Needing Motivation....Uggg

Sodium is the devil (at least for me).

It seems to be in everything, but any processed food is terrible. Even commercial tomato sause and the like has too much sodium for me. So now I try to make mostly my own foods and when I need ingredients from a tin I look for the no sodium or sodium reduced brands. Also I have pretty much stopped eating out, because even IF I can find a lower calorie option on a menu most of the time it has way too much sodium added.

My advice is read the labels, look for low sodium options and research if you can menu options before you dine out.

And drink as much water as you can to flush what excess is in your system. Although it sounds contradictory more water helps remove the sodium and excess water you are retaining. Green tea is also a mild diuretic to help rid yourself of the water.

Good luck

Girl I love salt but its sooo bad! Lol You cant control premade foods, but u can try to drink more water. In know its tough tho cuz when I cook I use salt. But now I try to season more with garlic or onion powder and more herbs. I think what u can try to do is just drink lots more water to get the salt outta your system faster and maybe try a little extra exercise to help sweat it out too. I always know when ive had too much salt cuz one foot and ankle gets swollen. It sucks. So i feel ur frustration. Just try not to get discouraged and keep on truckin!

Prepared food (restaurant, deli, etc) is definitely the worse but pretty much anything from a can or box has tons of sodium because they add it to help preserve the food.

Nutrition labels are your friends! Something to keep in mind when looking at lower fat or lower sugar options is to compare the sodium too because sometimes the difference isn't really worth it - they add sodium to help with the taste. For fruits and veggies, stick with fresh or frozen but still check your labels. Be careful of fruit with added sugar and veggies with sauces. Fresh meats are the best but you might be able to get low sodium deli meats. Ask the counter if you can see the labels for comparison.

Water definitely helps but make sure you drink it slowly (no chugging), otherwise it just zips through your system without being properly processed.

Good luck!

^^What they said^^.... I had a really hard time with sodium also. I was doing most everything right, and even coming in "under" my sodium goal, but still had swollen ankles and hands, and felt soooooo puffy and sore. I had to cut out almost all restaurant food. Even a grilled chicken breast salad at a restaurant will get me around 700mg of sodium or more... So when I am limited in my choices (and don't plan properly) - I drink a few more glasses of water and avoid sodium in the other foods I eat.

Don't let it get you down... this was one of the first things that made me aware that I can feel terrific, just by changing what I eat. I know that a lot of folks say "a calorie is a calorie", and I know that we can lose weight eating "whatever", as long as it fits our macros... BUT I feel like an entirely different person when I eat healthier foods, and limit those not so healthy choices.

You are doing great. Taking action on these things is a big deal, and you should be proud of yourself for filling in the blanks and asking questions. Stay strong! You can do this! :drinker: