Sodium

_EndGame_

Alright, so once upon a time I was reading through a post that was about sodium. The OP was complaining about sodium and how it messes with the number on the scale, and the majority of the responses were something on the lines of "nothing wrong with sodium unless you have medical issues" or "I exceed my sodium limit on a daily basis and it's never affected me"

Well, for the last 6 weeks, my weight has fluctuated, and it's always ended up back to it's original top number. Despite the fact I stay under my calories, and I swim for usually around 90 minutes a day (intense swimming) 6 days a week. Anyway, I am training for my HGV licence and part of the procedure is a medical. The medical is tomorrow, so 5 days ago, I started to think to myself "what can I do to make this a really good week, how do I break this plateau I seem to have found myself in?"

I looked at my food diary and the only thing I could think of that was the problem was sodium. I rarely exceeded my allowance, but I would often be close to the limit. I decided I would cut it down for a few days, just to see what happens. Well, this is the 4th day into it and it's the 4th day of consistent losses. It's like the first week when you start and you lose a **** load of weight, and you put it down to "water" only it's not the first week, I've been at this since May and have a 251 day logging streak!

I guess my point is - cutting sodium does work. From now on, I'm watching my sodium all the time, I'm not going to exceed 1.5 grams of sodium, unless it's some kind of special event or I'm eating out, because going off of my own personal experience, it really does hinder your weight loss. Or at least it hinders the number on the scales. Anybody stuck in a plateau, I highly recommend giving it a try!

popo312

it really does hinder your weight loss. Or at least it hinders the number on the scales.

That's the big point though, what exactly are you losing? If your just flushing out water because of cutting back on the sodium it doesn't mean anything really.

_EndGame_

it really does hinder your weight loss. Or at least it hinders the number on the scales.

That's the big point though, what exactly are you losing? If your just flushing out water because of cutting back on the sodium it doesn't mean anything really.

It does when you go weeks without a loss, eating at a deficit and nothing reflects your hard work.

Point is, sodium seems to hold back the number on the scale. The water retention obscures the number to the point, where even though you exercise and put in the hard work, the numbers tell you nothing.

This post is for people who hit plateaus, then try to find reasons to it or find ways out of it. Cutting sodium worked for me, so I decided to share it!

SuperCrsa

Isnt it just water weight? Strictly speaking.
So yes your scale might show a change but its not fat going off its just water?

Vicxie86

Well done for realising sodium matters, i just shake my head when i read "unless you have a health problem". Basically people should wait until they have a medical problem before they change something that often does lead to medical problem. Why bother to lose weight before we're diabetic then

_EndGame_

Isnt it just water weight? Strictly speaking.
So yes your scale might show a change but its not fat going off its just water?

I'm pretty sure the fat has been lost during the 5 week fluctuation. The water retention due to the sodium is what will have been keeping the number up.

Scientifically, if I eat under my calories and exercise, I should be losing fat. I was already 130lbs down, then hit a plateau, cut sodium, I start to lose again.

So basically, I cut sodium, the scale reflects my actual weight, by dropping the water retention, that was keeping me in a plateau.

Collette1007

I'm going to try to reduce my sodium intake to around 1500 as well. I'm eating around 1200 calories a day and the scale is not budging. It is the only thing I can see in my diet that is not within a normal range. Thanks for the advice.

phantomjam

Sodium is essential to the body. It's an electrolyte which works in balance with another famous electrolyte called Potassium. There are others. The electrolytes are important for proper electrical signal in the cells, especially in the muscles and the heart. If the balance is off you can develop headaches, problems with your heart beat and muscle cramps. The levels of the various electrolytes also affect the amount of water retained by the body. People who suffer from dehydration often have electrolyte levels that are out of whack and so are given electrolytes like Sodium and Potassium to restore the balance. Without adequate levels of these electrolytes they would drink but never become properly hydrated.

The problem with Sodium is excessive amounts. Usually it's enough to remove processed foods from your diet to bring your Sodium to a safe level. Excessive reduction of Sodium can trigger other health issues.

Also, in some countries where Iodine levels are naturally low, table salt (a sodium source) has added iodine for the health of the population. Sometimes, there are cases of people (often hypertensive) who reduce salt so drastically that they create an iodine deficiency and develop goiters. If that situation continues long enough they can have permanent damage to the thyroid.

The moral of the story is moderation. Regulating sodium can help you control bloating but taken to excess can create serious medical problems. [edit: Drastic reductions can also create serious medical problems]

_EndGame_

Sodium is essential to the body. It's an electrolyte which works in balance with another famous electrolyte called Potassium. There are others. The electrolytes are important for proper electrical signal in the cells, especially in the muscles and the heart. If the balance is off you can develop headaches, problems with your heart beat and muscle cramps. The levels of the various electrolytes also affect the amount of water retained by the body. People who suffer from dehydration often have electrolyte levels that are out of whack and so are given electrolytes like Sodium and Potassium to restore the balance. Without adequate levels of these electrolytes they would drink but never become properly hydrated.

The problem with Sodium is excessive amounts. Usually it's enough to remove processed foods from your diet to bring your Sodium to a safe level. Excessive reduction of Sodium can trigger other health issues.

Also, in some countries where Iodine levels are naturally low, table salt (a sodium source) has added iodine for the health of the population. Sometimes, there are cases of people (often hypertensive) who reduce salt so drastically that they create an iodine deficiency and develop goiters. If that situation continues long enough they can have permanent damage to the thyroid.

The moral of the story is moderation. Regulating sodium can help you control bloating but taken to excess can create serious medical problems. [edit: Drastic reductions can also create serious medical problems]

I actually take Nascent Iodine on a daily basis, but that's purely for thyroid benefits.

My point was, if someone is struggling with their weight loss and they're doing everything right, then reducing their sodium intake could be the answer to why the scales aren't budging. My measurements are constantly going down - I'm aware I was still making progress, despite the fact the scales weren't moving.

This post is simply for ALL those people who get hung up on the number, as I did. Like a placebo, reducing sodium and watching the number drop could have the positive vibes someone needs to continue. I know how disheartening it can be to put in all that hard work, just for the scales to slap you in the face!

_EndGame_

I'm going to try to reduce my sodium intake to around 1500 as well. I'm eating around 1200 calories a day and the scale is not budging. It is the only thing I can see in my diet that is not within a normal range. Thanks for the advice.

Glad I could help!