Why the water retention???

Why am I retaining water? I can see it around my ankles and I only lost a pound last week. I do not eat much sodium....at all. I'm drinking the same amount of water I always drink, which is plenty for my body. So what is it? Any answers would be very helpful. Thank you.

Sometimes it can be a nutritional deficiency (B vitamins, protein..??). It could be a lack of exercise if you are being a little more sedentary than normal... I'd also think about potential hormone imbalances like a new birth control or hormone therapy. Have you started any new medications/supplements lately?

Drinking plenty of water should wash away any excess salt you are holding within a few hours.

What looks like water around the ankles can be a sign of an allergic reaction or other type of sensitivity. Persistent edema around the ankles can be a result of sensitivity to seafood (I went to a Chinese buffet with an older woman who complained that eating Chinese food make her retain salt for days, when what her plate was full of was fish and shellfish), dairy (I found after drinking a large hot caramel milk to "test" my milk sensitivity that my ankles ballooned up like an old woman's and took more than a week to return to normal), or something else entirely.

You may have recently started consuming large amounts of some "healthy" food that your body can only tolerate in small amounts. The place to start looking is the top 8 allergens:
Milk
Eggs
Peanuts
Tree nuts (such as almonds, cashews, walnuts)
Fish (such as bass, cod, flounder)
Shellfish (such as crab, lobster, shrimp)
Soy
Wheat

If it is a histamine reaction, over-the-counter antihistamines may help.