Sodium Question

Reeder06

How come when you excercise, you can consume more carbs, fat, sugar and protein, but sodium always stays the same?

jillywilliams2014

good question!!! cant wait for an answer! lol :huh:

maidentl

Fat, protein and carbs/sugar contain calories. Sodium has limits for health reasons, not related to weight loss. Although consuming too much could cause you to retain water which might make you think you have not lost or even gained weight.

monicastricker9

I would change that to you need to consume more lean protein, good fats and whole grain carbs. The answer is your calorie requirements will change. As a whole we consume enormous amounts of salt as it is. The only time you would need to replace the loss of electrolytes is if you are really sweating for an extended period of time. Do beware of getting sucked into the trap of overeating what you are expending.

apokryptein

A quick answer:
Sodium does many things to the body. It needs sodium for your nervous system to function properly, as well as for maintaining blood volume and other things. However sodium and things such as calcium don't work well together. The chemistry between the two doesn't work so well, so if your body is taking in a lot of sodium it can lead to calcium loss which could cause your body to have to find calcium to lose... also, too much sodium can throw off your blood volume causing your heart to have to work harder to pump the blood through it.

hobbeskastiel

Copy pasted:


Why salt is bad
The amount of salt you eat has a direct effect on your blood pressure.

Salt makes your body hold on to water. If you eat too much salt, the extra water stored in your body raises your blood pressure. So, the more salt you eat, the higher your blood pressure.

The higher your blood pressure, the greater the strain on your heart, arteries, kidneys and brain. This can lead to heart attacks, strokes, dementia and kidney disease.

Also, eating too much salt may mean that blood pressure medicines (such as diuretics) don't work as well as they could.

For more on how salt affects your body, brain, heart and kidneys,

Kalikel

Sodium levels aren't about weight loss. They're about overall health. I think that at some point, MFP was designed to be about health and just kind of turned into being about weight loss. I might be wrong; I don't know.

There are cardiologists who would argue that the MFP amount is too high.

The dangers of maintaining high levels of sodium over time are out there for the googling, if you really want to know.

SueInAz

The answer, in terms of the MFP app, is that the recommended daily requirement of sodium, as well as vitamins and minerals, doesn't change regardless of how many calories you eat that day. Those items don't "contain" calories. The macronutrients (carbs, protein, and fat) do all have calories. When you exercise, you can eat more calories and those extra calories are split amongst the three macros (by the percentages specified in your MFP goals) and they increase accordingly.

HeidiCooksSupper

A good starting link to learn about sodium in the diet: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/salt-and-sodium/

earlnabby

The answer, in terms of the MFP app, is that the recommended daily requirement of sodium, as well as vitamins and minerals, doesn't change regardless of how many calories you eat that day. Those items don't "contain" calories. The macronutrients (carbs, protein, and fat) do all have calories. When you exercise, you can eat more calories and those extra calories are split amongst the three macros (by the percentages specified in your MFP goals) and they increase accordingly.

Very concise explanation.

The only thing that exercise affects regarding sodium is, if you sweat a lot, you should replenish your sodium along with the other electrolytes. This is not something you or MFP can track, though. It has to be done on your own based on how you feel.

Liftng4Lis

Awesome question, as some of us tend to retain water a LOT!

Kalikel

An otherwise healthy person can spend a day walking around in the sun and not have to replenish anything.

Drinking water will suffice. The body knows how to regulate electrolytes on it's own and doesn't really need Gatorade just because you went for a run in the sunshine or were swimming all afternoon.

The very old and young tend to have a harder time with electrolytes, especially when dehydrated or through repeated vomiting, but for the vast and overwhelming majority of people, water will do...despite what the folks at Gatorade will tell you.

As always, though, ask your doctor if he thinks it's required.

LITtlerMeCO

The answer, in terms of the MFP app, is that the recommended daily requirement of sodium, as well as vitamins and minerals, doesn't change regardless of how many calories you eat that day. Those items don't "contain" calories. The macronutrients (carbs, protein, and fat) do all have calories. When you exercise, you can eat more calories and those extra calories are split amongst the three macros (by the percentages specified in your MFP goals) and they increase accordingly.

Very concise explanation.

The only thing that exercise affects regarding sodium is, if you sweat a lot, you should replenish your sodium along with the other electrolytes. This is not something you or MFP can track, though. It has to be done on your own based on how you feel.

