Sodium make you fat???

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  • Russellb97
    Russellb97 Posts: 1,057 Member
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    First of all...awesome results on the cholesterol. As far as the saturated fat & sodium goes, I never gave it much thought when I was probably as young as you. At this point in my life, I am now on a BP med and also know that high blood pressure is also a leading cause of diabetes and stroke. I am also on a triglyceride med, although both my HDL and LDL are in normal ranges that continues to be an issue for ME. I have a genetic propensity to heart issues and just lost my brother at age 56 due to MASSIVE SILENT HEART ATTACK! So, if you try to tell me not to worry about saturated fat and sodium I would only ask that you say these things as it pertains to YOU ONLY and not to the masses. Everyone needs to take into consideration their own personal health issues/situations and genetic make up. While I will always applaud your success Russell, please try to send the appropriate message that this may not apply to everyone.

    Babs, you're right it might not apply to everyone because 75% of our cholesterol is made by our bodies, so genetics play a big role.

    I spoke to a dietitian last weekend at a health expo and she actually reiterated a lot of what I said and believe.
    First, there has never been a study relating saturated fats to heart disease.
    HDL and LDL ratio and Triglycerides are the most important factors.
  • joejccva71
    joejccva71 Posts: 2,985 Member
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    I don't believe sodium or saturated fat really affects weight loss, other than the occasional water retention due to too much sodium. The problems with these are more health related I think. Sodium can raise BP and saturated fat can raise cholesterol. These things are not true for all people though. Sounds like you are one of the lucky people that have a problem with neither.

    So it doesn't matter that we've been telling you that dietary cholesterol has very minimal impact on your blood serum cholesterol. Now we have Russell who shows you it doesn't by the numbers, and now he's just "one of the lucky ones".

    What will it take Bcatts?
  • Cheri_M
    Cheri_M Posts: 21 Member
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    BTW... Awesome work!!! Your results are amazing and your transformation is an inspiration!! Thanks for sharing your story. Just be careful w/your sodium intake :) ha!
  • Cheri_M
    Cheri_M Posts: 21 Member
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    BTW... Awesome work!!! Your results are amazing and your transformation is an inspiration!! Thanks for sharing your story. Just be careful w/your sodium intake :) ha!
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    I don't believe sodium or saturated fat really affects weight loss, other than the occasional water retention due to too much sodium. The problems with these are more health related I think. Sodium can raise BP and saturated fat can raise cholesterol. These things are not true for all people though. Sounds like you are one of the lucky people that have a problem with neither.

    So it doesn't matter that we've been telling you that dietary cholesterol has very minimal impact on your blood serum cholesterol. Now we have Russell who shows you it doesn't by the numbers, and now he's just "one of the lucky ones".

    What will it take Bcatts?

    He didn't say anything about eating cholesterol. Our posts were about satuated fats. But how could something not affect everyone and yet there not be lucky ones that are not affected?
  • LabRat529
    LabRat529 Posts: 1,323 Member
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    So my question is why do we freak out over sodium and saturated fats as it pertains to fat-loss?

    I just taught a lecture on aging and kidneys.

    Sodium makes you retain water. It has nothing to do with fat. In the average young adult, sodium is no big deal. As you age, however, your kidneys become less effective at filtering your blood and getting rid of that excess sodium. This causes water retention, edema (you've seen elderly individuals with swollen feet and hands), and high blood pressure.

    Saturated fats are linked to heart disease and atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), which is why most suggest you avoid it. However, in recent years, some scientists have been challenging this theory, and the issue is no longer as clear-cut as it once was.

    Saturated fats do not cause weight gain either though (nor weight loss). Weight gain is caused by consuming more calories than your body uses.
  • LabRat529
    LabRat529 Posts: 1,323 Member
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    Bleh... that's what I get for writing a reply and then walking away with out hitting "post reply". By the time I finally hit it, this thread went from 3 replies to... a whole bunch. And the things I said have already been said.

    Sorry about the redundancy.
  • Cheri_M
    Cheri_M Posts: 21 Member
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    I apologize for the multiple replies???? I only clicked post reply once, I swear!
  • rmsrws
    rmsrws Posts: 639 Member
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    Wow.....what a transformation you have made, nice job!

    I am guilty of freaking out about sodium. I think it's because everyone thinks it makes you retain fluid, but then I have heard if you drink enough water it counter reacts the sodium.

    You look marevlous! Keep up the great work!
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    Wow.....what a transformation you have made, nice job!

    I am guilty of freaking out about sodium. I think it's because everyone thinks it makes you retain fluid, but then I have heard if you drink enough water it counter reacts the sodium.

    You look marevlous! Keep up the great work!

    I can eat all the sodium I want and it never affects my BP or water retentiion. But when my husband eats a high sodium meal his BP shoots right up. Luckily I don't like to use much salt so it's not a problem keeping our meals low sodium for him.
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
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    From what I understand, the big deal about sodium is more in the long term. I usually only harass friends about their sodium when they are over by 1,000 or more mg per day or eat packaged sodium filled food at every meal. You're doing great :)
  • LabRat529
    LabRat529 Posts: 1,323 Member
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    I apologize for the multiple replies???? I only clicked post reply once, I swear!

    It was a great reply and needed to be said 4 times ;)

    Seriously though... great write up. Thanks.
  • joejccva71
    joejccva71 Posts: 2,985 Member
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    I don't believe sodium or saturated fat really affects weight loss, other than the occasional water retention due to too much sodium. The problems with these are more health related I think. Sodium can raise BP and saturated fat can raise cholesterol. These things are not true for all people though. Sounds like you are one of the lucky people that have a problem with neither.

