Sodium Effects

SlimSumday

This may be a dumb question, but I'm biting the bullet and asking it anyway. I know that sodium causes bloating, but does it cause actual weight gain as well?

257_Lag

It sure does for me! If I am over 3000 for a day I am guaranteed to see a pound or two the next day. Drinking lots of water and being careful with the sodium the next day I can usually erase the effects within a day or two.

ValMartin79

Sodium is what will kill you. Counting calories and fat is important but what a lot of people don't think about is their sodium intake. Obviously if you are trying to eat right you will cut a lot of sodium out of your diet that way but next time you see a recipe that wants you to add salt ask yourself if it is really necessary. If not lose it. Sodium clogs the arteries and most people don't realize it has happened to them until it is too late. A family member recently had to have 5 stints put in to open his veins. He almost died and if he didn't get this done, he would have. His doctor said it was due to a diet high in sodium. Cut out the sodium and extend your life!

NJL13500

I can go up 4 pounds if I have a high sodium day. I do my best to keep it under 2500 mg, but sometimes that is hard for me. I do my best and know that if I have a lot of sodium the day before that I need to be prepared to face it on the scale the next day. It usually goes away for me within the next day or two though. Lots of water and bananas. :-)

SlimSumday

Sodium is what will kill you. Counting calories and fat is important but what a lot of people don't think about is their sodium intake. Obviously if you are trying to eat right you will cut a lot of sodium out of your diet that way but next time you see a recipe that wants you to add salt ask yourself if it is really necessary. If not lose it. Sodium clogs the arteries and most people don't realize it has happened to them until it is too late. A family member recently had to have 5 stints put in to open his veins. He almost died and if he didn't get this done, he would have. His doctor said it was due to a diet high in sodium. Cut out the sodium and extend your life!

Point taken. Thank you!

deevatude

water weight, yea

fat, no

SlimSumday

I can go up 4 pounds if I have a high sodium day. I do my best to keep it under 2500 mg, but sometimes that is hard for me. I do my best and know that if I have a lot of sodium the day before that I need to be prepared to face it on the scale the next day. It usually goes away for me within the next day or two though. Lots of water and bananas. :-)

Oh, I love bananas! Thanks for the advice. )

sandobr1

Sodium does me in for retaining water short term, I too can go up 3-5 pounds if I have a day or more high sodium, like another poster said 3000+ days. String a few together, and higher it goes. This was one lesson I learned and learned to counter balance by weighing daily, learning how this affects me was an eye opener and I keep this in mind when planning my days and meals. Overall it does not bother me as it is not all the time occurence, but when it does happen (high sodium days) I really try to cut back and drink tons of water the following days, like 12-15 8 ounce amounts. For me there is a mental setback as I have to get rid of those xtra water pounds THEN get back to losing. Eating out is the hardest to avoid sodium, since eating better we do this so much less often, we would eat out or carry out 2-4 times a week (some weeks), now it is barely 2-4 times a month.

SlimSumday

This is what I thought. Thanks everyone!

LaserMum

Sodium is what will kill you. Counting calories and fat is important but what a lot of people don't think about is their sodium intake. Obviously if you are trying to eat right you will cut a lot of sodium out of your diet that way but next time you see a recipe that wants you to add salt ask yourself if it is really necessary. If not lose it. Sodium clogs the arteries and most people don't realize it has happened to them until it is too late. A family member recently had to have 5 stints put in to open his veins. He almost died and if he didn't get this done, he would have. His doctor said it was due to a diet high in sodium. Cut out the sodium and extend your life!

Sodium has been given a bad press. But that's mainly because most processed foods contain high levels of sodium. Because of this most people consume way too much sodium in their diet. It is a serious problem.

BUT ...

Go too far the other way (ie: too little sodium) and you get problems too.

Symptoms of sodium deficiency include headaches, nausea, vomiting, disorientation. Why will drinking plain water alone not solve dehydration? Because you need to replace the sodium (and other things) lost through sweating.

Yes, too much will kill you. But, as with most things, you need it too! It is essential.

Moderation in all things - sodium, calories and fat.

I try to keep my sodium consumption below 1500/day. I haven't done too much investigation into this yet. I'm still trying to get my carbs/fat/protein ratios correct to control my diabetes! I do notice that on days where I'm lazy and have more processed food it's more difficult to keep the sodium levels low.

Hope this helps you.

kbeech06

Ugh we had gammon on Monday night and I'm still dealing with the water gain. I don't typically eat a lot of sodium, but I can always tell when I've had more than normal.

