sodium help &/or advice

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donby
donby Posts: 28 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I occasionaly go way over my sodium limits. Even though I drink plenty of water everyday, how long will it take to rid my system of the excess sodium?

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  • therobinator
    therobinator Posts: 832 Member
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    Don't know -- but how about eating less sodium. ;)
    I believe a reasonable daily limit is 2,500 mg.
  • SaraTonin
    SaraTonin Posts: 551 Member
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    Make sure you're getting potassium in your diet, as that helps counteract some of the effects of sodium on your blood pressure. It'll pass through eventually, but it's easiest to just watch the salty stuff!
  • smuehlbauer
    smuehlbauer Posts: 1,041 Member
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    Don't eat a lot of processed foods......Not sure how long it sticks with ya...
  • therobinator
    therobinator Posts: 832 Member
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    Don't eat a lot of processed foods......Not sure how long it sticks with ya...
    ^^ This, absolutely!! And fast foods and packaged foods. I have also noticed that almost *all* of my sodium intake comes from breads, meats and cheeses. Try to find low-sodium ones or cut down on these foods (but not so much that you aren't getting proper nutrition). If you eat clean, you can still have meat, bread and cheese while staying under 2,500mg of sodium per day.
  • donby
    donby Posts: 28 Member
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    I understand the don't eat it part. I am just curious how long it takes to get back to square one.
  • therobinator
    therobinator Posts: 832 Member
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    I understand the don't eat it part. I am just curious how long it takes to get back to square one.

    Really, (and this is based on nothing scientific - only my own experience), I think a few days to a week should do it. I know whenever I have a weight gain that is surely sodium-caused, it's gone by the next weekly weigh-in. You should be able to feel it in how your rings fit your fingers, your swollen muscles, etc., when you have had too much sodium and when it subsides.
  • donby
    donby Posts: 28 Member
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    thank you for the help but I was looking for something more scientific
  • therobinator
    therobinator Posts: 832 Member
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    thank you for the help but I was looking for something more scientific
    Sorry. Hopefully someone else can enlighten you (and the rest of us)! :)
  • forty3fab
    forty3fab Posts: 148 Member
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    Hi there!

    I just read this as I recently heard that the the daily recommended sodium intake had been lowered. However, I didn't have a lot of time to look, but I thought this was helpful from the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans:

    ■Don't exceed 2,300 mg of sodium a day if you're a healthy adult.
    ■Don't exceed 1,500 mg of sodium a day if you have high blood pressure, kidney disease or diabetes; you are black; or you're middle-aged or older.
    Keep in mind that these are upper limits, and less is usually best, especially if you're sensitive to the effects of sodium. If you aren't sure how much sodium your diet should include, talk to your doctor.

    Sodium: Main dietary sources
    To help keep your sodium consumption in check, you need to know where the sodium comes from. Here are the main sources of sodium in a typical diet:

    ■Processed and prepared foods. The vast majority of dietary sodium comes from eating foods that are processed and prepared. These foods are typically high in salt, which is a combination of sodium and chloride, and in additives that contain sodium. While these ingredients have many practical uses — such as preservation and enhanced taste — they can greatly increase your sodium intake.
    ■Natural sources. Some foods naturally contain sodium. These include celery and other vegetables, and dairy products such as milk, meat and shellfish. While they don't have an abundance of sodium, eating these foods does add to your overall sodium intake. For example, 1 cup (237 milliliters) of low-fat milk has about 107 mg of sodium.
    ■In the kitchen and at the table. Many recipes call for salt, and many people also salt their food at the table. And many other condiments also contain sodium. One tablespoon (15 milliliters) of soy sauce, for example, has about 1,000 mg of sodium.
  • donby
    donby Posts: 28 Member
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    thank you for the input, but still looking for an answer to how long the body retains the excess sodium and how long it will take to get the body back to where it was prior to the intake.
  • therobinator
    therobinator Posts: 832 Member
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    thank you for the input, but still looking for an answer to how long the body retains the excess sodium and how long it will take to get the body back to where it was prior to the intake.
    I think it's safe to assume that there is no concrete answer to this. It would depend on each person's particular metabolism, and how much sodium they are still taking in, and how much they are sweating, and how much they are eating, etc. Try not to worry about it so much, really. It'll be gone in a few days, max, as long as you don't continue to intake at the same levels.
  • donby
    donby Posts: 28 Member
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    thank you
  • Becky1971
    Becky1971 Posts: 979 Member
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    It definitely depends on the person, and how long they have been eating a lot of sodium, and how much they have cut back when they start losing weight. I was on ww for two years, and would see people have that initial high loss the first week or two, but some it would be four weeks before they would be where they started their 1 to 2 pound loss a week rather than the 3, 4 or 5. Course it's not guaranteed that it was all from sodium, but the belief is that mostly yes. I just don't think anyone can give you a definite answer.

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