Sodium Intake

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littlebre33
littlebre33 Posts: 318
in Health and Weight Loss
I need some advice from other MFP users. I seem to always go over my sodium levels, not by like 100 but by like 1000. I don't put salt on anything, just pepper, so I am wondering if this makes it less likely for me to lose weight? I drink an average of 8-10 glasses of water a day.

Thanks
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Replies

  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    Don't worry about sodium unless you have a doctor diagnosed health issue.
  • AnnaMarieDinVa
    AnnaMarieDinVa Posts: 162 Member
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    I don't think eating too much sodium makes it more difficult for you to lose weight but it is not good for your health. That is for sure. I recently had to go from eating something like 7000 to 9000 mg sodium per day to eating less than 2000 per day due to blood pressure issues (doctor told me to do so). It was easier than I thought. I don't eat out at fast food restaurants anymore, those are BRUTAL in sodium. Not great in nutrients either. I read the labels of everything before I buy it. It is surprising how the sodium content of different brands of food varies. Some things I just don't eat anymore, for example my old favorite, dill pickles, are extremely high in sodium. You have to avoid some low calorie frozen meals. But now I find it quite easy to stay under the 2500 limit in MFP, and quite shockingly, I don't miss the taste of salt at all. Hope that helps! (Oh, and I have low blood pressure now. :smile: )
  • keyz1508
    keyz1508 Posts: 22 Member
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    No advice but I am wondering the same thing. I always go over in sodium and drink the same amount of water most days.
  • stines72
    stines72 Posts: 853 Member
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    Don't worry about sodium unless you have a doctor diagnosed health issue.
    high sodium intake can mask weight loss/make people think theyve gained weight when its really just water weight. i think thats why these people care about it (and i care about it myself)

    to answer your question... it wont make you less likely to lose weight, but it can cause you to retain water which will mask your true weight loss.
  • bymyslf892
    bymyslf892 Posts: 114 Member
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    I always go over too. One thing I have found is the days I eat less packaged food the easier it is for me to stay under. I have no diagnosed health issue but I sure hate water weight and extra sodium makes me retain water. SO it's different for everyone but the less you out of a package the less sodium you will consume. :)
  • Black_Widow1976
    Black_Widow1976 Posts: 43 Member
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    When you eat too much refined,processed salt( the typical variety found in most shakers and in packaged and canned foods),your body tries to dilute it with water to get things back in balance. That extra water shows up as swollen feet,legs,hands and eyelids,not to mention bellies. Water retention can inflate your weight by as much as five to fifteen pounds ! If you are trying to squeeze into a teeny dress for a big event,better not have sushi the night before: One of the worst sodium villains is soy sauce. Always scour the nutrition label and buy the lowest-sodium brand you can find. Some have an astronomical 770mg sodium in one measly tablespoon! And get this: That's the low-sodium variety! Regular soy sauce has roughly 1,160mg sodium per tablespoon--48% of your daily recommended limit. Oh,the hypertension is mounting! For a natural,healthier and tasty alternative to soy sauce,check out Bragg Liquid Aminos. No salt or preservatives are added-the salty taste comes from the type of non-GMO soybeans that are used. As a bonus its gluten free!

    what are you eating every day?
  • mhwiggins
    mhwiggins Posts: 27 Member
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    you need to open up your food diary so we can see where you are obtaining all this salt. processed foods, bacon, ham and alot of diet drinks (slimfast) can be very high in salt. over all I wouldn't worry about it. looks like you are losing the weight though! Good for you!
  • stines72
    stines72 Posts: 853 Member
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    When you eat too much refined,processed salt( the typical variety found in most shakers and in packaged and canned foods),your body tries to dilute it with water to get things back in balance. That extra water shows up as swollen feet,legs,hands and eyelids,not to mention bellies. Water retention can inflate your weight by as much as five to fifteen pounds ! If you are trying to squeeze into a teeny dress for a big event,better not have sushi the night before: One of the worst sodium villains is soy sauce. Always scour the nutrition label and buy the lowest-sodium brand you can find. Some have an astronomical 770mg sodium in one measly tablespoon! And get this: That's the low-sodium variety! Regular soy sauce has roughly 1,160mg sodium per tablespoon--48% of your daily recommended limit. Oh,the hypertension is mounting! For a natural,healthier and tasty alternative to soy sauce,check out Bragg Liquid Aminos. No salt or preservatives are added-the salty taste comes from the type of non-GMO soybeans that are used. As a bonus its gluten free!

    what are you eating every day?

    good lord. i knew soy sauce was high in sodium, but didnt know it was THAT high...
    Soydium sauce... ha ha... see what i did?
  • Black_Widow1976
    Black_Widow1976 Posts: 43 Member
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    When you eat too much refined,processed salt( the typical variety found in most shakers and in packaged and canned foods),your body tries to dilute it with water to get things back in balance. That extra water shows up as swollen feet,legs,hands and eyelids,not to mention bellies. Water retention can inflate your weight by as much as five to fifteen pounds ! If you are trying to squeeze into a teeny dress for a big event,better not have sushi the night before: One of the worst sodium villains is soy sauce. Always scour the nutrition label and buy the lowest-sodium brand you can find. Some have an astronomical 770mg sodium in one measly tablespoon! And get this: That's the low-sodium variety! Regular soy sauce has roughly 1,160mg sodium per tablespoon--48% of your daily recommended limit. Oh,the hypertension is mounting! For a natural,healthier and tasty alternative to soy sauce,check out Bragg Liquid Aminos. No salt or preservatives are added-the salty taste comes from the type of non-GMO soybeans that are used. As a bonus its gluten free!

