Sodium = Weight Gain?

soccerkon26
soccerkon26 Posts: 596 Member
edited November 2024 in Food and Nutrition
Yesterday I had about 4,000mg of sodium. Could that be the reason I was almost a pound heavier on the scale this morning? Thanks for your help!

Replies

  • lewispwest
    lewispwest Posts: 498 Member
    Sodium increases water retention = water weight. Eventually it'll even itself out.
  • soccerkon26
    soccerkon26 Posts: 596 Member
    lewispwest wrote: »
    Sodium increases water retention = water weight. Eventually it'll even itself out.

    I sure hope so! I mean there is always a chance that I underestimated the calories or something but I usually overestimate
  • PoisonIvy088
    PoisonIvy088 Posts: 107 Member
    Yes. But its only water retention. :)
  • hanajbanana
    hanajbanana Posts: 30 Member
    Probably. If I eat food that I know has a lot of salt I generally find the scales are about 3lb higher, which is scary at first until I calm down, realise it's just water weight, and try not to have anything too salty for a couple of days and it all goes back to normal. Generally takes 3 days for me, inc drinking lots of water...
  • TheSurge0n
    TheSurge0n Posts: 113 Member
    Too high sodium, water retention = transient increase in weight.
    Drink water 1/2 cup frequently though out the day & it will be fixed.
  • soccerkon26
    soccerkon26 Posts: 596 Member
    PoisonIvy088 wrote: »
    Yes. But its only water retention. :)

    I'm .8 pounds heavier than last Monday....grrr it better be all water! :s
  • soccerkon26
    soccerkon26 Posts: 596 Member
    I drink about 9 cups of water today...I'll try to drink a lot more! Thanks everyone :)
  • PoisonIvy088
    PoisonIvy088 Posts: 107 Member
    soccerkon26 wrote: »
    PoisonIvy088 wrote: »
    Yes. But its only water retention. :)

    I'm .8 pounds heavier than last Monday....grrr it better be all water! :s

    Well I retain up to 10lb of water on TOM. So, its totally possible.
  • smashmcdash118
    smashmcdash118 Posts: 10 Member
    Yes, sodium causes you to gain water weight. Besides drinking water, you can also drink natural diuretics like coffee or green tea. And, of course, cut down on the sodium! lol

    I know it's easier said than done, tho. The other day, I had Thai wonton soup and found out it had like 1500mg of sodium!
  • PoisonIvy088
    PoisonIvy088 Posts: 107 Member
    You should send me that high sodium food. I eat too little sodium. Which often makes me light headed.
  • Asher_Ethan
    Asher_Ethan Posts: 2,430 Member
    Same exact thing happened to me at my weigh in this morning. Then I looked at my sodium from yesterday and it definitely makes more sense now.
  • michellesz
    michellesz Posts: 429 Member
    YEP!!
  • staneja103
    staneja103 Posts: 1 Member
    Dear all kindly throw your ideas around Necessary Vitamins and sources for the same??
  • bigd66218
    bigd66218 Posts: 376 Member
    I gained 2 pounds the next day after eating Chinese food...took about 2 days for the weight to come off.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,864 Member
    soccerkon26 wrote: »
    lewispwest wrote: »
    Sodium increases water retention = water weight. Eventually it'll even itself out.

    I sure hope so! I mean there is always a chance that I underestimated the calories or something but I usually overestimate

    Even if you went over calories, it's pretty much mathematically impossible to put on a pound of fat in a day. Do you understand the math?

    Most people can fluctuate up or down a good 1-5 Lbs day to day and throughout the day, even if they didn't eat a lot of sodium or whatever. But yeah...excess sodium causes water retention. I'm up 5 Lbs from yesterday because I made a ham for Sunday dinner.
  • bainsworth1a
    bainsworth1a Posts: 313 Member
    yes sodium causes water retention. You are lucky it is only 1 pound. I am sodium sensitive so for me it can be really bad as much as 5 pounds. I have to take extra diuretics when that happens. thanks to MFP I can see how much sodium I have eaten and reduce the number of times this happens to me.
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