Why didn't anyone warn me!!!

spackham
spackham Posts: 252 Member
edited September 25 in Food and Nutrition
When I joined MFP all I was interested in was counting calories and glasses of water to help me lose weight- a LOT of weight. Never counting calories before, it's been like a strategic game for me hitting my caloric goals. And I've been doing great. Then, a MFP friend who has HBP, so she watches her sodium, mentioned to me about my sodium intake one day. I thought, "Wow, gee, that is high; I should keep an eye on that." So without any intention of focusing on sodium, I was doing much better with minimal efforts like using a little less in cooking, not adding more at the table, checking packages and buying the best cal/sodium choice and rinsing beans like I read in a forum once. And I sort of watch my sugar intake too, not that I make changes to avoid being in the red, I just watch it for educational reasons.

Then something happened to me. I don't remember bumping my head or anything lately and I have not taken any medications but today I have not been my typical self. For example, I had a TON of calories left for dinner so I decided it would be a great day to eat out. I was checking out yummy options online and nothing was off limits because I exercised for TWO hours today. Since I had a high sodium yesterday, I thought I'd take that into consideration because I do not feel like gaining a pound or two of water weight tomorrow. I just didn't want to see it go up even knowing it woudl be just water. As some of you may already know, the sodium level can be astronomically high when dining out. The more I looked, the more the calories were insignificant because I would have no trouble staying in my limit. Sodium was another story. It made me so sick inside, I didn't even want to go out. Yes, you are talking to the girl who could eat out 4-5 times a week before MFP and even 2 times a week now. But I just couldn't do it. We ended up cooking roasted pepper and guacamole hamburgers tonight and I LOVED it.

That is not all that has happened to me either. Everything tastes so salty and sugary to me now. I use to LOVE salt and sugar and could never get enough. Someone must have hit me on the head while I was sleeping last night because I woke up a different person, a person who brushes the salt off a chip and thinks the "no sugar added" juice is super sweet. I never thought something like this would happen to me. My life has changed. I don't want to eat out willy-nilly any more. I prefer home-cooked meals. I feel compelled to start cooking my own beans. Why didn't anyone warn me?! I thought all this talk about "not a diet, a lifestyle change" is something that would take months and months of discipline. It's been just over 3 months and I am a different person on the outside and the inside. THANKS MFP and friends!

Replies

  • mandijo
    mandijo Posts: 618 Member
    Like!
  • arw3b3
    arw3b3 Posts: 52
    That is awesome:) I am trying to watch my sodium levels too but am finding it very difficult. All the healthy low calorie foods seem to be loaded with sodium.

    Keep up the good work!!!!
  • sarahsedaii
    sarahsedaii Posts: 39 Member
    Same thing happened to me and Soda. Now it just tastes like sugary syrup.
  • ChelseyGray
    ChelseyGray Posts: 37
    Good job! =D
  • LadyT02182011
    LadyT02182011 Posts: 113
    i agree with you 100% Sandra! It makes a huge difference on the taste buds once you refrain from eating so much sodium! It is absolutely absurd the way the restaurants use so much sodium to cover up the true taste of foods. I have found that most things taste either too salty or sugary to me as well. It was a learning experience that I most greatly appreciate. Now I see what my grandmother means when she says she doesn't want any salt in her food and only wants to actually taste the food. That sodium is no joke!
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    I agree! Eating out is totally gross to me. I don't consider it a treat at all. It's all so greasy and salty and I always feel ill after eating out. And I have to pay to eat nasty food that makes me feel sick? I prefer home cooking any day. And I enjoy grocery shopping for healthy ingredients so much more than I do desperately scanning a menu for the least disgusting option. Warning: If you start cooking your own beans you might get hooked. Canned beans are totally disappointing once you taste home-cooked dry beans!
  • Mundy86
    Mundy86 Posts: 167 Member
    Congrats!!!

    Today I put down my fork before my plate was cleaned off becasue I was full.

