Always with too much sodium!

Taojin10

I'm new to this forum, I started tracking my diet last wednesday. I've been doing pretty good but I alway seem to go over my sodium! I've been trying to meet my caloric needs but in doing that I seem to be killing my sodium. Also a friend of mine said the goals set by the fitness pal app are wrong. She said I should be getting close to 200g of protein, not 87g. Also my carbs at 318 are way too high for me she said I should be looking at something like 88 abouts? But mostly its cause I'm wondering are there any good foods that can help me meet my caloric intake yet not destroy my sodium?

jen0619

Fresh foods, cook your own meals and freeze them if its a soup or something. Stay away from packaged foods especially lunch meats they are full of sodium as well as canned soups.

Nigel99

My first week I wasn't looking at sodium all that closely, and when I added it to my daily tracking, I noticed I was going over frequently (but not by all that much). Just about anything packaged, canned, seasonings, and takeout are all loaded with sodium. I ended up eating more snacks that were low in sodium (like fruit and veggies, light string cheese, almonds, Triscuits, etc.), and that allowed me more leeway with my meals. I've been able to stay under every day, though it sometimes can be a challenge to get all the calories I need while keeping the sodium down.

It is ok if you go over here and there, but you don't want to be going over all the time. Just try to balance the snacks and meals so that you don't take in as much all day, and minimize the large doses when you can.

Sara1978

Sodium levels tend to be high in processed foods. If you're buying a lot of pre-packaged food, sodium is a big issue. It will also be a big problem if you eat out a lot, since so many restaurants seem hellbent on salting everything to the point of absurdity. If you buy fresh stuff and prepare it yourself, you'll find it is easier to stay within your daily allotment.

As far as protein levels to carbs are concerned, MFP's default settings aren't aimed at super-low-carb dieting-- they're more balanced. Some people are really into the high protein thing, and it works for some folks. If you want, it is possible to manually adjust your target values on the site.

SweatinSammie

I cannot say enough about cutting back your sodium - I'm a sodium freak!!! I work in the health care field and am very aware of the heart and kidney problems it can contribute to.

Cutting back sodium is so hard for people because most of us are used to eating processed foods. Not eating processed foods means more work for us in the kitchen but it's so worth it. I would start by identifying the foods that have the most sodium in your regular diet and replacing it with a lower sodium alternative.

I would also suggest taking one meal a day and trying not to eat ANY processed food - maybe lunch. Lunch is the time we usually go for chips, microwavable meals, deli meats and cheese, bread, soup etc. If you try to cut back everything at once you may get overwhelmed.

Good luck!!

myukniewicz

I cannot say enough about cutting back your sodium - I'm a sodium freak!!!

ME TOO! I watch my sodium like a hawk, and keep mine around 1500mg-2000mg

all i can say is eat fresh food, and stay away from prepackaged, processed foods.
i made that change, and incorporated more fresh fruit, and fresh/frozen vegetables and i saw a major difference in my sodium level.
(stay away from canned vegetables, because the canning process not only sucks out the nutrients in the vegetables, but it adds A LOT of sodium).

chiarunner

I think everyone has tackled the sodium issue -- I figured I'd explore your other question :-).

200g of protein would translate into about 800 calories... Which would be fine if you were rockin' a 2500 calorie diet.

See, there is no "magic number" when it comes to protein. Some experts recommend a diet consisting of 50% carb, 30% protein, 20% fat... some suggest different percentages. I'm not sure what MyFitnessPal is suggesting (I guess I should look, huh :-)), but I know the protein goal goes up with the more activities you log and the more calories you earn proportional to the fat/carb suggestions. So it's calculated depending on whatever caloric goal it set for you.

Like 84g protein would translate into 336 calories which is 28% of 1200 calories, which sounds about right.

Happy Day to you!

Taojin10

I appreciate all the replys, this is a little harder than I had anticipated lol. It really blows my mind just how much sodium is in the things I used to eat all the time, and It feels a little better to know i'm not the only one who's going over. Not eating anything prepackaged is not easy given I don't have all the time in the world to cook meals in advance. I'm currently trying to build more muscle so yeah I definitely upped my protein levels despite what the app says. It is a pain to not eat too much sodium but at the same time eat enough calories that it meets my requirements.

mlb929

Is your blood pressure a problem? There is a new article in Fitness magazine that talks about how it may not be that bad afterall. Only really a problem if you have other problems related to it. I personally don't worry too much about my sodium intake because I drink 24oz of water every hour all day long so figure I'm diluting it anyway.

Taojin10

Yea blood pressure hs been an on and off issue with me when I work out and lift weights it's not an isue but when I've fallen off the wagon and gotten lazy it tends to be on the high side. Lately I took the advice you all have given me and I started to cut out prepackaged foods and I've been under my sodium by 250! So that's pretty awesome.

johnsanderswalls

Perfect! I was just about to post a question as well. My sodium has been my biggest issue as well. I'm supposed to be at 2600 calories a day to get started which I find pretty hard to do without soaring past my sodium. But all the responses have been a tremendous help! Thanks everyone for the great answers and thanks for posting the question!

Cheers!

John

Manda1987

All it took for me was cutting out canned soup. I started making my own, and it's incredibly low sodium.