Sugar + sodium = UGH

funleavy21
funleavy21 Posts: 2
in Health and Weight Loss
I just joined MFP today, and have already learned where my chief enemies have been hiding: orange juice and salsa. OK I'll admit that a more specific enemy is the actual quantity of salsa I was using daily as my salad dressing substitute, but either way lesson #1 has been learned: salsa may be low/no fat, but it is high/ugh sodium. Grossly high. For me, after inputting my food intake it's immediately clear that sugar and sodium have been wrecking any attempt at improving myself. I feel like I've lost 5 pounds just by gaining knowledge! Now the real work begins. Thank you MFP, and a bigger thank you to <3 for getting me started.

Replies

  • skylark94
    skylark94 Posts: 2,036 Member
    Sodium may cause water retention, but it is not going to keep you from losing fat. Drink plenty of water and you'll be fine. Sugar is not the enemy unless you have diabetes or some other metabolic disorder which causes problems. I don't track my sugar or sodium intake at all because it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things.

    Calories in, calories out. Make healthy choices 80% of the time and stay active. Fat loss is easier when you don't over think it.

    Good luck!
  • GauchoMark
    GauchoMark Posts: 1,804 Member
    neither one of those is a problem unless you have health problems like heart disease or diabetes.

    Your enemy is calories in > calories out. That simple.
  • GauchoMark
    GauchoMark Posts: 1,804 Member
    Sodium may cause water retention, but it is not going to keep you from losing fat. Drink plenty of water and you'll be fine. Sugar is not the enemy unless you have diabetes or some other metabolic disorder which causes problems. I don't track my sugar or sodium intake at all because it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things.

    Calories in, calories out. Make healthy choices 80% of the time and stay active. Fat loss is easier when you don't over think it.

    Good luck!

    wow... jinx?!
  • cadaverousbones
    cadaverousbones Posts: 421 Member
    You should try making your own salsa or a different brand if the one you has is high in sodium. (they must add a lot of salt to it)
  • Shellz31
    Shellz31 Posts: 214 Member
    It's great you are trying to improve yourself and trying to eat in a more balanced way :bigsmile: kudos! I agree making your own salsa is a great idea. I'd also suggest eating the entire orange instead of the juice. You'll still get sugar, but it's all natural sugar (some juices actually add sugar!) and you'll get fiber and minerals along with it!

    Good luck on your journey!
  • funleavy21
    funleavy21 Posts: 2
    Sodium may cause water retention, but it is not going to keep you from losing fat. Drink plenty of water and you'll be fine.

    Agreed, in fact I suspect water retention is a problem I have as a direct result to my overindulgence on salsa and other sodium-heavy foods. I drink a fair amount of water but it's probably not enough to battle my intake. My initial impression of sugar and sodium being my enemies was based on the target numbers that MFP set after I listed my goals, both of which I'd already surpassed by lunch; calories in vs out is rarely an issue for me day to day...

    Thanks all for the input and support!
  • Franebee
    Franebee Posts: 4
    Help! I just joined and in the past few days I see my sugar intake is way too high and I thought I was eating healthy! Yogurt, pears, nectarines, etc are good for you but very high in sugar. I love to snack on fruit but now I think it's an inhibiting factor to losing weight. Any suggestions? Please share!
  • Vorenus85
    Vorenus85 Posts: 112 Member
    Help! I just joined and in the past few days I see my sugar intake is way too high and I thought I was eating healthy! Yogurt, pears, nectarines, etc are good for you but very high in sugar. I love to snack on fruit but now I think it's an inhibiting factor to losing weight. Any suggestions? Please share!

    If you're keeping at a calorie deficit, it's not going to inhibit anything. I used to track both sodium and sugar when I first joined, but attempting to stay under MFPs default values for them both was a headache more than anything else, so I stopped. In my opinion, you should just ignore sugar and just continue doing what you're doing.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    The sugar goal is supposed to be added sugar, but it does not separate the two. I ignore it. I follow my carb intake and I don't eat tons of food win added sugar.

    Sodium will not interfere with weight loss.

    *unless you have medical conditions where these may affect it
  • Franebee
    Franebee Posts: 4
    Thank you for responding and your insights. :smile:
  • Franebee
    Franebee Posts: 4
    The sugar goal is supposed to be added sugar, but it does not separate the two. I ignore it. I follow my carb intake and I don't eat tons of food win added sugar.

    Sodium will not interfere with weight loss.

    *unless you have medical conditions where these may affect it
  • Franebee
    Franebee Posts: 4
    Thank you! It just irks me that a lot of allegedly healthy food is high in sugar.
  • doublegrrr24
    doublegrrr24 Posts: 35
    Sodium may cause water retention, but it is not going to keep you from losing fat. Drink plenty of water and you'll be fine. Sugar is not the enemy unless you have diabetes or some other metabolic disorder which causes problems. I don't track my sugar or sodium intake at all because it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things.

    Calories in, calories out. Make healthy choices 80% of the time and stay active. Fat loss is easier when you don't over think it.

    Good luck!

    Well said.

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