how much water weight after salt intake??

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lisajtubs
lisajtubs Posts: 62
in Health and Weight Loss
i was just wondering what kind of weight increases people see if they eat a high salt meal. I had chips last night, not too many but covered in delicious salt and vinegar!!!! i know that this can lead to water retention and was wondering in general what kind of increases people normally see and how long it lasts for?!

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  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,397 MFP Moderator
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    It varies... I can eat chinese and not gain any water weight. But you can assume a few lbs. And it can last a few days I guess. Just drink plenty of water and get foods high in potassium and magnesium.
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
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    I gain about 2 lbs. It last for about 1-2 days because I drink plenty of water and consume a decent amount of potassium and magnesium.
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
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    Why does it matter? Your weight will always naturally fluctuate
  • rachael726
    rachael726 Posts: 202 Member
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    Why does it matter? Your weight will always naturally fluctuate


    If you aren't going to answer the questions, why even bother to respond at all? Some folks on here really are just looking for information.




    I usually gain 1-3 lbs of water retention depending on what I ate. I ALWAYS feel tightness in my hands after I eat Chinese food. I think what the other posters stated is good information. Sometimes when I know I will be eating something with a lot of sodium, I will try to drink a lot of water before I eat it, just to cut down on the amount my body is holding onto.
  • vismal
    vismal Posts: 2,463 Member
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    Too many factors at play. High sodium is vague. Some chips with salt and vinegar have lots of sodium but you didn't eat that many. Something like that wouldn't be enough to cause me much of a fluctuation at all. If however, I go for sushi and dunk every piece in soy sauce, and has soup that's loaded with sodium, then I'll see anywhere from 1-5 lbs of water weight.

    You must also consider that sodium intake is not the only factor. How hydrated you are plays a role. Taking in foods/drinks that are natural diuretics can reduce the effects of increased sodium. Carbohydrate intake can also make a huge difference. If you take in an abnormally high amount of carbs compared to your average carb intake, that too can cause a big shift up in weight. It's why low-carbers always gain the most after their cheat days compared to those who don't go low carb. It's a combination of water and glycogen.

    Long story short, don't worry about it. It doesn't effect fat loss at all so as long as you don't pay attention to day to day changes in weight, it doesn't really matter. I weigh daily but take weekly and monthly averages which makes your high day's and low days balance out so you can see your actual progress.

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