Having a hard time with sodium and calories

I don't worry about sodium

If you do, just try to eat less processed stuff. You are eating a lot of quick processed convenience foods

it seems like the bulk of your sodium is coming from fast food or those eating right prepared meals. until you cut them out you wont be able to cut your sodium unfortunately. i loved my lean cuisines and crap but i gave them up to help cut my sodium and havent looked back since. even my heels & flats fit better now.

Processed foods are the biggest downfall, try to do more freshly cooked foods, it's easy to run your calories up by using a few healthy fats like olive oil, avocados (if you dislike that then never mind ) most beans, get them low salt or rinse them good. Ground turkey is low fat and can be seasoned up and used like hamburger (onions, garlic and peppers are good). Anyway, check out the clean eating group or the paleo, you don't have to be eating their programs to get great ideas.

Sodium can be an issue at various times in the weight loss process. I didn't have too much of an issue until I got close to goal, then my sodium became a real issue. I've also found that if I'm training hard, if I eat a lot of processed food, I retain fluid really bad. I've also found that processed food (even if I stay within sodium and calorie goals) seems to slow my weight loss/makes it hard to maintain. That may be an "only me" problem, but one I thought I would mention.

You need to try to stay away from the processed food and do more cooking yourself. Grill a chicken breast, cook some frozen veggies, and bake a potato. It can be that simple. Of course, you can get lots more adventurous, but it doesn't have to be hard to eat right. Brown rice is a staple in our house and can also be made very simply with some garlic and onion and cooked in chicken broth (low sodium) for extra flavor. Sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes are also really good.

Pack a lunch so you don't have to eat out for lunch. These can be lots of changes to make, so start with one meal a day and work your way to eating less and less processed food.

I have had Subway 3 times in the last 2 months, so that's not a regular thing. The processed convenience foods have been a life-saver so far. I am a full-time student as well as a full-time employee, so I feel that if I don't eat those pre-packaged meals, I'd be stuck eating fruit and nuts all day long.

I'm assuming you live alone. It's always more difficult to prepare proper meals when you're cooking for one. It takes just as much effort and makes just as big of a mess as preparing for 2+ people. In this case, the freezer is your friend. Make things in relative bulk and freeze portions. Chicken and vegetable soup is easy as can be to make. You basically boil chicken chunks and vegetables in low sodium broth. If you need to spice it up for flavor, use anything except salt. Mrs. Dash or red pepper flakes or coriander seed work well. Make a big pot and freeze in serving-size portions. You can even use freezer bags if you don't have anything else. Microwaving them is easy as can be. Cook up a bunch of chicken or beef strips and store them in serving-size portions as well. Again, you can season them using tasty, salt-free seasonings. You can use them to add protein to salads or to make healthy tacos and lettuce wraps. Once you create easy base foods, all you have to do is use them differently to add variety.

:laugh:

I'm finding out that eating out is just throwing my sodium numbers all out of whack. If it comes from a restaurant or a can, it has too much sodium. So, to remedy the situation, I've decided to do the responsible thing and adjust my diary settings to stop showing sodium. Problem solved! :bigsmile: