Consistently over on protein and sodium.

navajoon
navajoon Posts: 355
edited September 26 in Health and Weight Loss
So... I was looking through my food log, and while I'm under on most everything, carbs, fat, calories (due to workouts), I'm consistently over on sodium and protein. Like... literally every day.

How does this effect weight loss? Is going over on sodium really that big a deal?

Replies

  • michelle4271
    michelle4271 Posts: 194 Member
    as for the protein,,,,you should be coming close to 100g per day, especially if you are weight training too...we need that as women.

    as for the sodium,,,look at the individual foods that are high, and see where you can "tweek" your changes to lower that, and increase your water to also help compensate for the high sodium.

    your diary is not public, so all that can be done right now is speculation.....
  • kkimora26
    kkimora26 Posts: 8
    High sodium causes you to retain water.
  • Newfiedan
    Newfiedan Posts: 1,517 Member
    being over on protein is ok to a point exceeding 1 gram for every pound of body weight is usually not recommended. If you are weight training though you should be aiming for around 100-150 grams a day. With that said there are limitations to it. Being over on sodium is common to many on here and the only way to get under is to eat more natural foods like veggies, fruits and avoid the processed stuff.
  • smuehlbauer
    smuehlbauer Posts: 1,041 Member
    As long as you are healthy - being over on the protein is not a problem. I'm usually around 150 a day.
    Sodium - anything processed or when you eat out is going to kill you with sodium. The cleaner you eat the less sodium usually.
    Good luck.
    steph
  • zoebea33
    zoebea33 Posts: 74 Member
    i'm exactly the same, trying to tweak things now. I cant believe how much salt is in some things, i love turkey ham but omg it took me to over double my sodium intake, think i'll be avoiding that !!!





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  • Jennyzfit
    Jennyzfit Posts: 175 Member
    To keep you sodium low do not buy prepared foods. Make your own. If you are taking protein shakes, powder etc; eliminate that as well. You should be getting enough protein from your diet. Making your own foods will solve the sodium and protein issues.
    Hope this helps
  • eeeekie
    eeeekie Posts: 1,011 Member
    I wouldn't worry about protein but I worry about sodium. I'm over it by 1000's more often than not. Yesterday I made a conscious effort to be below on sodium and came well under 200 below. It was a great day but I found it difficult. I think today (not really trying as hard as yesterday) will be good too just...watch the pre-packed stuff and if you eat lunch meats or bread...make sure you read the labels.
  • ladybug1620
    ladybug1620 Posts: 1,136 Member
    Buy low or no salt added options if you have to buy processed foods. I'm getting no salt added canned veggies and lunchmeats instead of what I would usually buy. I am also drinking more than the recommended amount of water to flush out excess. Sodium will cause you to retain water, and keep the scale from moving. So you do want to stay as low as possible.
  • mrs_mouse
    mrs_mouse Posts: 24
    Sodium has lots of long-term effects as well, not just retaining water, so it's worth bringing it down. I think MFP sets your sodium at 2500 mg a day, and even that is over the recommended... you should be trying for 1500 if you can.

    Processed/packaged foods, deli meats, soups, crackers, etc all are typically high in sodium.

    As for Protein, it depends how much you are over... I'm no expert on this, but I don't imagine a bit extra will hurt if you are active.
  • navajoon
    navajoon Posts: 355
    I am doing weight training... looking at my log, my protein is usually about 90-110, with one high day of 120.

    I think the sodium issues come from the tiniest places... A lot of lunches, I will do a turkey/ham sandwich and I know deli meats have a lot of sodium. But the shockers are just little low cal garnishes like pickles. Or one of my favorite healthy snacks, fake crab. I just noticed the two servings I had of it was 900!!!
  • michelle4271
    michelle4271 Posts: 194 Member
    yeah, basically if it comes in a package, can, bag, what have you its going to either have salt or sugar in it.......just have to locate where you're going over and then find other options,,,,babysteps
  • Zepp1978
    Zepp1978 Posts: 2 Member
    I'm over on Protein and fiber almost every single day. I pay more attention to the sodium. I never go over on it. Which has made dinner quite a mess some days. But if you don't eat anything out of a can or fast food, you should be okay. All the processed junk will kill your sodium intake.
  • wewon
    wewon Posts: 838 Member
    Do you eat out a lot or eat a lot of processed/deli meats?

    I've started watching my sodium as well since starting here and looked at a chart of the last 30 days, specifically for sodium. What I found was that whenever there was a spike day it was a day that I ate at a sandwich shop or restaraunt.

    Eating foods that you prepare is one of the easiest ways to control that intake.
  • wewon
    wewon Posts: 838 Member
    I am doing weight training... looking at my log, my protein is usually about 90-110, with one high day of 120.

    I think the sodium issues come from the tiniest places... A lot of lunches, I will do a turkey/ham sandwich and I know deli meats have a lot of sodium. But the shockers are just little low cal garnishes like pickles. Or one of my favorite healthy snacks, fake crab. I just noticed the two servings I had of it was 900!!!

    Okay, I didn't see this before my reply, sorry for the redundancy.
  • PrairieRoseNE
    PrairieRoseNE Posts: 265 Member
    Use MFP's search feature and type in sodium and you can read alot of posts from people on ways to limit your sodium.

    Too much sodium in your diet not only causes you to retain fluid, but it can adversely affect, not only your heart (which most people already know) but ALSO your Liver and Kidneys. The liver helps with metabolism and if it has to work overtime helping the kidneys handle too much sodium - it can't work efficiently and your body isn't getting all the benefits of the GOOD food you are eating.

    Good luck!!! Eating the low sodium way can be a challenge - but your body will thank you for it!!!
  • Huffdogg
    Huffdogg Posts: 1,934 Member
    As some others have said, "over" on protein is not really a big deal, particularly if you are lifting weights. As long as you are not over 1g of protein for 1 lb of body weight, you aren't really taking in an excess of protein. Sodium is the killer in the modern world. If it's not fresh, it's bound to be loaded down with sodium. Others have listed the drawbacks, and I'm sure you are aware of them yourself, so I'll not list them all out here. I can only echo what others have said about trying to incorporate the greatest possible amount of fresh foods in your diet and take in less prepackaged food.
  • navajoon
    navajoon Posts: 355
    Do you eat out a lot or eat a lot of processed/deli meats?

    I've started watching my sodium as well since starting here and looked at a chart of the last 30 days, specifically for sodium. What I found was that whenever there was a spike day it was a day that I ate at a sandwich shop or restaraunt.

    Eating foods that you prepare is one of the easiest ways to control that intake.

    Wewon, I'm not eating out at all if I can help it, but yes... I do hit the deli meats for sandwiches for most lunches. Maybe I can start making my own healthy chicken salad or something where I know what the sodium input is. Thanks everyone for the feedback! I was familiar with the water retention (I'm a girl, of course I'm familiar) but I didn't know if there were other drawbacks.
  • PrairieRoseNE
    PrairieRoseNE Posts: 265 Member
    Another sandwich idea might be to grill some chicken breast and cut into strips with some seasoning, instead of adding mayo or other condiments?? And there are low sodium deli meats available in the larger grocery stores - you might have to ask at your meat counter?? Wishing you luck!!
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