    I'm getting there but its still tough at times. I'm considering looking into a nutrition class. Grew up on box and processed foods and continued with it on my own plus eatting out frequently. Looking at lables is a daily occurance now but learning how to cook from scratch might help to.
  • melpalmer7
    melpalmer7 Posts: 35
    what a great post !!!! Somebody else posted an article the other day about the salt in most restaurant food and, I agree, it's completely shocking because until you educate yourself, and when you're consuming it on a regular basis, you really have no idea. I ate a slice of pizza tonight with my kids and I could taste it, which I never would have noticed before. Of course, now I feel like I need to drink water.... it's crazy how quickly your body adapts (to the lower and healthier intake) and rejects the higher quantities. I agree too that MFP rocks and has been just an amazing tool to educate myself on what I'm consuming. I hope when enough consumers start demanding healthier options, restaurants get with the program and cut back on unnecessary salt and fat !
  • yepratt
    yepratt Posts: 26
    wow what an amazing story!! keep up the good work.
  • chattygirl2
    chattygirl2 Posts: 103
    When I joined MFP all I was interested in was counting calories and glasses of water to help me lose weight- a LOT of weight. Never counting calories before, it's been like a strategic game for me hitting my caloric goals. And I've been doing great. Then, a MFP friends who has HBP, so she watches her sodium, mentioned to me about my sodium intake one day. I thought, "Wow, gee, that is high; I should keep an eye on that." So without any intention of focusing on sodium, I was doing much better with minimal efforts like using a little less in cooking, not adding more at the table, checking packages and buying the best cal/sodium choice and rinsing beans like I read in a forum once. And I sort of watch my sugar intake too, not that I make changes to avoid being in the red, I just watch it for educational reasons.

    Then something happened to me. I don't remember bumping my head or anything lately and I have not taken any medications but today I have not been my typical self. For example, I had a TON of calories left for dinner so I decided it would be a great day to eat out. I was checking out yummy options online and nothing was off limits because I exercised for TWO hours today. Since I had a high sodium yesterday, I thought I'd take that into consideration because I do not feel like gaining a pound or two of water weight tomorrow. I just didn't want to see it go up even knowing it woudl be just water. As some of you may already know, the sodium level can be astronomically high when dining out. The more I looked, the more the calories were insignificant because I would have no trouble staying in my limit. Sodium was another story. It made me so sick inside, I didn't even want to go out. Yes, you are talking to the girl who could eat out 4-5 times a week before MFP and even 2 times a week now. But I just couldn't do it. We ended up cooking roasted pepper and guacamole hamburgers tonight and I LOVED it.

    That is not all that has happened to me either. Everything tastes so salty and sugary to me now. I use to LOVE salt and sugar and could never get enough. Someone must have hit me on the head while I was sleeping last night because I woke up a different person, a person who brushes the salt off a chip and thinks the "no sugar added" juice is super sweet. I never thought something like this would happen to me. My life has changed. I don't want to eat out willy-nilly any more. I prefer home-cooked meals. I feel compelled to start cooking my own beans. Why didn't anyone warn me?! I thought all this talk about "not a diet, a lifestyle change" is something that would take months and months of discipline. It's been just over 3 months and I am a different person on the outside and the inside. THANKS MFP and friends!
    I totally agree! Learning to cook healthy for yourself is very rewarding and who wants to pay for a $12 salad?? lol I was never a big fan of salt and now that I am checking labels... I was shocked at how much sodium was in boxed or processed food!! Even eggs have natural salt in them!! I love looking at it as a lifestyle change and not a diet!!
    Congrats to finding your path!! :)
  • bettertracie
    bettertracie Posts: 196 Member
    My boyfriend even notices how much more yucky we both feel if I decide we're going to have an "off" weekend ( mind you, he is NOT trying to lose or gain weight, just enjoys now feeling better) that we just regret it, we had a BAD weekend last weekend and OMG I think I finally snapped back to life on like Tuesday... WOW, how amazing the difference eating 'cleaner" I've decided to call it, the better... It's a blessing and a curse!!
  • ShellyMacchi
    ShellyMacchi Posts: 975 Member
    i swear you have been peeking inside my head... cause everything you just said.. i could have said myself *L*
    great isn't it?
  • melpalmer7
    melpalmer7 Posts: 35
    Hi all

    Here's the webpage that was posted the other day, I warn you though, it's pretty scary. The restaurants listed are the worst offenders but I imagine lots are just or almost as bad and you might not even know it....