    what are you eating every day?

    good lord. i knew soy sauce was high in sodium, but didnt know it was THAT high...
    Soydium sauce... ha ha... see what i did?

    nice..lol

    side note: the bragg liquid aminos is worth the purchase.
  • SoViLicious
    SoViLicious Posts: 2,633 Member
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    I tend to go over. At first it was no bother, but then I started holding on to so much water. It freaked me out on the scale and discouraged me a bit. I struggle with controlling the intake. I have decided to give up cold-cuts and not add any extra salt to my meals. I am hoping this works.
  • stines72
    stines72 Posts: 853 Member
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    When you eat too much refined,processed salt( the typical variety found in most shakers and in packaged and canned foods),your body tries to dilute it with water to get things back in balance. That extra water shows up as swollen feet,legs,hands and eyelids,not to mention bellies. Water retention can inflate your weight by as much as five to fifteen pounds ! If you are trying to squeeze into a teeny dress for a big event,better not have sushi the night before: One of the worst sodium villains is soy sauce. Always scour the nutrition label and buy the lowest-sodium brand you can find. Some have an astronomical 770mg sodium in one measly tablespoon! And get this: That's the low-sodium variety! Regular soy sauce has roughly 1,160mg sodium per tablespoon--48% of your daily recommended limit. Oh,the hypertension is mounting! For a natural,healthier and tasty alternative to soy sauce,check out Bragg Liquid Aminos. No salt or preservatives are added-the salty taste comes from the type of non-GMO soybeans that are used. As a bonus its gluten free!

    what are you eating every day?

    good lord. i knew soy sauce was high in sodium, but didnt know it was THAT high...
    Soydium sauce... ha ha... see what i did?

    nice..lol

    side note: the bragg liquid aminos is worth the purchase.
    unfortunately it has a lot of sodium too (if we are comparing tablespoon to tablespoon)... 960 mg in one tablespoon, but i guess thats much better than regular soy sauce
  • supermodelchic
    supermodelchic Posts: 550 Member
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    If you eat healthy fresh food, not processed food, don't use a salt shaker , you should be able to lower your sodium, avoid soups, frozen meals ect those are high in sodium.. plus it is really back for you and it does make you retain water weight , I can always tell when I've eaten something that has to much salt in it. goodluck:smile:
  • littlebre33
    littlebre33 Posts: 318
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    I am trying to eat alot of fresh veggies, chicken, but do have some snack foods too. I like to eat one egg and 2 egg whites in the morning. i like cottage cheese, yogurt etc. I am trying to stay relatively healthy but still I always go over my sodium!!
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    Sodium occurs naturally in almost every food, even fresh veggies and fruit. You can't avoid it but you can cut down on processed foods if it bothers you.
  • mefit2013
    mefit2013 Posts: 8 Member
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    Don't eat out or buy convenience foods. I am a recent convert to a low sodium diet. The days we eat out the sodium goes way up so now we are preparing fresh food most days. It is cheaper and healthier. If you have the time fresh is the key.
  • kacarter1017
    kacarter1017 Posts: 651 Member
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    Opening your diary so we can take a look would be helpful. It seems as if some people are really sensitive to sodium and it CAN hinder weight loss by causing fluid retention. For others it isn't such a big deal. But from a health standpoint, it can be a big deal.
  • juanatere
    juanatere Posts: 18 Member
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    packaged food and eating out kills my sodium intake on the days I do. Luckily I do watch that because I retain water easily. For example: yesterday I went to Church's chicken with my boyfriend (do not judge, we do like our junk food once in a while!) and I made sure before we went that what I was eating was still within my calorie range, etc. Did not go over for the day, etc. This morning I got up and weighed myself..I had "GAINED" the 2 lbs I'd lost last week. So... as we know that it is impossible to gain that much weight without eating that much (which I didn't..according to my log) I know its water retention from my "junk food binge". It will take a couple of days of drinking alot of fluids for that sodium to work its way out of my body. But it is frustrating and really not healthy to put your body through that kind of stress. I usually eat healthy choice tv dinners at work for lunch and their sodium count is reasonable, but I do make breakfast and dinner from scratch at home and make sure that I don't oversalt those. It is those damn packaged foods that get us :) Hang in there hun, you will begin to realize, some things are worth the price, others not so much. Excess water weight from too much sodium in our diet..soooo NOT worth it!
  • keyz1508
    keyz1508 Posts: 22 Member
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    What you guys said makes perfect sense...I eat too much packaged stuff and frozen dinners for lunch at wrk, I will have to find other thngs go eat and fix up my diet a bit more.
  • MaggieSporleder
    MaggieSporleder Posts: 428 Member
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    I have to fight to keep my sodium under recommended level, but I'm also addicted to pickles, and good cheese. So some times the pickles just win out. :) I try not to worry over much about it.
  • now_or_never13
    now_or_never13 Posts: 1,575 Member
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    Everything has sodium in it... Even if you aren't actually adding salt to what you eat.

    Cottage cheese is high in sodium. Anything processed/packaged is.. Sauces, dressings etc as well. Anything canned (veggies, sauces, etc) as well as frozen meals are killer.

    Excess sodium can cause blood pressure issues. In terms of weight loss it can mask any losses due to sodium causing you to hold onto water weight. A higher sodium meal can make me 10lbs heavier for a few days.

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