Does too much salt affect the number on your scale?

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erinj16
erinj16 Posts: 32 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm trying to figure out the culprit in my weekly scale ups & downs. Yesterday I weighed in and had lost weight. I drank lots of water all day, ran 2 miles, & then had some Progresso soup for dinner. Got on the scale this morning and had gained almost 2 lbs back.

Am I just holding water? I'm under my calorie goal, working out, etc but can't seem to keep a flat line number and wondering if sodium intake is truly to blame with these fluctuations.

Replies

  • JustJennie1
    JustJennie1 Posts: 3,843 Member
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    It's water weight. I fluctuate +/- 3 lbs daily.
  • deladypilot
    deladypilot Posts: 618 Member
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    Sodium can cause you to retain fluid, but also our bodies just do weird things sometimes. Everyday is going to be different even if you repeat the previous days exact activity and food. A friend of mine used to say, you dont own it until you have had it a week. What she meant is the weight either up or down was not yours until you stayed there for at least a week. The thought helps me when im feeling like I had a bad day
  • chuckles9189
    chuckles9189 Posts: 343 Member
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    yes. absolutely. I eat chinese as my free meal on sunday nights. Even though I order chicken and broccoli with the sauce on the side, I can FEEL the salt. I always try and compensate with extra water. But salt retains water and adds 2-3 lbs every monday morning.
  • erinj16
    erinj16 Posts: 32 Member
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    thanks all. def going to try and be more mindful of my sodium intake. i don't like feeling like a blimp!
  • 1223345
    1223345 Posts: 1,386 Member
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    You should also mind your potassium intake. Potasium help the body eliminate sodium. If you are going to have canned soup, perhaps you should add maybe a banana or some other mineral rich food.
  • arlenem1974
    arlenem1974 Posts: 437 Member
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    if your not sure about how much salt you eat add it to your food log.
  • tallgirlshelley
    tallgirlshelley Posts: 108 Member
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    Yes, unfortunately. My biggest vice is a Clamato and BudLight Lime with some peperoncini peppers. I can totally see the effects of even one on the scale the next day. I'm not going to give it up. Just have to know it's going to happen and not freak about it. I like the "own it in a week" idea!
  • Lynn_babcock
    Lynn_babcock Posts: 220 Member
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    I've had salt been responsible for a 5lb spike. It was like 4800 over for the day.. soup, Chinese. I've also had the scale show higher numbers when I wasn't over on sodium, and had hardly eaten.. but we had worked hard on our bicycles that day.. and I heard a hard workout can also make you retain water for a day.

    My new lows are lower than my previous 'lowest'... so I might not that number the next few days but it's the new lowest I've ever been so that is encouraging to me and it's the number I keep in my mind. I actually weighed that, saw it on the scale, I'm fully capable of keeping that number with just a little more work. And so on.

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