Struggling with Sodium

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xxghost
xxghost Posts: 4,697 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm having a difficult time controlling my sodium intake.

When making my own food at home, I'm okay. And I do not dump salt on things or go out of my way to increase my sodium consumption. But I eat out quite for my work and with my family (I'm a college student, and we often meet for dinner), and it is incredibly hard to stay under that 2,500 number every single day.

I understand that high sodium intake will make me hold onto water, but should I be concerned if I eat 1,000-2,000 over in sodium a day or two a week?

Replies

  • firstloveyourself
    firstloveyourself Posts: 149 Member
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    Bump! I have this problem too
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,108 Member
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    No don't worry.

    You appear to be young. I probably ate 6000 or more a day for many years. In the US it's pretty common to get way too much.

    Control it where you can. We all need sodium in our diet. Unless you have preexisting blood pressure problems, don't worry about it.

    Drink plenty of water and eat vegetables with every meal. It will balance out. It's only a couple pounds - and water weight is not fat.
  • roosterblue
    roosterblue Posts: 25 Member
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    One of my oldest and dearest friends (who has lost over 300 lbs) told me that while sodium should definitely be controlled, you really shouldn't stress too much about it unless you have a specific condition that requires you to really monitor it.

    From my friend: "I wouldn't worry about the sodium at all because you'll need to replenish electrolytes you're sweating out." So if you're exercising, you could be helping your body to naturally rid yourself of sodium.

    If you're finding that you're having difficulty with joint pain or not losing weight, there could be other contributing factors. (For me, I have severe pain in my elbows and hips -- most likely a gluten allergy. I thought it was sodium, but not so!)

    You'll of course want to monitor the amount of processed food you intake. It's very difficult to avoid, especially with eating out. So many restaurants rarely cook "fresh" anymore, that most anything is pre-packaged and pre-processed (it's cheaper and keeps longer).

    Before the healthnuts jump on me for petitioning for sodium -- I definitely think it's best to keep your sodium intake as low as possible! Eat at home as much as you can and avoid eating processed foods. That's really the only way you can avoid high amounts of sodium.
  • xxghost
    xxghost Posts: 4,697 Member
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    Thank you so much for the help! And to Firstlove for the bump. :)
  • haymancm
    haymancm Posts: 280 Member
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    Eating more foods high in potassium counteracts the high sodium foods. A daily goal should be 4000 minimum or 40x your ideal weight. If you find yourself plateauing, crank up the real turkey, potatoes w/ skin, avocados, spinach, etc. There's a listing of the different levels of potassium in this site.

    http://www.krispin.com/potassm.html

    A few weeks ago, I plateaued & realized why from the 3000+ mg of sodium in a day for quite a bit. I try to stay away from sliced cheeses (200 mg-Kraft) & use butter instead. Once I lowered my sodium to 1500 or less, I saw huge changes with the scale.
  • magerum
    magerum Posts: 12,589 Member
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    If you don't have high blood pressure don't worry about it.
  • Mcgrawhaha
    Mcgrawhaha Posts: 1,596 Member
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    unless you have an underlying health condition that would cause concern for sodium intake, i wouldnt worry. sodium will not affect yur fat loss. most americans consume between 4000-5000 of sodium each day, with reccomendations being at 2500. ofcourse you dont want to go over board on a daily basis, however, 3000 here, 2800 there, or 3200 somewhere... i dont pay any attention... i watch my calories and protien closely! dont stress about it!
  • 2FatToRun
    2FatToRun Posts: 810 Member
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    Drink lotsa water if you know that day you are gonna eat alot of sodium. If you are eating out make sure to tell the wait staff you are looking for low sodium options or ask if things are seasoned. Many restaurant over season steamed veggies and it really isnt needed. If there is a higher sodium item that comes with dish see if a substitution is available.
  • karrielynn80
    karrielynn80 Posts: 395 Member
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    I have my sodium set to 2500 as well.
    My main goal is to keep my sodium intake low before i weigh in / track measurements.
    I still try to stay around my goal the rest of the time, but i just want an accurate record - so i eat very good (sodium wise) 2 or 3 days before weigh in & the rest i give myself a *bit* of slack.
  • tsh0ck
    tsh0ck Posts: 1,970 Member
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    I understand that high sodium intake will make me hold onto water, but should I be concerned if I eat 1,000-2,000 over in sodium a day or two a week?

    not really.
  • karrielynn80
    karrielynn80 Posts: 395 Member
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    One of my oldest and dearest friends (who has lost over 300 lbs) told me that while sodium should definitely be controlled, you really shouldn't stress too much about it unless you have a specific condition that requires you to really monitor it.

    From my friend: "I wouldn't worry about the sodium at all because you'll need to replenish electrolytes you're sweating out." So if you're exercising, you could be helping your body to naturally rid yourself of sodium.

    ^^i agree with this. Until the last leg of my last cut, i didn't really moderate it. My goal is to get to 13% bf as of right now - so i'm watching my macros & diet very closely - for general weight loss I don't think it needs to be such a serious factor - aside from being aware WHEN you intake high sodium (i.e. if you do everything the same from wk to wk, but suddenly "seem" to "gain" 3 lbs, you probably had a very high sodium intake the day or two before & it's water retention) - hope that makes sense.

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