As the sweat (and I think a small tear) rolled down my face this morning during an intense workout with a personal trainer I thought the same thing. I also know I sweated a good amount of sodium out of my body during 30 minutes of circuit training, an hour of Pilates, and an hour of yoga yesterday. It was WAY more than "a day of walking around in the sun"...

SueInAz

The answer, in terms of the MFP app, is that the recommended daily requirement of sodium, as well as vitamins and minerals, doesn't change regardless of how many calories you eat that day. Those items don't "contain" calories. The macronutrients (carbs, protein, and fat) do all have calories. When you exercise, you can eat more calories and those extra calories are split amongst the three macros (by the percentages specified in your MFP goals) and they increase accordingly.

Very concise explanation.

The only thing that exercise affects regarding sodium is, if you sweat a lot, you should replenish your sodium along with the other electrolytes. This is not something you or MFP can track, though. It has to be done on your own based on how you feel.

As the sweat (and I think a small tear) rolled down my face this morning during an intense workout with a personal trainer I thought the same thing. I also know I sweated a good amount of sodium out of my body during 30 minutes of circuit training, an hour of Pilates, and an hour of yoga yesterday. It was WAY more than "a day of walking around in the sun"...

I hope it was only a little tear....

Marathon runners and other endurance athletes need to watch their electrolyte intakes during long training sessions and races. Marathon runners have been known to succumb to hyponatremia (low sodium in the blood) if they are only drinking water during their races. Also, I live in Tucson where a "day of walking in the sun" -- or playing in a soccer tournament or other physical activity in the excessive heat -- will make you very sick without some kind of electrolyte intake during the day. Living in a very hot and dry environment makes you very sensitive to your body's water and electrolyte needs.

Kalikel

The answer, in terms of the MFP app, is that the recommended daily requirement of sodium, as well as vitamins and minerals, doesn't change regardless of how many calories you eat that day. Those items don't "contain" calories. The macronutrients (carbs, protein, and fat) do all have calories. When you exercise, you can eat more calories and those extra calories are split amongst the three macros (by the percentages specified in your MFP goals) and they increase accordingly.

Very concise explanation.

The only thing that exercise affects regarding sodium is, if you sweat a lot, you should replenish your sodium along with the other electrolytes. This is not something you or MFP can track, though. It has to be done on your own based on how you feel.

As the sweat (and I think a small tear) rolled down my face this morning during an intense workout with a personal trainer I thought the same thing. I also know I sweated a good amount of sodium out of my body during 30 minutes of circuit training, an hour of Pilates, and an hour of yoga yesterday. It was WAY more than "a day of walking around in the sun"...

People all over the world spend all day working hard, doing strenuous manual labor in tropical or desert climates. They haven't heard of electrolytes, they don't drink Gatorade and they don't generally suffer for it.

A healthy person will almost never require electrolyte replacement, They just need water. Honest. Your body know what it's doing.

I'm not saying anyone shouldn't drink Gatorade if they want to. Just thought I'd say it in case anyone wanted to skip the stuff and the cost.

But, of course, everyone should ask their doctor if he thinks Gatorade is a requirement.

earlnabby

An otherwise healthy person can spend a day walking around in the sun and not have to replenish anything.

Drinking water will suffice. The body knows how to regulate electrolytes on it's own and doesn't really need Gatorade just because you went for a run in the sunshine or were swimming all afternoon.

The very old and young tend to have a harder time with electrolytes, especially when dehydrated or through repeated vomiting, but for the vast and overwhelming majority of people, water will do...despite what the folks at Gatorade will tell you.

As always, though, ask your doctor if he thinks it's required.

If I sweat a lot I just eat something salty. I can't stand Gatorade or any of those other things and don't want to waste my money on them.

ninerbuff

How come when you excercise, you can consume more carbs, fat, sugar and protein, but sodium always stays the same?

Well it's dependent on HOW LONG and vigorous one exercises. One loses sodium through sweating and IF enough water and sodium is lost through it, then symptoms like fatigue, nausea and dizziness can happen. Usually if one exercises hard and stays hydrated for under a 90 minutes, chances are no sodium replenishment is required. But people like long distance or endurance athletes usually replenish not only carbs, but sodium, magnesium and calcium to keep from cramping, fatiguing and hitting the wall.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Reeder06

Thank you al! Think I understand now!