Weight gain from too much sodium?

shmeganrose
shmeganrose Posts: 16 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi! I am fairly new to this site (signed up a few months ago but just started logging ;)

I have a question about the suggested amount of daily sodium intake. Apparently I am suppose to stay below 2,300. I'm finding this extremely hard to do! Every day I'm around 1,000 over. Today I was over by more than 5,000! I feel like I'm eating pretty healthy too. And I carry a water bottle around with me and drink tons of water all day long.

I guess my biggest downfall is condiments. I love soy sauce, mustards, dressings, and seasonings. I've been trying to substitute the salt free or low sodium versions but they don't taste as good. I also know there is sodium in processed foods like canned soups and my Boca burgers. I just love them.

So my question is: if I stay within my suggested daily calorie intake, will the extra sodium have an effect on my weight loss? And if so, do you have any tips for reducing it. Thanks!!

Replies

  • SugaryLynx
    SugaryLynx Posts: 2,640 Member
    Aside from water retention, which is temporary and not true "gain", you will not gain fat with excess sodium. However, over by 5k seems pretty steep. Anything in excess can reap negative effects. I would probably try to look for items with less sodium.
  • GertrudeHorse
    GertrudeHorse Posts: 646 Member
    If you are drinking heaps of water to compensate then exceeding sodium recommendations shouldn't cause you to retain much water weight. The main concerns about excess sodium are health-related and not weight-related (except for water retention as discussed). If you have a medical reason to limit salt then you should definitely reduce your intake. Basically too much sodium puts you at risk of developing certain diseases but it won't cause them outright. And even this "risk" is somewhat difficult to ascertain because people who consume excessive amounts of sodium often over-consume other things as well. Anyway, in the context of an otherwise healthy lifestyle it's probably not worth stressing about. If you are worried, however, then talking to your doctor would be advisable. I personally have days where I consume 5000mg of sodium, but I try and limit that to once per week...some days I might only have 700mg so it all balances out. Try and find a good balance for yourself.

    To answer your question, no it won't stop you losing weight if you drink lots of water and keep within your calorie allocation. Tips for reducing sodium are to use low-sodium versions as you have been. Otherwise just keep checking the labels of everything you eat. Even the same food like cottage cheese can vary wildly in sodium levels between different brands (none of which may be marketed as low-sodium). It pays to check.
  • monty619
    monty619 Posts: 1,308 Member
    don't worry about sodium that much.. only really a factor if you are really over weight or out of shape then u could have blood pressure issues or whatever.. the weight u gain is probably from body fat or you ate more carbohydrates and its intracellular muscular water (glycogen)... there is a chance u are sensitive to sodium, but even if you are there is no need to eat low sodium because sodium is essential for athletes and anyone in general.. if you eat at a consistent rate each day (ex. 2k mg 5k mg) whatever it is as long as its consistent you wont have excess water retention.
  • florentinovillaro
    florentinovillaro Posts: 342 Member
    If sodium is a regular part of your diet and it concerns you, see a doctor and have a full blood test done. They can pinpoint exactly what your lacking in and what to increase/decrease without needing to guess or worry. I was on a high sodium diet for a while when I started and it really had no affect on me in regards to blood pressure due to the amount of potassium and water I was taking in.
  • ibleedunionblue
    ibleedunionblue Posts: 324 Member
    When I first began to lose (down 90) I had days where my weight was unexpectedly up. And those were days I had a lot of sodium. But its not to worry about. Its water retention, and a day or two later, the weight was back down.
  • DterMined2012
    DterMined2012 Posts: 540 Member
    I am EXTREMELY sodium sensitive :grumble: and I DETEST seeing the scale go up because I have had a high sodium day :explode: so therefore I TRY to monitor my sodium intake...now that's NOT to say I stay right on the mark of MFP recommended allowance but I do try to stay with in that number as best as I can :wink: that way I prevent seeing the number on the scale be up by sometimes as high as 8-9 pounds in a weekend :mad: AND I drink plenty of water :drinker:

    Hope this helps :happy:
  • shmeganrose
    shmeganrose Posts: 16 Member
    Thanks for the great info. friends! Good stuff :happy:

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