LaserMum

Sodium is what will kill you. Counting calories and fat is important but what a lot of people don't think about is their sodium intake. Obviously if you are trying to eat right you will cut a lot of sodium out of your diet that way but next time you see a recipe that wants you to add salt ask yourself if it is really necessary. If not lose it. Sodium clogs the arteries and most people don't realize it has happened to them until it is too late. A family member recently had to have 5 stints put in to open his veins. He almost died and if he didn't get this done, he would have. His doctor said it was due to a diet high in sodium. Cut out the sodium and extend your life!

Sodium has been given a bad press. But that's mainly because most processed foods contain high levels of sodium. Because of this most people consume way too much sodium in their diet. It is a serious problem.

BUT ...

Go too far the other way (ie: too little sodium) and you get problems too.

Symptoms of sodium deficiency include headaches, nausea, vomiting, disorientation. Why will drinking plain water alone not solve dehydration? Because you need to replace the sodium (and other things) lost through sweating.

Yes, too much will kill you. But, as with most things, you need it too! It is essential.

Moderation in all things - sodium, calories and fat.

I try to keep my sodium consumption below 1500/day. I haven't done too much investigation into this yet. I'm still trying to get my carbs/fat/protein ratios correct to control my diabetes! I do notice that on days where I'm lazy and have more processed food it's more difficult to keep the sodium levels low.

Hope this helps you.

I just checked and according to the CDC the recommended AI (Adequate Intake) of sodium is 1500mg/day.

Check out http://www.cdc.gov/features/dssodium/

SlimSumday

Sodium is what will kill you. Counting calories and fat is important but what a lot of people don't think about is their sodium intake. Obviously if you are trying to eat right you will cut a lot of sodium out of your diet that way but next time you see a recipe that wants you to add salt ask yourself if it is really necessary. If not lose it. Sodium clogs the arteries and most people don't realize it has happened to them until it is too late. A family member recently had to have 5 stints put in to open his veins. He almost died and if he didn't get this done, he would have. His doctor said it was due to a diet high in sodium. Cut out the sodium and extend your life!

Sodium has been given a bad press. But that's mainly because most processed foods contain high levels of sodium. Because of this most people consume way too much sodium in their diet. It is a serious problem.

BUT ...

Go too far the other way (ie: too little sodium) and you get problems too.

Symptoms of sodium deficiency include headaches, nausea, vomiting, disorientation. Why will drinking plain water alone not solve dehydration? Because you need to replace the sodium (and other things) lost through sweating.

Yes, too much will kill you. But, as with most things, you need it too! It is essential.

Moderation in all things - sodium, calories and fat.

I try to keep my sodium consumption below 1500/day. I haven't done too much investigation into this yet. I'm still trying to get my carbs/fat/protein ratios correct to control my diabetes! I do notice that on days where I'm lazy and have more processed food it's more difficult to keep the sodium levels low.

Hope this helps you.

Thanks. It certainly does.

SlimSumday

Sodium is what will kill you. Counting calories and fat is important but what a lot of people don't think about is their sodium intake. Obviously if you are trying to eat right you will cut a lot of sodium out of your diet that way but next time you see a recipe that wants you to add salt ask yourself if it is really necessary. If not lose it. Sodium clogs the arteries and most people don't realize it has happened to them until it is too late. A family member recently had to have 5 stints put in to open his veins. He almost died and if he didn't get this done, he would have. His doctor said it was due to a diet high in sodium. Cut out the sodium and extend your life!

Sodium has been given a bad press. But that's mainly because most processed foods contain high levels of sodium. Because of this most people consume way too much sodium in their diet. It is a serious problem.

BUT ...

Go too far the other way (ie: too little sodium) and you get problems too.

Symptoms of sodium deficiency include headaches, nausea, vomiting, disorientation. Why will drinking plain water alone not solve dehydration? Because you need to replace the sodium (and other things) lost through sweating.

Yes, too much will kill you. But, as with most things, you need it too! It is essential.

Moderation in all things - sodium, calories and fat.

I try to keep my sodium consumption below 1500/day. I haven't done too much investigation into this yet. I'm still trying to get my carbs/fat/protein ratios correct to control my diabetes! I do notice that on days where I'm lazy and have more processed food it's more difficult to keep the sodium levels low.

Hope this helps you.

I just checked and according to the CDC the recommended AI (Adequate Intake) of sodium is 1500mg/day.

Check out http://www.cdc.gov/features/dssodium/

Very interesting. Thank you.

Arkhos

My mom tried to kill my dad by not giving him any salty foods due to his heart issues. His sodium was so low he had to go to the Emergency Room where they diagnosed him with water on the brain (Cerebral edema) and told him he almost died. Now he has been told by his doctors that he HAS to eat a Burger King Whopper and a coke at least once a week.

He smiles a lot now.