sodum is killing me

tattoobabe

So im working out 5 days a week tracking daily and i'm getting my 64oz of water in everyday and i can't seem to keep my sodium in check..im always over and as a result i wake up everyday bloated and the scale doesn;t move or it goes up a few pounds (it goes down after working out and after a few hrs have passed). I know i have to keep it at 2500 but even when i go over by 300 grams its like i've blown the entire day. its hindering my weight loss. i NEED HELP,.how do you deal when you go over on sodium. is there away to flush it out of your system....i thought water would do it but it doesn't for me anyway....definitely will work keeping it at 2500 grams..any other things i can try to flush it out of myself and get the scale moving.

LoraF83

What are you eating?

Sodium doesn't affect me too much, so I don't even track it. That said, I eat a lot of fresh fruit and I cook my meals from scratch, so I control how much salt goes in. If you're eating a lot of packaged foods, you can't control the sodium content (not saying packaged foods are bad, just that they contain more sodium, typically).

You can either switch to more whole foods or buy lower-sodium products. Also, potassium counteracts sodium, so a banana or a potato may help.

Sunnyjb

64 oz is not enough. You should drink 1 oz per lb of body weight.

LoraF83

No, you don't need that much water.

You just need to drink enough that your pee is very light yellow.

joekleinert

Either more water daily to flush your system or less sodium. Not really any happy medium.

Bekahmardis

Since I can't see your diary, I can't see what you are eating to give you that much sodium. However, Every processed food out there, has more sodium in it than necessary because it is used as a preservative. More clean eating, less processed foods (including pre-packaged lunch meats) will help you cut down on the sodium.

And yes, the water will flush it out of your system. My Army boyfriend says to drink 'til you slosh and your pee is clear!

jonchew

I'm a fan of Progresso soups - I really like them, but that alone puts me over the top, sodium-wise. I also like to make a quick "Chefs Salad" by adding a few slices of deli meat, another salty addition. It's a bummer, but if you want to lower the sodium intake, you're going to have to change your food choices. MFP makes it easy to find the sodium culprit... it lists sodium content of everything you eat.

I just gotta ask... Are you absolutely sure that it's the sodium that's preventing weight loss - are you honestly eating at a deficit... keeping portion sizes in-check??? I personally have a very real problem with portion size control.

socioseguro

I concur with other posters. 64 oz of water per day is not nearly enough. I drink that in one morning before lunch.

I track my "sodium" level on MFP. I replaced the "sugar" label with"sodium" in my "settings".

I try to avoid processed "food", anything from boxes or bags. Those have a lot of sodium. Read the labels.
If you can not avoid eat out, ask for a "low sodium" version.

Taste your food before you grab the salt shaker.

I use vinegar and olive oil for my salad dressing, no salt,

Good luck in your journey

ChristinaR720

64 oz is not enough. You should drink 1 oz per lb of body weight.

Not necessarily, as the water contained in a variety of foods can count towards your intake, too. You can't really quantify the amount, but it's there. So, while the OP is only drinking 8 glasses of water per day, her actual water intake is much higher.

My advice is to keep drinking as much water as you can, use reduced-sodium products, and don't add salt to anything. Also, if salt affects you that much, you may want to consider manually lowering your sodium goal. My limit is usually around 1500 g per day.

ETA: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/water/NU00283

kklemarow

I always go over my sodium too - I have a stir-fry every night and although it's full of veggies & tofu, I also use soy sauce (terribly high in sodium). Someone mentioned processed foods - take a look at how often you eat those and see if that's the culprit. Sauces and soups tend to be high in sodium too so if possible, make your own, you'll be shocked at the difference (in flavour & sodium content).

tattoobabe

I'm a fan of Progresso soups - I really like them, but that alone puts me over the top, sodium-wise. I also like to make a quick "Chefs Salad" by adding a few slices of deli meat, another salty addition. It's a bummer, but if you want to lower the sodium intake, you're going to have to change your food choices. MFP makes it easy to find the sodium culprit... it lists sodium content of everything you eat.

I just gotta ask... Are you absolutely sure that it's the sodium that's preventing weight loss - are you honestly eating at a deficit... keeping portion sizes in-check??? I personally have a very real problem with portion size control.

yeah i do eat a bit of processed foods that contain high amounts of sodium i do attempt to cook more of my own food to lower the sodium content but i know that is the culprit...i've lost 52 pds since starting my journey in dec 2012 and i am eating at a deficit...i know its the sodium when its in check and i only consume 2500 grams of it the scale moves i and i lose between 2 to 3 pds a week....when i over indulge in the sodium dept i tend to go up 4 pds in a day and i dont' really lose.

hpilon27

Eat bananas. Potassium counteracts sodium. Also, I almost never get in 8 cups of water, usually only about 5 which is enough for my body :-)

257_Lag

Sodium has a huge effect on me also so I watch it carefully. I can usually stay under 2500 but you really need to watch it. Look back through your journal and find the culprits.

Sure 50 here and 100 there will add up but more often than not it is one or two huge things that put you over. Yesterday I treated myself at lunch to 1 cup of seafood salad - 400 calories, 1000 sodium! I knew this before I ate it and made it fit but 1 cup? Wow!

Doodlewhopper

64 oz is not enough. You should drink 1 oz per lb of body weight.

That could be dangerous. At 222# I would be drinking almost 2 gals of water daily. My GP says drink to keep the urine clear to pale yellow. Be careful.

HikeThatMountain

What are you eating?