    http://health.yahoo.net/experts/eatthis/saltiest-foods-2011
  • spackham
    spackham Posts: 252 Member
    Thanks, everyone! I have changed so much. I am not only eating better, I am happier, stronger, thinner and have more energy. It may take a while for my body to catch up with the changed person I have become and whether it is sooner or later, it does not matter because it will happen when it happens.
  • Kebennett1
    Kebennett1 Posts: 72
    It's a healthy addictive lifestyle change! Chips, what chips LOL! Wasted Calories! Eating out seriously used to be an every day occurrence for me, and now I only eat out if I am in town (30 miles from my home) and have so many errands I have to do that I have to eat lunch out! I Generally choose grilled fish or grilled chicken (hold any toppings) or a salad with no dressing (Thank the LORD I love the taste of salad and do not need any dressing!) I ask for the steamed vegetables. I won't eat canned! Baked potato NO butter, sour cream, only chives, yes I have learned to like it and I only eat a few bites of it! Water or herbal Caffeine free Tea! Even the lite or healthy eating choices on the menu are soooo high in Calories and Salt that it is ridiculous! I love MFP! It is a motivational wonder!
  • BigBoneSista
    BigBoneSista Posts: 2,389 Member
    Doesn't it just feel good when your eyes are opened and you are able to make that adjustment with no problems? I love it! Some people don't understand that we only need 1 teaspoon of salt a day. Even those weight watcher meals at Ruby Tuesdays are high in sodium. Its crazy.
  • maryritt529
    maryritt529 Posts: 82
    :) Good Post!
  • Atlantique
    Atlantique Posts: 2,484 Member
    It's amazing how your tastes can change, isn't it? That's why it's so frustrating to hear people say that they can't lose weight because they hate the way x, y and z foods taste and they could just NEVER live without a, b and c. If they tried a different way of eating for a few weeks or months, they'd totally change their tastes. You're living proof of it. I am too. the first time I lost the weight, I lost my crazy sweet tooth.

    And once you get over the sugar and salt hurdles, EVERYTHING tastes different because you can actually taste the flavor of the food!

    Good job!
  • MsFitnFabulous
    MsFitnFabulous Posts: 432 Member
    I've shied away from salt and sugar too. I'm learning how to cook with spices I had never heard of much less actually use. And that yahoo article is horrifying!
  • lodro
    lodro Posts: 982 Member
    before i knew it i was baking my own bread
  • Atlantique
    Atlantique Posts: 2,484 Member
    I've shied away from salt and sugar too. I'm learning how to cook with spices I had never heard of much less actually use. And that yahoo article is horrifying!

    Discovering spices is so much fun! :)
  • broadsword7
    broadsword7 Posts: 411 Member
    Such a great post and wonderful replies too! One of my big turnarounds was salad. I used to hate salad and usually made a horrible face when I ate one. Now I LOVE salads! I pack my lunch and it is always the largest meal item of my day. And the amount of cash I usually carry in my wallet stays about the same. Before this, I would be stopping at fast food places on the way to work, and also at lunch. That was the only place I was spending any cash, and now I am finding I have had the same 40 bucks in my wallet for about a month. So yeah, I hear you, who knew! :)
  • neyes67
    neyes67 Posts: 161 Member
    Yes I agree. Before you know it it becomes a way of life ...I started monitoring my sodium a month ago after reading several post here on MFP and researching a little on the topic myself. 2500 is too high ...shooting for 1500 can be challenging but its doable. You just have to bring the awareness to mind, practice it and then it sticks and becomes habit. Plus you feel soooooo much better. Great Job!
  • MzBug
    MzBug Posts: 2,173 Member
    Isn't it amazing how much better things taste without all that crap in it? Now that your taste buds are not burnt with all the salt you can actually taste the other spices and the natural flavor of food. My guy (not on a diet) has even said that if he goes out for fast food he gets sick to his stomach after eatting it.
  • blackchickbb
    blackchickbb Posts: 14
    i agree with u 100%
  • gstrouphar
    gstrouphar Posts: 14
    That is so awesome and I feel the same way! I was a salt-aolic for real, I am talking about salting everything down to the butter that went on my bread (its gross I know). I started watching my sodium and wow, what a difference. I just feel better and when there is too much salt on something (it seems I can notice even a grain of it! lol) I know its there. I have eaten salt all my life, I grew up with the shaker on the table. I salted everything even before I tasted it. Now, I just don't need or want it.

    I think its wonderful that you don't like it anymore! If I had only brought the awareness sooner, I'd probably be in much better shape myself!

    Congrats!

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  • goldiefysh
    goldiefysh Posts: 12 Member
    That is an AWESOME warning. You have given me hope that I can do this too. I do like to eat out, I do like to stay within calories BUT I never knew how much sodium could effect the overall outcome. I don't like a ton of salt, but it sounds like there is much more than I know about in my foods.

    CONGRATS on your success and good luck moving forward.
  • greeneyed84
    greeneyed84 Posts: 427 Member
    Same here, i didn't know how much salt i actually consumed until i joined here. But we hardly ever eat out
  • spcopps
    spcopps Posts: 283
    Isn't it strange how we can change without even meaning too. I have also started making my own beans and I haven't done that in 10 years LOL. I was actually mad at wal-mart today because they were out of butter beans (lima)..
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