importance of sodium

leahcollett1

hello everyone

i juts wanted to pick everyones brains about sodium...

is it important to stay under your daily allowance? would going over your allowance effect your water retention? and could it effect your weigh in?

the reason im asking is that i gained 2lbs last week, nothing really jumped out at me as for the reason why, however i did noticed i consumed a meal thursday evening that was really high in sodium putting me over my allowance ( but under calories) i weighed in early sat morning and i gained 2lbs.. could this maybe contribute towards this or am i just looking too much into it?

LivingtheLeanDream

Yes going over on sodium will mean you hold onto water, it will affect your weigh in by a few lbs is what I find. But it also disappears within a few days...
(if I have a chinese or Indian meal, the next day I'm guaranteed up a few lbs even with drinking loads of water - it is temporary though)

Its not good for us to have too much sodium so its worth our while keeping tabs on it.

DemoraFairy

Sodium does make you retain water, yes, and it's definitely noticeable on the scale. I'm always a bit loathed to weigh in after eating out the night before because restaurant food tends to be higher in salt, and it always shows on the the scale. But it's always gone in a day or two.

psuLemon

DemoraFairy wrote: »

Sodium does make you retain water, yes, and it's definitely noticeable on the scale. I'm always a bit loathed to weigh in after eating out the night before because restaurant food tends to be higher in salt, and it always shows on the the scale. But it's always gone in a day or two.

yep...

But a lot of people also forget that sodium is very important to the body as it's an electrolyte, which help stabilize your body. Now, that doesn't mean you need 5000mg+ of sodium, but if you are fairly active, you may need more than the average 2300mg.

If you want to get around that, weigh yourself every day, and take a running week average. Either way, you will have water weight fluctuations and being a woman, you are even more screwed thanks to your TOM.

Liftng4Lis

If I'm over a lot on sodium, I retain. Still I have no medical condition that requires me to stay under on sodium, so sometimes, I just have to retain

dizzieblondeuk

Something to bear in mind is that you can counteract the physiological effects of sodium (as well as the unseen heart health impact) by upping your potassium intake - dairy products, bananas, potatoes (all kinds), fish, eggs, nuts are all good sources of potassium. But also especially making sure that your water consumption is at the recommended levels. However, the best course of action is always to try and reduce your sodium consumption from the start. The occasional high sodium meal is OK and, as others have said, restaurant/fast food meals are notoriously high, and you'll start to see discernible patterns in how your body reacts to high salt food, and how long it takes to go back to normal. For me, I find if I stay under 1500mg per day, I have no impact on my weight. Most days I'm on or around 1000mg, but the occasional high sodium meal doesn't take my average for the week above 1500mg.

oh_happy_day

leahcollett1 wrote: »

hello everyone

i juts wanted to pick everyones brains about sodium...

is it important to stay under your daily allowance? would going over your allowance effect your water retention? and could it effect your weigh in?

the reason im asking is that i gained 2lbs last week, nothing really jumped out at me as for the reason why, however i did noticed i consumed a meal thursday evening that was really high in sodium putting me over my allowance ( but under calories) i weighed in early sat morning and i gained 2lbs.. could this maybe contribute towards this or am i just looking too much into it?

Yep, sodium will do that. Your body does need it but it's good for general health to keep an eye on it. I also avoid weighing in after I know I've had more sodium than usual. The water weight sometimes hangs around for a few days but it comes off on it's own.

leahcollett1

well thats a big fat dam - i didnt really look at sodium, as i was under for the whole week apart from that thursday... i average about 1500mg daily i think my goal is 2300mg, and thursday meal put me at 2900 i think.. i just thought it might have comeoff during friday, in time for saturdays weigh in?

lindaloo1213

I tried to stay at my recomended sodium amount and ended up not feeling well (it was the only change I made those few days) Keep in mind that sodium is also important in your body and if you are doing a lot of strenuous exercise or working out in the heat you are losing sodium through your sweat so it may jeed to he higher for some than others.

leahcollett1

lindaloo9331 wrote: »

I tried to stay at my recomended sodium amount and ended up not feeling well (it was the only change I made those few days) Keep in mind that sodium is also important in your body and if you are doing a lot of strenuous exercise or working out in the heat you are losing sodium through your sweat so it may jeed to he higher for some than others.

omg your profile pick is amazing!!!

lindaloo1213

leahcollett1 wrote: »

lindaloo9331 wrote: »

I tried to stay at my recomended sodium amount and ended up not feeling well (it was the only change I made those few days) Keep in mind that sodium is also important in your body and if you are doing a lot of strenuous exercise or working out in the heat you are losing sodium through your sweat so it may jeed to he higher for some than others.

omg your profile pick is amazing!!!

Thank you;)