Sodium doesn't affect me too much, so I don't even track it. That said, I eat a lot of fresh fruit and I cook my meals from scratch, so I control how much salt goes in. If you're eating a lot of packaged foods, you can't control the sodium content (not saying packaged foods are bad, just that they contain more sodium, typically).

I'm the same, I took sodium out of my logging because since I started in March I was always way under and I even add it to my logging as tablesalt added to my meal. But, as above, I eat a lot of fresh veggies and fruit, don't eat anything processed.

allshebe

Assuming your picture is of you, you may be in a high risk group for heart disease (according to a nutrition class I'm taking online) and should be trying to keep your daily sodium under 1500. If sodium makes you bloat, your body is trying to tell you something. The only real solution is to avoid foods that are high in sodium as much as possible. This may mean avoiding lunch meats, most processed foods and reducing dairy consumption if you normally drink a lot of milk or eat cheese, yogurt, etc.To substitute for lunch meat, cook a nice beef roast, pork roast or turkey breast (NOT the "pre-fab" kind) without added salt and slice it up for sandwiches or salads.

goodtimezzzz

yup..water weight sodium is a killah when it comes to getting lean!

junejadesky

I have the same problem with sodium. The only real solution is to eat whole foods (not to be confused with organic). Take a look at your cubbords and see if you have a lot of processed foods. Anything that comes in a box or a bag is going to be very high in sodium. Stick to fresh fruits and veggies (it's farmer's market season!) and if you eat meat keep the sodium count low. (unprocessed meat from a meat market is best for me)

StaceyJ2008

I'm a fan of Progresso soups - I really like them, but that alone puts me over the top, sodium-wise. I also like to make a quick "Chefs Salad" by adding a few slices of deli meat, another salty addition. It's a bummer, but if you want to lower the sodium intake, you're going to have to change your food choices. MFP makes it easy to find the sodium culprit... it lists sodium content of everything you eat.

I just gotta ask... Are you absolutely sure that it's the sodium that's preventing weight loss - are you honestly eating at a deficit... keeping portion sizes in-check??? I personally have a very real problem with portion size control.

yeah i do eat a bit of processed foods that contain high amounts of sodium i do attempt to cook more of my own food to lower the sodium content but i know that is the culprit...i've lost 52 pds since starting my journey in dec 2012 and i am eating at a deficit...i know its the sodium when its in check and i only consume 2500 grams of it the scale moves i and i lose between 2 to 3 pds a week....when i over indulge in the sodium dept i tend to go up 4 pds in a day and i dont' really lose.

In response to the above:
Don't weight yourself everyday. Only weigh yourself once per week in the morning and make sure you get enough sleep. 7-9 hours of sleep is important for weight loss. Your weight as a woman fluctuates daily anyway and if you are sodium sensitive like I am weighing more than once per week will drive you crazy. Nobody can gain 4lbs of fat in a day, it's just water weight so don't worry about the that much.

mamosh81

Since I can't see your diary, I can't see what you are eating to give you that much sodium. However, Every processed food out there, has more sodium in it than necessary because it is used as a preservative. More clean eating, less processed foods (including pre-packaged lunch meats) will help you cut down on the sodium.

And yes, the water will flush it out of your system. My Army boyfriend says to drink 'til you slosh and your pee is clear!

this pretty much also soy sauce has a load of sodium if you use it a lot make sure to keep it at 1 tsp

sweetpea03b

When I KNOW that I'm eating lots of sodium packed foods I try to drink ALOT more water. Try drinking 80oz on those days. That usually balances it out for me so I can get rid of that water weight. Also, doing stuff like Hot Yoga or sitting in a sauna helps.

To Keep your sodium in check, really try to stay away from pre-packaged foods and fast food as much as possible. They kill you on sodium. When I do that.... eat clean... I very rarely go over or near the sodium level.

Good luck!

3laine75

can't see your diary but if you're over every day, i'd say cut back on the processed stuff. you don't need to be a clean freak just eat more fresh stuff

missADS1981

start swapping out salt with other seasonings and foods.

i tossed out all salt back in january and now i only cook with fresh herbs or mrsh dash.
all my salad dressings and marinades are walden farms and even there i watch sodium
if you drink protein drinks check the sodium content

anything in a can and box usually has lots of sodium so stick to more fresh foods and fruits

when you order out tell them to not cook with salt if possible

lisamac62

I am on a salt restricted diet. I don't eat any processed foods if I can help it. I cook with Mrs. Dash. I eat a LOT of fruits and veggies and fresh meat. ie...if I want turkey on a salad I have either roasted a turkey breast in the oven or crockpot I don't buy deli meats, or hotdogs etc. I just read recently that if you eat a lot of carbs your body will retain fluid, I think this article was true because I cut back on my carbs and this help me with the water retention issues that I have. It is almost impossible to completely keep salt out of your food intake, even frozen veggies have some sodium in them to help with this I DON'T use the salt shaker it stays in the cabinet. I do use a lot of pepper, and Mrs. Dash.
DRINK DRINK DRINK plenty of water.
Good luck

CallMeCupcakeDammit

I have my sodium set at 2300 in my diary because that's the recommended amount. I have low blood pressure, so I don't really worry about it, but I do feel it if I eat a lot of chips or Cheez Its (darn those Cheez Its!). I would read this. http://www.cdc.gov/salt/

Also, don't make yourself crazy counting your glasses of water. As long as your pee is light, you're ok. Run down your diary and see which foods you commonly eat that have the most sodium and either cut them out or cut them back. Protein is a diuretic, and also you should be balancing out your potassium with your sodium intake (also mentioned in the link above).