OBSESSION? I think not! SODIUM SUCKS!

amarie35

Another Saturday...which means eating things I shouldn't! I am good all week just to mess it all up on the weekend. I know I didn't go over my calories but thanks to my choices in food, my sodium level is sky high. It looks like if you are active a lot and you burn a lot of calories, you should be able to eat take in more sodium. Afterall, I always thought that when you sweat you were not only burning calories but also getting rid of sodium. Which should give you more sodium to take in (like it does calories). BUT.....NO, that's not how it works. How bad is sodium anyway? I mean as long as I drink my 8 cups of H20 a day, is there really a problem? I have never had a problem with HBP or cholesterol or anything as far as that goes. So should I really be that concerned with it? I feel like I am taking this all too far. My husband thinks that I am getting to OBSESSIVE with what I eat. But if I'm trying to lose weight, shouldn't I be a little obsessive about the whole thing??

WifeMomDVM

Too much sodium can wreak havoc on your heart and kidneys. :frown:

ChefJenn

my hubby thinks I spend too much time on here and this calorie counting thing is driving him nuts..
But its my choice. I dont worry to much about my sodium I an under most days but some I go over . My sugar is always over. But I also know my body doesnt process products like most do. My body doesnt absorb as much cals, fat, carbs, and vitamins the same as others. The joy of stomach stapling

You should check with your doctor about sodium really...

Lollyvoddy

I love salty stuff and am finding it really hard to limit it. I think it's like anything, practice moderation. Too little sodium can be just as bad as too much.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002415.htm

SMJohnson27

I was having the same concerns over sodium as you, so I spent an entire day doing research. And this is what I came up with. Most people get their recommended intake of water-80% through everything you drink, even juice and pop. The other 20% comes from the foods you eat. As long as your urine is clear, you are getting enough water. The most important thing to watch for with sodium is your potassium intake. Potassium seems to cancel out sodium so you should make sure they are equal. And for most people they should both be about 2300 mg per day. That is the best way to reduce water retention and keep your sodium in check. The more water you drink and harder you excercise, will not affect the sodium, only potassium. So, I manually set them both at 2300 and monitor them on my food diary.

Seesaa

been struggling with sodium pretty much since i started.

It is easy some days, hard other's. especially if you go out and it. unless you hare just having lettuce lol you are done for. drinking alittle more water and keeping check on your potassium helps. other wise sodium high more then once in a while leads to water retention. If you are also doing muscle training then that can lead to water retention so then it seems like you are gaining weight. When I cut my sodium down i lost 2 lbs in 4 days...so just be aware of what you are putting into your body and what it can do.

Enigmatica

Some people may be more sensitive to sodium in general. It seems that I am. I've monitored my blood pressure and notice that a bit too much sodium sends it up for hours. My doctor told me to make sure to eat foods that are high in potassium if possible when I have something that I know is relatively high sodium, because potassium helps balance it out in your body.

I just posted this to my friends the other day: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/03/01/scientists-salty-meal-reduces-artery-blood-flow-30-minutes/

Lots of info out there. We do need some some sodium, of course. The problem is most of us get way too much.

janesmith1

If you do a lot of exercise you need to put that sodium back in - sodium = electrolytes! If you don't there are consequences. If you sweat a LOT during your exercise activities you need to put your electrolytes back!

"Rehydration

In oral rehydration therapy, electrolyte drinks containing sodium and potassium salts replenish the body's water and electrolyte levels after dehydration caused by exercise, excessive alcohol consumption, diaphoresis, diarrhea, vomiting, intoxication or starvation. Athletes exercising in extreme conditions (for three or more hours continuously e.g. marathon or triathlon) who do not consume electrolytes risk dehydration (or hyponatremia).[1]

A simple electrolyte drink can be home-made by using the correct proportions of water, sugar, salt, salt substitute for potassium, and baking soda.[2] However, effective electrolyte replacements should include all electrolytes required by the body, including sodium chloride, potassium, magnesium, and calcium that can be either obtained in a sports drink or a solid electrolyte capsule.[3]

