watching that "Sodium"

Options
ktbdaviper
ktbdaviper Posts: 21
in Introduce Yourself
To everyone thats new to "MFP" 1 of the main things to pay attention to of your diary is your sodium level. I learned that the hard way it keeps water weight and make you gain weight or maintain!! Don't get caught up on your calories or an item that is low in calories cause it may be "HIGH" in sodium!

You only get whatever set sodium for the day and thats it, but calories you can go over and work out and them back and have extra to spare!!! Realize this what may work for me and others may not work for you!! You will find what works for you with using "MFP"..

Replies

  • jhandley
    jhandley Posts: 118
    Options
    What are you setting your sodium intake at?
  • ktbdaviper
    ktbdaviper Posts: 21
    Options
    Mine's is preset at 2500 but I normally can have from 600 to 700 left at the end of the night!!!!
  • miqisha
    miqisha Posts: 1,534 Member
    Options
    Yep, watching sodium is a very important factor in this life style change.
  • josparkle
    josparkle Posts: 141 Member
    Options
    UK guidance levels are 1500-1600 rather than the 2500 that MFP sets so I must admit I try to stick to that. Mnd you, have just eaten prawns (shrimp) for lunch and blown that sky high!
  • michelle4173
    michelle4173 Posts: 21
    Options
    Thanks for your post! I am really trying to work on lowering my sodium intake too! That's one thing I never thought of until I started MFP. I can totally tell the difference the next morning when I put my rings on. If I had too much sodium the day before, my fingers would be so swollen that my rings were too tight!
  • ktbdaviper
    ktbdaviper Posts: 21
    Options
    I notice the change also with my ring it wants to fell off my hand when eating popcorn to working out!!!
  • ktbdaviper
    ktbdaviper Posts: 21
    Options
    To Josparkle and others that may and key word "MAY" be okay that you ate those shimp you just has to eat very light the rest of the day!!! What then means to me food with little to no sodium. What i do is this if i know i am going out to eat that day I eat food with little to no sodium in it to try to balance it out and work out if needed for more calories!!
  • esorcel
    esorcel Posts: 459 Member
    Options
    I know all about water weight! In the past, I've eaten something in the evening, and in the morning I will gain weight from the moment I have waken up and before I eat breakfast!

    Another thing to watch out for: foods sensitivity and allergies. For example, if you are lactose intolerance, you should avoid dairy products at all cost. Irritable bowl syndrome can make it difficult to lose weight.
  • esorcel
    esorcel Posts: 459 Member
    Options
    I am in the process of replacing some of my foods with low sodium version. I have already replaced some snacks with low-fat, but not higher sodium options. You can eat a lot of the same foods, but change them to healthier ones.
  • mutsey
    mutsey Posts: 11
    Options
    Sodium is definately something I am watching now. I had about two weeks where I ate good (calories/fat/etc) but did not watch the sodium like I should have and did not loose anything! After taking a look at my sodium intake daily I was eating ALOT more than I should have in sodium!! Only a few days of keeping my sodium under where it should be, I lost three pounds and I notice I do not feel as "puffy" as I normally did all the time. Hopefully watching the sodium intake through this process will tremendously help in not only my weight loss goals but also help get me off my HBP meds.
  • ktbdaviper
    ktbdaviper Posts: 21
    Options
    What i dont like is this we call food heathly or you see on T.V. some food that they say has 250 calories in it but what they dont tell people it has 650 worth of sodium in it which is not heathly for that one item!!! You can have a whole meal off of 650 of sodium!
  • josparkle
    josparkle Posts: 141 Member
    Options
    Thanks for that - my plans for the rest of the day are pretty light and don't involve any processed food though there will be presumably some 'natural' salts in the veg and lean beef. My general sodium level for most days is under 1000 so I'm relatively safe I guess though its not ideal..
    Today I was out for lunch and it was the best of a lot of poor choices! So I had plain boiled shrimp and a load of salad greens, tomatoes and cucumber with a dash of lemon juice. Plus I'm guessing the weight of the shrimp and nearly always over-estimate so that I don't over-eat.
  • mrsewert
    mrsewert Posts: 430 Member
    Options
    This sodium thing is a huge eye opener to me...

    I have a lot to learn as far as would foods are better when it comes to sodium.
  • esorcel
    esorcel Posts: 459 Member
    Options
    I have replaced my snacks with vegetables, such as carrot sticks, because they are low in everything! This helps to significantly reduce my sodium.
  • johnthefatman
    johnthefatman Posts: 205
    Options
    Its not the table salt you might add to your plate that causes the problem it's the hidden salt in processed food that does the damage - worst of all in general are
    Soups
    Sausages
    Ham and other pork based products
    Processed cheese - especially the low fat ones

    Oh and check the package a lot of the sodium values in the database are wrong as they have been entered in grams instead of milligrams
  • ricksgurl
    ricksgurl Posts: 10
    Options
    How do I know what amount of salt intake is ok for me? I am about 5'3" and weigh 152# and unfortunately I'm a salt-o-holic!! I have cut down a bit and now use Mrs Dash and sea salt (heard somewhere that it was better). I also drink waaaayy too much pop-I was up to a 2 liter daily of Dr. Pepper and I have already cut that amount in half. I don't like diet pop and I'm a fibromite so my Doc says anything with Aspartame is a no-no for me. Apparently it can trigger flares. How do I figure out what I should set for a sodium goal...?? ricksgurl :blushing:
  • esorcel
    esorcel Posts: 459 Member
    Options
    MFP automatically calculates your sodium intake, and tracks it for you. Click on the FOOD tab, and then choose Setting right below it, and you can configure what you want to be tracked.

Categories