index, so they raise blood sugar more slowly and don't cause water retention.
- Not enough sleep – the hormone cortisol increases appetite and weight
It may sound strange, but lack of sleep affects weight more than some foods. When we sleep less than 7 hours, the body releases more of the hormone cortisol. This is a stress hormone that increases appetite and causes the body to retain fluid.
A study from the University of Chicago (2020) showed that people who sleep less than six hours a night consume on average 500 calories more the next day than those who sleep eight hours. If you wake up feeling heavy and puffy around the eyes, this may be the reason.
Interestingly, just one night of poor sleep can raise body weight by 0.8 to 1.2 kilograms, as confirmed by researchers at Stockholm University (2024).
What you can do:
Avoid alcohol and sugar before bed. There’s an old folk rule that dinner should be as light as a cloud, and today science confirms it too. Herbal teas like lemon balm and chamomile help the body relax and naturally lower cortisol.
- Hormonal changes – natural, but often overlooked
Especially for women, body weight can change due to hormonal waves associated with menstruation, menopause, or stress. When estrogen levels drop, which always happens just before a period or after age 45, the body responds by retaining more water.
According to Cleveland Clinic (2022), the average woman’s weight in these days increases by 1 to 2.5 kilograms—not because of fat, but because of water in the tissues.
Folk remedy:
Nettle or dandelion tea helps the body to naturally flush out excess water. Nettle acts as a mild diuretic (meaning it promotes urination). Plus, both are rich in minerals like iron and magnesium, and help the body maintain a natural balance.
- Alcohol and bubbly drinks – a sugar trap in liquid form
Maybe you had a glass or two of wine last night? Alcohol inhibits the release of the hormone vasopressin, which regulates water in the body. When there’s less of it, the body gets dehydrated, so the next day it holds onto fluid to compensate for the loss.
Alcoholic drinks also often contain a lot of sugar. A glass of cocktail or wine can contain up to 150 calories, a can of soda up to 40 grams of sugar.
According to the World Obesity Federation (2024), regular consumption of alcoholic beverages three times a week can increase body weight by up to 2 kilograms in a month, even when food is restricted.
Home trick:
To detox after a night with friends, drink warm water with a little honey and ginger. Ginger helps the liver process alcohol, honey replaces lost energy. This old rule was known by our grandmothers, and now research confirms the effects of antioxidants in ginger.
If you gain weight overnight, don't look for blame but for balance
If your scale shows more in the morning, don’t worry. In more than 90% of cases it’s not fat, but water, digestion, or hormonal changes. The retained water can be flushed out in as little as 24 to 48 hours if you drink enough, move, and eat less salt.
If you want to quickly check if it’s real weight gain, set a simple rule: if your weight changed overnight by less than 2 kilograms, it’s almost certainly fluid, not fat.
The best news?
The body is incredibly smart. You just have to listen to it and give it time to find its balance.
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