Electrolytes are commonly found in fruit juices, sports drinks, tomato soup and many fruits and vegetables (e.g. potatoes, avocados)."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrolytes

SparksFly460

Sodium...something I watch like a HAWK. I struggle with chronic edema (mid-internal & vertical)...meaning if i go over what my doc recommends (and he's got it figured out pretttty well, I try to take in 1/2 -2/3 of an average persons sodium MAX) I swell up terribly. My sodium problem has beaten up my kidneys & taken a light toll on my heart. I can only imagine what it could do with regular 'OD'-ing. Please be careful...sodium is tricky & cause not only unpleasant but painful and harmful effects when overdone.

esorcel

If you do a lot of exercise you need to put that sodium back in - sodium = electrolytes! If you don't there are consequences. If you sweat a LOT during your exercise activities you need to put your electrolytes back!

"Rehydration

In oral rehydration therapy, electrolyte drinks containing sodium and potassium salts replenish the body's water and electrolyte levels after dehydration caused by exercise, excessive alcohol consumption, diaphoresis, diarrhea, vomiting, intoxication or starvation. Athletes exercising in extreme conditions (for three or more hours continuously e.g. marathon or triathlon) who do not consume electrolytes risk dehydration (or hyponatremia).[1]

A simple electrolyte drink can be home-made by using the correct proportions of water, sugar, salt, salt substitute for potassium, and baking soda.[2] However, effective electrolyte replacements should include all electrolytes required by the body, including sodium chloride, potassium, magnesium, and calcium that can be either obtained in a sports drink or a solid electrolyte capsule.[3]

Electrolytes are commonly found in fruit juices, sports drinks, tomato soup and many fruits and vegetables (e.g. potatoes, avocados)."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrolytes

There are some relevant point here; however I do not agree that we need to replace sodium after exercising. If we are professional athletes, this may be fine. But we don't often exercise with that level of intensity. Most of us are consuming too much sodium already. Too much sodium causes our bodies to overwork, and eventually shut down because it is too stressed out. This is the case with heart diseases and kidney failure--these two organs are the most vulnerable to excessive sodium intake.

We are doing ourselves a favor by monitoring our sodium level, and keeping it LOW. The obsession with eating very tasty foods and prepackaged foods is killing us. 1500 mg sodium a day is healthier for us than 2500.

My body tends to retain a lot of fluid, making it difficult for me to lose weight. I didn't think I have time to prepare my own food, so I had relied on low-calorie frozen meals. My sodium had seemed very difficult to keep low because of them, so I became HAPPILY OBSESSIVE with lowering my sodium in foods. I have replaced a lot of my foods with low-sodium options, and I have become faster at preparing homemade foods and freezing them for the week. This way, I didn't spend a lot of time thinking about my sodium intake, and I had time to prepare everyone else their favorite foods. I am also trying to get back into the routine of bringing my home-cooked food to the restaurant with me on the weekend. The healthy food options on the restaurant menus can contain your day's worth of sodium intake, causing you to gain much of that weeked weight.

Not only do I feel better, I look better too, and people are noticing.

Go ahead and be obsessive. In the end, you will not lose and your body will thank you for it.

amarie35

Thanks for all of the feedback. I appreciate any and all of the advice I can get.

I am going to continue being obsessive about this....no matter what everyone around me says. Afterall, it can only help me in the long run.

I've never been one to keep track of any nutrients that I consume. Now that I watch everything I eat by paying close attention to the labels, I believe (with all of my heart) that I can & WILL end up seeing a huge difference in not only how I look, but how I feel as well.

tamiller93

I react horribly to having too much sodium. My whole body swells up! It is awful. So whenever possible, I use Morton Salt Substitute. I don't know how healthy it is, but I do know that it doesn't make me swell like real salt does.

And I have had hypertension for about 5 years.

Valtishia

Not everyone reacts badly to high amount of sodium, however in the long run it can cause hypertension and all those not so fun things we don't want. My body reacts badly to it so I am always on the watch for it. My husband isn't the best person for watching labels for other things, but he makes sure he checks for sodium for me.