Severe Bloating/Water Retention/Sudden Weight Gain

[niffer06]

I am a 24 year old female.  I was on the birth control pill for nearly 6 years, and recently went off of it 2.5 months ago.  I was a smoker for about 8 years, and just successfully quit 2 months ago.  I have been working on improving my diet by eliminating fast food and watching my calorie intake for about 2 months now as well.  In the last 2 months, I seem to be retaining a significant amout of water.  2 times I have gotten
so bloated in the abdomen that I literally look 6 or 7 months pregnant. Besides those 2 severe times, my abdomen appears somewhat bloated and puffy at all times.  My arms, legs,and face are also bloated and are noticibly puffy.  Within about 2 weeks of dieting, I lost about 6 pounds, but since then have gained between 20 and 25.  I have reducing my sodium intake, and am drinking at least 6 20ounce bottles of water a day.  The
amount of puffiness is getting embarrassing and very uncomfortable.  I am getting very discouraged that I am trying to lose weight and improve my overall health, and am doing nothing but gaining weight and looking puffy. Is there anything else that I can to do alleviate this?  What could be
causing this?  Any insight is greatly appreciated!  Thank you.

[mustanggirlnz]

A related discussion, Kidneys was started.

[bkm208]

Have you had your thyroid checked?

[Jade2007]

You should ask your physician to draw a cortisol level to rule out Cushing's syndrome and have your physician check your liver enzymes.