Too much sodium

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flitabout
flitabout Posts: 200 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So I got on the scale yesterday expecting to see a loss and not only did I not. But it appears that I gained 4 lbs. Ugh! So I rationally looked at my diary for the last week. And yes I realize that a few days were way under on my calories but I had a 2 day long migraine most of the food I did manage to eat didn't stay down. The major thing I did notice that my sodium is too high not stupid high but still high just the same. I guess my question is how long will it take to flush all this salt out of my system? And yes I did it again today without even realizing it! I think if I drink anymore water I am going to float away. That and, is there a good alternative to salt that still tastes like salt? I know I am grasping a straws here. I think it just drives me nuts that I have a pretty good handle on my macros except the salt.


P.S. If you look at my diary I recently added different snack times and it made my diary look all kinds of weird!

Replies

  • grimendale
    grimendale Posts: 2,153 Member
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    Drink extra water (72-80 oz per day total) to help flush some of the sodium from your system. My dietician recommended doing this for 2-3 days to see the retained water come off. As for a alt alternative, there is a Morton's Light Salt, which is sodium chloride cut with potassium chloride (a different, non-sodium salt) that can help keep sodium levels in check and as a bonus, up your potassium levels. I would also try to be more consistent with your eating. You wander from 700 calories under to 300 over on any given day. Try to consistently get just under your goal each day, and you'll have better results.
  • astartig
    astartig Posts: 549 Member
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    try upping your potassium maybe to balance out the salt flushing.
  • agdyl
    agdyl Posts: 246 Member
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    Cut out processed foods and it cuts out most of the salt from your diet. I realized the other day that if I don't add salt to my food I'm getting well under 1000mg a day on average (often only 300-400mg/day). That gives me plenty of room to actually add a little salt to taste on the things that I want to taste it on - it's not just all hidden in stuff where I don't even notice it. I think that's where most people overeat salt.
  • flitabout
    flitabout Posts: 200 Member
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    I will hve to try the light salt and see if that doesn't help with getting that sodium down. I never really looked at the processed food to much I thought I was doing pretty good on not getting to much. But looking at it from someone elses prospective, there is a tun of it in there! Cruddy American diet that I have! lol I am going to have to work on that this week! Thank you so much for looking!
  • wideeyedla
    wideeyedla Posts: 138 Member
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    I will hve to try the light salt and see if that doesn't help with getting that sodium down. I never really looked at the processed food to much I thought I was doing pretty good on not getting to much. But looking at it from someone elses prospective, there is a tun of it in there! Cruddy American diet that I have! lol I am going to have to work on that this week! Thank you so much for looking!

    As an aside, are you looking at your food diaries for migraine triggers? I learned that bananas give me migraines that none of the meds touch :)
  • flitabout
    flitabout Posts: 200 Member
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    I hadn't thought of looking at food triggers for my headaches. Mine from what I can tell are stress related and build up for days ahead of time. This last one started last Saturday and left me utterly confused. Normally I have my pancakes done and kids eatting by 9 am but it took me until 11 am to get food in front of the kids but I didn't get sick for a couple of more days and I am still not 100% back to normal yet. I am going to have to see if food has anything to do with it.
  • grimendale
    grimendale Posts: 2,153 Member
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    Mine can either come from carrying too much tension in my shoulders, or from eating too much dairy. If you're getting them and the stress build up isn't there, food could be your trigger.
  • dta4ever
    dta4ever Posts: 27 Member
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    I was taking in way too much sodium also and most of mine came from TV dinners and lunch meats. I was shocked when I saw how much sodium was in those things! As for adding salt to my food, I don't even buy salt. I'm fine with how things taste without it. But if you need the salt to enjoy your food, just watch what foods you are eating and pay attention to how much sodium is already in the food. On days that I take in too much sodium, I try to drink 100 ounces or more of water. This helps flush it out.
  • wideeyedla
    wideeyedla Posts: 138 Member
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    I hadn't thought of looking at food triggers for my headaches. Mine from what I can tell are stress related and build up for days ahead of time. This last one started last Saturday and left me utterly confused. Normally I have my pancakes done and kids eatting by 9 am but it took me until 11 am to get food in front of the kids but I didn't get sick for a couple of more days and I am still not 100% back to normal yet. I am going to have to see if food has anything to do with it.

    Message me if you are interested in what I am doing. It is radical, and I don't offer unless someone asks, and not on a forum because the trolls go to town, but I have only had 2 migraines in the last month, both triggered by bananas.

    Essentially, I am doing ketogenic Paleo. It is restrictive, but like I said, migraines mostly gone, and fibromyalgia symptoms have decreased about 80%. My diary is open. I am using food as medicine :)

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