HELLLPPP!!!!UNDER CALORIES BUT OVER SODIUM

I lost 40 lbs prior to beginning the next leg of my weight loss here. I have always found that, aside from health issues, sodium makes a huge difference in how and when you see your weight loss on the scale. Several years ago, I was capable of going a month without seeing a loss at all, but once I saw a 12 lb weight loss in less than 2 days. Let's just say I didn't get much sleep that night as my body dropped the water.

So I did a little research, and what I decided to try, after reading an article on some research that seemed to indicate that it wasn't just the level of sodium but the balance between sodium and potassium, was not just to lower my sodium but raise potassium. Potassium is essential for the body in washing out sodium. I've found this works for me to even out the weight loss I see on the scale. No more interminable plateaus or crazy flooding.

I find the pattern my body follows is to gain water weight for a day or two and then drop more than I gained for the next day or two. Some people say to only weight every week at the most because of the fluctuations, but I weight religiously every day. It gives me a sense of safety to know exactly what is happening with my body. It is hard to see weight loss disappear before it reappears, but gradually I've learned to trust my body, to expect this little wavy ride, and remember my diet isn't about numbers, it's about actual fat loss. If I'm sticking to my goals and I gain weight, I know that's the result of fat disappearing and my body replacing it with water, and that is better for my skin and electrolyte system. My body knows best. Sigh. <Stamps foot> <fume>

Oh well. The pattern is predictable, which is the point.

Water, you know, actually weighs more than fat. Think oil and water. Water is heavy. That's why it's on the bottom and the fat is floating on top.

Sources of potassium require a little more research to decide what foods are right for you. It isn't listed on a lot of packaging, though it may be in the food, so you need to go to the web sometimes to find the info you need. Personally I would not take potassium in pills. An overdose can be very dangerous.

If you're not diabetic, fruit is the most obvious option. Heck, fruit is a good option anyway, and full of phytonutrients, but if you're diabetic you have to parcel it out slowly and eat it with other foods. I took the advice of someone here and freeze bananas in one inch pieces for sweet treats and a little extra potassium.

I have two recipes I like to use to up-potassium. One is a highly condensed mushroom mousse that has pureed mushrooms and very little else. I also have a similar eggplant dip I make. Both are low in sugar and very low in calories. One of the first things to do is see what you can do with low-calorie vegetables you like, using a little imagination to make them yummy and available in your fridge all day long.

If you like crunchy vegetables and greens, that's a superb easy resource. But I do not like crunchy vegetables much. They usually have a fair amount of sugar, too, and I'd rather spend my extremely limited sugar on something I actually enjoy.

So my favorite simple potassium fix is is avocado. Avocado has a lot of calories so you need to decide how it will fit into your diet. The calories are from fat, too, but it's chock-full of omegas and I welcome this addition to my diet. Best of all, they are loaded with potassium and have ZERO sugar.

Bottom line, though, it's calories-in and calories-out that will create fat loss. Sodium and potassium have nothing to do with actual fat loss, only numbers on a scale. "Weight loss" is inevitably a number tied to a scale, which is a crude measurement of what is going on with your body and your increasing health.

Don't focus only on any number on the scale or in your diary. Think "fat loss," "muscle gain," and "better health = more fun!"

That means nothing to me.

me too! im not sure what im doing wrong but im way over sodium. a little over sugar and under in everything else

Just drink more water.

Problem solved.