Low calorie, but high "other"

mystiquefrog78
mystiquefrog78 Posts: 14
edited September 27 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm doing pretty good on staying under my calorie goal. I'm just worried about my sodium, some days it's in the red. I know this isn't good, but I need some suggestions on how to keep everything balanced. I've only been doing this a week peeps, so be gentle in your replies. No, I don't know everything about nutrition...that's why I'm here.

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Replies

  • amoffatt
    amoffatt Posts: 674 Member
    I am not sure on this, I know for me that too much sodium can make me feel bloated and puffy. I worry about my carbs as well, some people its all about calories or carbs or both.... Good question! :huh: :huh:
  • stanvoodoo
    stanvoodoo Posts: 1,023 Member
    Can't see your Diary but I would watch processed foods as they are very high in sodium. Fast Food, lean cuisine, most lunch meat, etc....

    Drink lots of water, 64oz per day to help!

    Good Luck and if you would like more help, Open your Diary!
  • mystiquefrog78
    mystiquefrog78 Posts: 14
    Didn't know it was hidden. Will do....LOL

    I've been focusing on calorie intake...nothing else. And today, I added the sodium tracker and it's was over. But I had a subway pizza and that was a lot....and my dinner was high as well. I don't want to get overloaded. Should I just worry about calories for now???
  • bcpie
    bcpie Posts: 89
    I would start just worrying about calories, honestly. I've been tracking my foods for a long time now and have just recently decided to lower my carbs. and guess what? it is really, really hard! If I would have tried lowering my carbs AND counting calories simultaneously to begin with, I might have given up or gotten frustrated. It would have sucked. One thing at a time, lifestyle changes. :)
  • mystiquefrog78
    mystiquefrog78 Posts: 14
    I would start just worrying about calories, honestly. I've been tracking my foods for a long time now and have just recently decided to lower my carbs. and guess what? it is really, really hard! If I would have tried lowering my carbs AND counting calories simultaneously to begin with, I might have given up or gotten frustrated. It would have sucked. One thing at a time, lifestyle changes. :)

    That's what I'm thinking. I hear so many things, it overwhelms me. I want to stick to this.
  • NYCDutchess
    NYCDutchess Posts: 622 Member
    Cut out white carbs...sodium can be higher if you are working out and sweating. Put processed food and white carbs are diet killers, even if you are under your allowed calories.

    Good luck!
  • bcpie
    bcpie Posts: 89
    Awesome, glad I could be helpful. [:
  • epj78
    epj78 Posts: 643 Member
    My advice is to not try to fix everything at once! You'll just get frustrated and stop doing it. So, do what you've been doing and just concentrate on calories, do that for a month or so before looking at anything else.

    Do you have high blood pressure? The reason I ask is sodium is a tough nut to crack, if you don't have the side effects of sodium now, I'd work on something like striving for 9 servings of fruits and veggies next and maybe 25 g of fiber a day. Do that for a month along with the calorie counting.

    Then maybe worry about tackling the sodium issue. New guidelines say to stay under 1500 a day -- that is hard!! Start with around 2000 and work your way down. As others have said, it's processed foods that will get you - but oh so many things you don't think of, like bread!!

    Congratulations on joining and don't overwhelm yourself! This journey is definitely a marathon, not a sprint --- so don't wear yourself out in the first mile!
  • irridia
    irridia Posts: 527 Member
    Watching sodium will help lostso stuff. Esp tom/pms issues. You can counter by eating something more potassium laden such as a bananna, brocolli, or if your starchy carbs are okay, potato. Also as others mentioned drink water. Oddly the biggest contributor to sodium outside of processed soups and sauces is bread! Other than baking your own, your best tool for this is reading lables and smaller portions. Find no salt added options when you can. Avoid stuff w/msg, nitrates, sulfates etc... those are all contributors to sodium intake and in the case of msg at least are central nervous system toxins. Drop pop completely if you drink it. Sugar free versions contain chemicals of questionable safety (imho) and usually have lots more sodium. Mostly go for water, teas (caffinated or herbal), and or cofee. When water gets boring try some lime or lemon in it. Of course the more you sweat the more salt gets removed from your body and I believe that it is taken into account on mfp.

    good luck you are already on the right track both by being here and by investigating the causes of red numbers!
  • stanvoodoo
    stanvoodoo Posts: 1,023 Member
    Ok, now i can see the Diary. Protein looks good but some of the sodium is processed food. McDonalds and Subway. Try to move away from that if possible and that will really help.

    If you are making homemade meals life the Nachos, I would suggest you put in the ingredients in the Receipe Calculator to make sure that is correct. Look for low sodium cheese.

    Much better protein drinks than Slim Fast, for pre made shakes try Pure Protein or Premier Protein but are much better alternatives.
  • Losingitin2011
    Losingitin2011 Posts: 572 Member
    Fast food is super high in sodium. Those subway pizzas are killers on the sodium. I am usually under most days when I avoid "processed" foods. But that isn't always possible. Drink lots of water to flush the salt out of your body and you should be golden. :-)
  • callipygianchronicle
    callipygianchronicle Posts: 811 Member
    You're just starting. It's easy to get overwhelmed and overloaded with all the you're-doing-it-wrongs who might chime in.

    I always advocate letting success breed success. Focus on hitting your calorie goal and let all the macro nutrients fall where they may. When that becomes second nature, and it's easy for you to manage, then start focusing on improving your nutrition or tightening up a macro-nutrient category.

    The big secret is that you absolute;y do not have to eat perfectly in order to lose weight. Yes, there are considerations for health. I have high blood pressure so I *have* to manage my sodium intake. But if weight loss is your primary goal, don't panic about all the details until you need to.

    That's my take.
  • jannapurna
    jannapurna Posts: 49 Member
    I agree with the others, don't rush yourself and get used to eating fewer calories before moving on to other things.
    My first few weeks I focused on calories, now I'm trying to lower my sugar levels - even though it all comes from fruit and veggies!
    Yesterday I was in the red for sodium and it's because I used soy sauce and vegetarian oyster sauce to flavour tofu - WTF?!? You'd be surprised how much sodium is hiding in just 1TBSP of soy sauce!
    A quick fix would definitely be to cut down or cut out fast food. I know it's hard, but make time in the evening to pack yourself a lunch. It'll be worth it! :flowerforyou:
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