Prevent Bloating by Drinking Tons of Water Beforehand?

I'm going to have company over tonight, and the dinner is going to be pretty high in sodium.  My brother is going to make lasagna and the pasta sauce is going to make a dent...It has tons of sodium.

Would it help prevent the retention of water if I drink a lot of it beforehand (5 cups maybe)?  Does this work for anybody or does it make you retain more water (since more is going into your body).

Thanks :-)

I could be totally wrong about this, but from my understanding, drinking water after you have tons of sodium would be more effective at preventing/getting rid of bloating and water retention.  By drinking the water after you eat salty foods, you're basically flushing it out of your body.  If you drink the water beforehand but not after, you might just end up retaining it.  Either way, you know you're going to be having more sodium tonight so be prepared to see a gain tomorrow and remember that it's just water weight.  If you think you'll be discouraged by it, stay away from the scales for the next couple of days.

Enjoy the food; it sounds delicious :]

drinking more water helps to not only help you drain some of the sodium, but it will also give you a fuller feeling while eating. so you'll less of a not so healthy dinner. more water is always better, you'll always flush it out, and your body won't retain it. that's just an old wives tale. water is also great for your skin- so drink up. :)

Add some parsley to your meal - it will help eliminate the water.

Or drink water with some lemon juice added.

You're worried about one meal?  Have a small amount of the lasagne, serve it with plenty of veggies or salad or whatever else he's doing, drink water normally...  more if you're thirsty.  Fluid retention is only ever temporary so if you go back to your normal diet and resist the temptation to jump on the scales for a few days you won't see any change in your weight.

Enjoy the meal and enjoy the company.  It's lovely that your brother is going to the trouble of cooking for everyone.  Don't spoil it by worrying.

Thanks for answering my question guys :)  I didn't retain that night!  I never knew parsley and lemon juice helps eliminate the water.  Those will be my allies on those salty nights lol