Drop 10 lbs of false fat-fast!

If the shorts you fit in last year are snug now, it’s easy to blame winter weight gain. But odds are it’s “false fat,” extra pounds caused by water retention. That’s because as the weather warms, levels of hormones that cause your body to conserve fluids climb by 76%, Japanese scientists say. This adds 5 to 10 pounds to your frame, raises your blood pressure and increases your risk of heart attack and stroke. Luckily, these tips lighten you up in a jiffy!

- Melissa Gotthardt

5-minute fix: 

Brush your skin

Brazilian scientists say stimulating the lymphatic system, a series of channels just under the skin, ferries trapped fluids out of the body. This can trim up to 1.5" of false fat from your waist, butt and thighs. And according to Ann Louise Gittleman, Ph.D., a technique known as dry-brushing is a great way to get the benefits. “It rids the body of toxins that can lead to fluid retention,” she notes. Use a natural-bristle body brush to make brisk, short strokes along your body, starting at your feet and hands and moving up toward your heart. Repeat three times a week.

10-minute fix:

A seaweed wrap

For a spa-inspired treatment, dermatologist Debra Jaliman, M.D., author of Skin Rules, recommends a seaweed wrap. Seaweed contains minerals like serine that pull toxins from pores and draw water out of fat cells. Plus, its amino acids firm skin. To melt up to