Sodium Overload!

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HereLieWe
HereLieWe Posts: 233 Member
edited March 6 in Health and Weight Loss
After going to the gym today, I went to the grocer's. I was hungry so I decided to get something I could eat in the car that was high in protein and low in carbohydrates. I got a 1 lb package of lunch meat, which I ended up devouring. I wasn't too worried since I was able to fit it into my calorie allowance. That is, until I entered the information into the MFP food logger and saw that I'd eaten almost twice the amount of daily sodium - in one sitting.

Should I be worried?

Replies

  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,149 Member
    Drink water.....a lot of water.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    I always eat over. I don't even log the extra I add. MFP would explode if it new how much sodium I consume :(
  • HereLieWe
    HereLieWe Posts: 233 Member
    edited October 2014
    @Liftng4Lis Thank you! How much water do you suggest I consume? I know there's no fixed number, but the thought of chugging a gallon makes me ill.

    @arditarose If I don't eat over, I always get very close to eating over. It's shocking when I log, say, a tbsp of soy sauce and end up expending 45% of my sodium intake right there.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,149 Member
    NO not a gallon, just a couple of extra glasses cuz it (and believe me I'm a flipping retainer), helps reduce the sodium level. It isn't going to hurt you (well unless you have health issues like HBP), it just makes you retain water.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    Yeah, I don't know what to say. It's a problem of mine too. I love salty things. I mean...I don't see myself changing my sodium intake any time soon.
  • onefortyone
    onefortyone Posts: 531 Member
    I agree with lots of water! When I chug water after a high sodium meal, I am almost guaranteed to be back to normal by morning, even if I've gone a couple of calories over :) I have a 16oz bottle and I aim to drink 2 of them before bed - and that's on top of my normal 4 bottles a day. So it's probably over a gallon altogether - but split up throughout the day, it's definitely manageable.
  • Solar_Cat
    Solar_Cat Posts: 188 Member
    For most young people, excess sodium doesn't seem to matter much. As we age, we tend to become more sensitive, hence the advice that folks over 50 limit sodium to less than 1500 mg daily. (Some sources say 1300 or even 1200.)

    The advice about drinking more water to help flush out a sodium excess is very widely seen, all over the internetz, but as far as I can discover there isn't much if any science behind it. The only scientifically based advice I've seen is to eat more potassium. Potassium ions balance sodium ions in the body. So if you've inadvertently eaten a lot of sodium, eat some foods that are high in potassium, such as bananas or peanuts.
  • HereLieWe
    HereLieWe Posts: 233 Member
    @Liftng4Lis Oh, well, that's doable then. (:

    @arditarose I love them too. Beef jerky is one of my guilty pleasures.

    @onefortyone Does your body ever adjust to the extra fluid? I find that when I drink, I have to pee constantly.
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    edited October 2014
    Unless you have a specific medical condition, the amount of sodium you consume is irrelevant.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
    tigersword wrote: »
    Unless you have a specific medical condition, the amount of sodium you consume is irrelevant.

    Oh good. That's all I needed to hear.

    /thread
  • ahoier
    ahoier Posts: 312 Member
    A good idea, is to consume about half your current body weight in fluid ounces......I log all my water, in 3 cup increments.....heh. I got one of those Blender Bottles, and I believe it holds just a lil over 3 cups (24 ounces) of water and log it in threes.....

    But yes, lunch meats can be a bear......since they are loaded with preservatives....next time, you may be better off paying a lil more, and getting a 1/2 pound cut from the deli counter ;) I've heard those "fresh" varieties contain less sodium.......
  • _whatsherface
    _whatsherface Posts: 1,235 Member
    I always go over on sodium. And by over, I mean a lot over. I really gotta start watching that (;
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 19,117 Member
    I'm a sodium fiend and sometimes it bites me in the butt the next day on the scale, but I know it's just salt and to not let it bother me. Some extra water, and it will be fine.
  • onefortyone
    onefortyone Posts: 531 Member
    HereLieWe wrote: »
    @onefortyone Does your body ever adjust to the extra fluid? I find that when I drink, I have to pee constantly.

    I'm sorry, I don't know! I have the bladder of a horse so I very rarely 'have' to go - I just go when it's convenient! Frequent peers are a mystery to me :)
  • mustgetmuscles1
    mustgetmuscles1 Posts: 3,346 Member
    Drink fluids. Get sweaty. Dont worry about it. :)
  • Myrmilt
    Myrmilt Posts: 124 Member
    Solar_Cat wrote: »
    For most young people, excess sodium doesn't seem to matter much. As we age, we tend to become more sensitive, hence the advice that folks over 50 limit sodium to less than 1500 mg daily. (Some sources say 1300 or even 1200.)

    The advice about drinking more water to help flush out a sodium excess is very widely seen, all over the internetz, but as far as I can discover there isn't much if any science behind it. The only scientifically based advice I've seen is to eat more potassium. Potassium ions balance sodium ions in the body. So if you've inadvertently eaten a lot of sodium, eat some foods that are high in potassium, such as bananas or peanuts.

    That has to the best advice I have seen for sodium, hopefully it's real. Googling now.
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