Sodium Vs. Carbs?

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TaraJ16
TaraJ16 Posts: 304
in Food and Nutrition
It seems i'm either way over on my carbs (-35) but my sodium is ok (1,450) OR my carbs are ok (-3) but my sodium is way up there (2,398)

Question 1: i was told in another post that if sodium is high its ok because you can sweat it out and just drink lots of water to balance it...how much water would be good to balance? more then the 8 glasses??

Question 2: is it better to be over on sodium or carbs since the sodium you can balance out with water?

Replies

  • altazin0907
    altazin0907 Posts: 188 Member
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    I would not worry about going over on your calories by 35. If it were by 100, or 200 that is one thing but 35 just seems really small.
  • drvvork
    drvvork Posts: 1,162
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    It really depends on your body... I can't tolerate too much sodium - it causes extreme retention and body aches that I just cannot tolerate. So it is a personal thing that only you can try it and see - make note of how you feel when you go over on the one compared to the other and make your decision from there. :flowerforyou:
  • TaraJ16
    TaraJ16 Posts: 304
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    i'm not worried about my calories - i'm asking about carbs and sodium :)

    my body doesn't react differently to either option, i feel just the same. i'm just curious whats better for losing weight wise....more sodium less carbs, or more carbs less sodium
  • kalmf
    kalmf Posts: 351 Member
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    Doesn't it also depend on the source of the sodium or is it all the same thing. It would seem naturally occurring sodiums in food woud be better than chemical additives that have sodium - or maybe it just doesn't matter to the body.
  • TaraJ16
    TaraJ16 Posts: 304
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    my sodium intake isn't from me adding salt to anything, my main sources are:

    cottage cheese - need for protein
    campbells soup
    pasta sauce
  • kalmf
    kalmf Posts: 351 Member
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    I wonder if you found a lower sodium soup and pasta sauce you might solve your problem. You can always add in Mrs Dash or something else for flavor.
  • smae1980
    smae1980 Posts: 794 Member
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    the recommended daily allowance for sodium is 2300 mg daily or less so you're not really too much over. My nutrition prof. said that the risks of high blood pressure go up more with very excessive amounts of sodium, like over 5,000 mg.(not that you should ignore the recommended amount). I would be concerned maybe if you have high blood pressure already or a prominant family history, but not really otherwise
  • MissKim
    MissKim Posts: 2,853 Member
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    They aren't really comparable. Sodium will not affect your weight loss, just your water retention(which can hurt your number on the scale!). To prevent water retention make sure your getting plenty of potassium. (potassium helps stabalize water in your body, it actually pushes the water out of your cells), drink lots of water (by lots that's a glass or two more than usual), try putting lemon juice in your water, green tea helps with water retention, and sweat alot.

    As far as the carbs go, try to stay close to your goal, but if you go over just do some extra exercise to make up for it. Too many carbs is a bad thing for your weight loss. It will get stored if your body doesn't use it for fuel. but once in a while isn't going to affect your weight loss.
  • firegirlred
    firegirlred Posts: 674 Member
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    Question 1: i was told in another post that if sodium is high its ok because you can sweat it out and just drink lots of water to balance it...how much water would be good to balance? more then the 8 glasses??

    Question 2: is it better to be over on sodium or carbs since the sodium you can balance out with water?

    Answer 1: High sodium is relative. A good way of determining what you should have every day is to match your total calories. If you worked out hard for two hours, and now you have to eat 3000 calories to have 1500 net calories (1500 burned in exercise), then shoot for 3000 mg of sodium. 500mg either way isn't going to hurt you, just try to stay at a reasonable amount every day (2000-25000). Drink lots of water, but don't expect that water is going to "flush it out." It doesn't work that way unfortunately.

    Answer 2: If you have to choose one, base it on the kind of day you had. Did you work out hard? Run four miles in humid 90 degree weather? SODIUM!!! Did you have a day behind a desk with no workout? Carbs. You'll find people recommend different carb/fat/protein balances for the "healthy" diet, but the truth is you need to do some research and find out what balance works for you. As before, try to keep it at a reasonable amount.

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