Eating Out and Sodium Intake

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deannarey13
deannarey13 Posts: 452
in Health and Weight Loss
Good Afternoon Everyone!

A friend is taking me to Applebees for dinner. I have recently gotten back on track with my diet and exercise and really want to stick with it. Nice thing about Applebees, they have some really great menu options for under 550 calories. However, the sodium content is just ridiculous.

The best option I have is something that I am not really that crazy about with 1500mg of sodium. What I really would prefer has over 2500.

I am okay with making the sacrifice and eating the dish with 1500mg. It will be good. However, I am wondering...how important is it to weight loss to stay under the recommended 2500mg sodium daily. Advice?

Replies

  • Panda86
    Panda86 Posts: 873
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    An occasional high-sodium meal isn't going to be that big of a deal (unless you have health problems like high blood pressure). Balance it with more water, and don't be surprised if your scale shows a slight gain for a day or so. It will go away. The occasional high sodium isn't going to make that much of a difference in the long run for weight loss. It primarily causes a temporary water retention. :)
  • valerian101
    valerian101 Posts: 29 Member
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    I'm not the best person to answer this, but in my experience, eating salty food gives me a temporary weight gain the next day. I then drink plenty of fluids to flush it through my system. I don't think the occasional salty meal out will do any real harm.
  • Rowell29s
    Rowell29s Posts: 32
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    Drink extra water to flush the sodium out and eat what u like. Consider it a cheat day and get back on the wagon tomorrow. WATER, WATER, WATER.
  • Suzy12
    Suzy12 Posts: 284
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    One meal at Applebee's (which I love too!!!) won't do that much damage. My experience has been that I retain some liquid and my weight might be up a bit for a day or two. Obviously, keeping sodium at a healthy level is better all the way around, but every now and then a trip to Applebee's won't hurt you. (now you have me craving a Perfect Margarita!!!)
  • Alioth
    Alioth Posts: 571 Member
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    In the past, I've asked the waitress at Applebees if she could ask the chef not to put any butter or oil or salt on anything. They spray-butter all the steaks, rolls, potatoes, vegetables, etc. Unfortunately, the pasta sauces can't be fixed that way. And cheese seems to have a lot of salt in it. Applebees seems to dump cheese on everything! But if you do gain water weight from the salt, at least you know it'll disappear in a couple days. :smile: I try not to worry about it too much.
  • emilysebastian
    emilysebastian Posts: 245 Member
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    As Panda86 said, occassional high sodium isn't too bad--but know that you can ask for subs/changes to your meal to get a lower sodium content! Perhaps even low enough to get the thing you really want :happy:

    Ask for your meal cooked in oil, not butter; also, skip cheeses if possible--those tend to have lots of sodium. If you're getting steamed veggies or something similar, ask for no salt and/or seasoning. And sauces/dressings (everything from Ketchup to Ranch!) you can ask them to hold or bring on the side. When I get a sandwich w/a dry bun, I always ask for a slice of avocado--spread it on your bun for extra flavor and some "good" fats.

    Good luck, and good thinking asking ahead!
  • Suzy12
    Suzy12 Posts: 284
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    Drink extra water to flush the sodium out and eat what u like. Consider it a cheat day and get back on the wagon tomorrow. WATER, WATER, WATER.

    Talk to me about this. My trainer once told me to drink water after a "salty" day and I said: If there is something IN my body looking to retain water, WHY do I want to give it MORE to hang on to? She said it sounded logical, so I asked my doc and she agreed. She said you'll, likely end up bloating more before you get rid of it. And it'll run its course with normal time.

    What do you guys think?
  • anubis609
    anubis609 Posts: 3,966 Member
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    This might help you out.

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/127640-cleanse-body-after-eating-much/

    Bottom line, the reason why more water intake would help filter out sodium over the days following a sodium binge, is that the water will make you urinate more frequently, and as the article states, water follows sodium as it leaves your body through urine.

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