Sodium

debbie90045
debbie90045 Posts: 10
edited September 26 in Health and Weight Loss
Good morning everyone!

I've been reading some posts where people talk about sodium being the cause of slow weight loss or some weight gain. Is that because sodium causes water retention? I would love to hear from you all what you know about sodium.

Thanks!!!
Debbie

Replies

  • tiffanymariebrock
    tiffanymariebrock Posts: 47
    Well I don't know much but I do know that sodium is important for you and you need it to be healthy.
  • MyNameIsNotBob
    MyNameIsNotBob Posts: 565 Member
    If you eat too much sodium, your body will retain water... until you drink a ton of it to wash out the excess sodium. I had a sodium-filled weekend and the scale went up 7 pounds. I didn't gain 7 pounds (that would have meant eating 24,500 extra calories this weekend, which I didn't do, duh). So I deduced it was water weight, drank a TON of water, had a low-sodium day, and went back to normal weight. It's crazy how much water our bodies will hold onto!
  • Atlantique
    Atlantique Posts: 2,484 Member
    Good morning everyone!

    I've been reading some posts where people talk about sodium being the cause of slow weight loss or some weight gain. Is that because sodium causes water retention? I would love to hear from you all what you know about sodium.

    Thanks!!!
    Debbie

    If you eat something that spikes your sodium level, particularly if you also aren't drinking a LOT of water, you will probably see a gain in water weight for a few days, yes. Some people find this extremely discouraging, but if you know what caused it it's much less alarming.

    The other reason you see folks talk about sodium so much is that you generally only go over if you are eating a lot of processed or restaurant foods. So controlling your sodium usually means that you're eating more natural foods and fewer processed foods.

    You do need some sodium for your body to function properly, but most Americans eat far more sodium daily than they could possible need. If you have hypertension, then watching your sodium is even more important.
  • ladyhawk00
    ladyhawk00 Posts: 2,457 Member
    Great thread about sodium...

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/217891-give-me-the-straight-dope-about-sodium
  • debbie90045
    debbie90045 Posts: 10
    Awesome information everyone! Thank you!
  • ItsCasey
    ItsCasey Posts: 4,021 Member
    I limit my sodium for health reasons, NOT weight reasons. I think people place too much emphasis on the role of sodium in weight gain/loss. Any weight you gain related solely to the sodium content of your diet is water weight, not fat, and you shouldn't freak out about that. But if a high sodium content is just a byproduct of a high fat content (i.e. fast food), then it's not the sodium that's causing you to gain weight.

    If you're drinking the proper amount of water every day, then don't go nuts trying to keep your sodium below 1500 (which many people on here seem to think is the magic number). Even people who have high BP and/or diabetes can have 2000 to 2400 mg per day without putting themselves at risk. If you're young(ish), have a normal BP, and don't care about water weight, sodium should be the least of your diet concerns.
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