    So it doesn't matter that we've been telling you that dietary cholesterol has very minimal impact on your blood serum cholesterol. Now we have Russell who shows you it doesn't by the numbers, and now he's just "one of the lucky ones".

    What will it take Bcatts?

    He didn't say anything about eating cholesterol. Our posts were about satuated fats. But how could something not affect everyone and yet there not be lucky ones that are not affected?

    Saturated fats = dietary cholesterol Bcatts.
  • servilia
    servilia Posts: 3,452 Member
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    I do not have a fear of saturated fat. But I am afraid of water retention and aim to look lean at all times so I try not to eat too much salt. I know it won't make me "fat" but I don't want the bloated look either (even when I know it could be gone the next day), it's just a vanity thing.
  • Scott613
    Scott613 Posts: 2,317 Member
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    Thanks for the info Russ. Now I kinda wanna dip my beef jerky in coconut oil mmmmmm:drinker:
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,021 Member
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    I'll tell you my story first.

    I daily have high levels of sodium and saturated fats in my diet, when I tracked on this site I was usually more than double my RDA for sodium and triple for sat-fats.
    Why?
    I eat a lot of meat and I use 2-3 TBS of coconut oil daily.
    I have bacon and eggs almost everyday for breakfast.


    I drink a lot of water daily, and I eat within my calorie goals but my sodium has been high for dozens of years, from when I was overweight to present.

    I just had my physical, and i nailed it.

    My blood pressure 120/60,
    my cholesterol 145,
    HDL 71
    LDL 64
    Triglycerides 34

    The only thing that wasn't optimal was my high BMI, which means nothing because I have singe-digit bodyfat percentage.

    I eat high levels of sodium and high levels of saturated fat(mostly coconut oil) and I'm as healthy as I can be.

    So my question is why do we freak out over sodium and saturated fats as it pertains to fat-loss?
    Not surprising Russell, your trig levels gives it away. I've had a similar experience going from 265 to 190 and around 12% bf. All my numbers improved and I also consume a lot of saturated fat, sodium, not so much, simply because I consume what most would considered a natural diet, but I love salt and use it all the time. I've maintained my weight while lowerig my BF over the last few years and my last lipid panel showed HDL 84, LDL 93 and trigs of 38. I also consume only around 200-250 g's of carbs which makes my diet pretty much a high protein one.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,021 Member
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    Yup, saturated fat increases our blood cholesterol, and thank god for that. It jumps all over HDL and increases that more than any other dietary fat.........And the reason for saturated fat increasing our serrum cholesterol numbers is because how it reacts to the particle sizes and sub fractions of cholesterol........it makes them bigger. Bigger particle size effects that measurement upward, can't get around that. What's important is the relationship between HDL and LDL and trigs are a tell tale sign for particle size, the lower someones trigs the larger the particle size of cholesterol. That's all good news
  • joejccva71
    joejccva71 Posts: 2,985 Member
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    Yup, saturated fat increases our blood cholesterol, and thank god for that. It jumps all over HDL and increases that more than any other dietary fat.........And the reason for saturated fat increasing our serrum cholesterol numbers is because how it reacts to the particle sizes and sub fractions of cholesterol........it makes them bigger. Bigger particle size effects that measurement upward, can't get around that. What's important is the relationship between HDL and LDL and trigs are a tell tale sign for particle size, the lower someones trigs the larger the particle size of cholesterol. That's all good news

    Saturated fat = Dietary Cholesterol

    Dietary Cholesterol has very minimal (if any) impact on your Blood Serum Cholesterol.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,021 Member
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    Yup, saturated fat increases our blood cholesterol, and thank god for that. It jumps all over HDL and increases that more than any other dietary fat.........And the reason for saturated fat increasing our serrum cholesterol numbers is because how it reacts to the particle sizes and sub fractions of cholesterol........it makes them bigger. Bigger particle size effects that measurement upward, can't get around that. What's important is the relationship between HDL and LDL and trigs are a tell tale sign for particle size, the lower someones trigs the larger the particle size of cholesterol. That's all good news

    Saturated fat = Dietary Cholesterol

    Dietary Cholesterol has very minimal (if any) impact on your Blood Serum Cholesterol.
    Yup, I realize that, but I didn't say anything about dietary cholesterol, i mentioned saturated fat, different thing altogether.
  • solpwr
    solpwr Posts: 1,039 Member
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    Any individual's story is just that, his/her own story. The medical community is trying to address the needs of a very diverse population.

    Your story is great, good job. I happen to have great numbers too. I don't pay attention to sodium at all, I worry about going to low because I lose so much sweating and end up with debilitating muscle cramps.

    Please consider this, though, when attempting to influence others based upon your personal experience: For many people, likely the majority of people, they need not worry about saturated fat and sodium intake. Great news! But for those who are genetically predisposed to heart or vascular disease, the risk is high, and following your generalized advice could literally lead to their premature death.

    On the other hand, you aren't going to die from eating a diet low in saturated fat and low in sodium. So those who are professionals in charge of handing out dietary advice, error on the side of saving lives. Until knuckleheads start telling everyone that its all a myth no one really needs to worry about any of this. In fact, why not hand out a bunch of advice that undermines the entire medical community, so then no one trusts anything that is presented. Let's just all adopt Bro Science, shall we. I'm being sarcastic here, by the way...

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