Sodium: Should I even bother counting...?

happydayzz

I'm 18 years old and am in my 1st year of university.
As of now, my sodium always comes under by 100-250 my goal of 2500 mg each day. But should I bother counting it at all? Are there people out there who have stopped counting and noticed water retention/weight gain?
Also, are there people who noticed no difference? xD
Thanks in advance!

tigertchr23

It's ultimately up to you but if you are not losing or start gaining, I would definitely start tracking it again. I stopped tracking it for about 3 months and then when I wasn't seeing results I went back to watching it again.

Best wishes :flowerforyou:

mhig011975

Yes, you should keep track of your sodium. Too much and you will retain water/ gain weight and it messes with your blood pressure. I try to stay around 1200-1400.

MissFit0101

It's important to track your sodium from a health aspect if not from a weight aspect.

Too much can lead to heart problems, and even if you're young and healthy, it can lead to problems in the future, so it's best to take care of your body now!

Genem30

I watch it and still F is up constantly, lol. I think I do keep it in better check than I used to tho, so I hate to think how much sodium I was getting a day before.

MissMaryMac33

If your sodium is under 200mg a day you run a risk of other problems -- that is not nearly enough.
Maybe you meant 1000-2500 -- which is a little more in line.

It's important for me to track because if I go over 2500 I feel bloated and retain water way too much.

ChrisIn757

Depends on what you are 100-250mg under...is it 5000mg?

you should try to avoid EXTRA salt as much as possible. 2500mg is a LOT...shoot for the 1500mg area. besides, it's a good habit to get into for later on in life. Just because you are young and your body can handle the processed foods now, doesn't mean it will always be able to. Trust me when I say old eating habits are hard to break....

Troll

I count mine, but i'm kind of OCD about it anyway. For the most part, if i consume a crazy amount (say 3000mg in a day) i'll be a little (think 1/2 inch at the hips) bloated the next day. Other than that, my body doesn't seem to mind if it happens once and a while, but if i maintain that level for a whole weekend it shows in my face and hands on monday, so i have to watch it

Pandorian

It depends on what you're eating. If you're eating mostly unprocessed foods like fruits and veggies fresh, then you're not going to get your sodium count up anyway.
While if you eat nothing but pre-processed foods including those boxed "diet" meals then you'll find sodium hard to keep under.

fitaliciag

If your sodium is under 200mg a day you run a risk of other problems -- that is not nearly enough.
Maybe you meant 1000-2500 -- which is a little more in line.

It's important for me to track because if I go over 2500 I feel bloated and retain water way too much.

she's right. that's not ENOUGH. we NEED salt to function properly, but under 2000mg a day is right about where you should aim.

Sidesteal

I dont track it at all. For heatlh reasons you may wish to. For weightloss reasons you're only really monitoring water weight fluctuations, which is largely irrelevant IMO.

Rae6503

I don't track it either. Too depressing. I eat a lot of processed food and am not willing to give up the convenience of them.

margo36

I always track Sodium because I have Heart disease in my family and considered high risk by my Doctor. So far I haven't had any problems although my younger sister has had a major stroke. I believe I haven't had any problems cos I keep my sodium low