Going over on sodium daily!!!! Grrr

chaddward86
chaddward86 Posts: 10 Member
edited November 28 in Food and Nutrition
Hello I'm just looking for advice out there from others that hopefully know more than me and can ease my mind... I've been doing this app since a week before Xmas and for the life of me I ALWAYS go over on sodium.. My question to everyone is " is it really that big of a deal to go over on nutrient breakdowns in your intake log so long as you stay under your calories"

Replies

  • MelaniaTrump
    MelaniaTrump Posts: 2,694 Member
    edited January 2016
    1,200 sodium a day is really low. I had to guess as to your goal, since you did not mention it.
  • JackieMarie1989jgw
    JackieMarie1989jgw Posts: 230 Member
    Well sodium won't affect your calories at all, it might cause you to retain water if you are eating a lot of it, but it wont keep you from losing fat. I personally think going slightly over isnt going to hurt you unless you have a medical problem such as high blood pressure. Over time it could lead to high blood pressure if you're going way over, but if it's just a little over and youre otherwise healthy I personally wouldnt worry about it
  • chaddward86
    chaddward86 Posts: 10 Member
    Well I seem to be in the neighborhood of 800-1800mg over on a 2300mg day goal with an intake of 2190 cal... I do awesome on the calorie part but I seem to go over on sodium all the time and even on the sugars and fat also but not much over 5-10 on them 2 but sodium is killing me.. And I forgot to mention I've hit a wall on the losing weight but I still go 30 min on an elliptical 3 a week if possible and I have the 8fit app on my phone that has the workouts I do daily and I also throw in some kettle bells after any workout just to work on my shoulders back and arms... I just didn't know if the sodium could be part of my plateau problem.
  • JackieMarie1989jgw
    JackieMarie1989jgw Posts: 230 Member
    Hm... High sodium intake plus exercise can definitely lead to water retention which can lead to weight gain or failure to lose weight. It shouldnt affect your fat loss though. How long have you been on mfp? Had you lost weight? It's normal to hit a plateau after losing weight, since the smaller you are the more your calorie needs decrease. You might have to adjust your calorie goals if you havent hit your goal yet
  • chaddward86
    chaddward86 Posts: 10 Member
    35-40 days on app started at 278 and now stuck at 265 goal is 225 so I have quite a journey ahead of me
  • JackieMarie1989jgw
    JackieMarie1989jgw Posts: 230 Member
    Water retention might be part of your problem, but I would also go to your goals and readjust your calories. It sucks, I know. I plateaued after losing ten pounds last time and had to adjust calories. I cant say for sure if thats your issue but its worth a try to see if it helps. You might want to mix it up with your workouts too, try something different, maybe some exercises combining strength training and cardio. Doing the same exercises all the time, your progress will plateau.
  • StacyChrz
    StacyChrz Posts: 865 Member
    would you be willing to open up your diary so we can take a look and offer suggestions? Feel free to check mine out.
  • chaddward86
    chaddward86 Posts: 10 Member
    How do I open my diary??? I'm not ashamed of anything I do cuz I know there are things on there I prolly shouldn't have or shouldn't have as much of but if someone with results and knowledge will tell me what's garbage and what's good I'll do whatever it takes
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    Sodium is NOT my friend. I have been known to gain 6 pounds of water weight if I my food choices weren't so great over a certain period of time. I know when I have consumed too much sodium and is causing havoc on the scale.

    Sodium "overload" on certain days that cause water retention or water weight gain will work itself out in the coming days after consuming too much and should not be a reason for a fat/weight loss stall.

    If you are at a stall, I bet it is not sodium, it is over eating too many calories especially if it has been more than 3 weeks..

  • chaddward86
    chaddward86 Posts: 10 Member
    This will be week 3 on Monday
  • StacyChrz
    StacyChrz Posts: 865 Member
    chaddward86 wrote: »
    How do I open my diary??? I'm not ashamed of anything I do cuz I know there are things on there I prolly shouldn't have or shouldn't have as much of but if someone with results and knowledge will tell me what's garbage and what's good I'll do whatever it takes

    Absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. You just have to do your best every day and some days will be better than others. After a while the good days will far outweigh the bad. Sometimes it just helps to have another set of eyes take a look and see if they spot something you don't.

    To open your diary in the mobile app you can go to settings, diary settings, then select the option at the bottom of the list. It'll let you set your privacy level.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    If you want to cut back on sodium, eat more whole foods and less processed foods.
  • markrgeary1
    markrgeary1 Posts: 853 Member
    I have BP issues and watch my sodium religiously. Things to look for including: All procesed foods, restaurant meals(fast food is typically higher), condiments. If you need to regulate sodium( many folks don't) pay attention as you add each meal. You should be able to quickly find the source.
  • bsbprincess
    bsbprincess Posts: 161 Member
    I go over about that much per day too, but I used to salt my food like CRAZY. Now I don't salt anything, so I still think I'm making great changes there. It doesn't seem to be getting in my way so far, but always seeing that red is certainly annoying.
  • Vertigeau
    Vertigeau Posts: 13 Member
    Drink a lot of water, it'll flush the excess sodium out.
  • chaddward86
    chaddward86 Posts: 10 Member
    My dairy is now open... Look away and let me know what anyone thinks... I'm open to all criticism good and bad... If anyone has suggestions on better foods to eat or buy or where to buy feel free to include it in any comment... I really wanna have stuff figured out by the time my wife has our second and final child in April and then she's getting on board with me... Then it moves to a 100lb weight loss goal by next April so I wanna help her any way I can but as of now I feel I'm in now shape to be giving advice cuz I really don't know what I'm doing other
  • Vertigeau
    Vertigeau Posts: 13 Member
    chaddward86 wrote: »
    My dairy

    hahaha
  • chaddward86
    chaddward86 Posts: 10 Member
    I hear ya bsbprincess I feel that when I see them red numbers I've failed the entire day and will never see my goal no matter how many calories I have left at the end of the day
  • CasperNaegle
    CasperNaegle Posts: 936 Member
    I don't monitor sodium at all.. wouldn't worry about it.
  • sonnydaniels
    sonnydaniels Posts: 33 Member
    Try switching up your workout routine some to give your body some variation if you are hitting plateaus--incorporate some weight training aimed at adding lean muscle which will increase your metabolism
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    chaddward86 wrote: »
    I hear ya bsbprincess I feel that when I see them red numbers I've failed the entire day and will never see my goal no matter how many calories I have left at the end of the day

    where your weight is concerned, calories are the most important...going over on sodium has nothing to do with burning fat. I watch my sodium because I'm hypertensive...if you're not and not at risk then I wouldn't personally worry about it and I would find something more meaningful to track.
  • susannegreen
    susannegreen Posts: 48 Member
    I would look at any prepackaged food and see if you can make swaps. Take a trip to the grocery store one day just to look at labels. I was in the same boat when I started. Most of my culprits were dressings/condiments, canned soups/veggies, and chips. They have lots of good reduced sodium options for canned veggies, or you could go with frozen and that cuts it down a lot. Whole foods sells no salt added tortilla chips that are delicious. I have invested in lots of herbs and spices to flavor my food and have really been able to very back on the added sodium when cooking as well. I still go over sometimes but not as much. It's hard! Lol. Good luck.
  • chaddward86
    chaddward86 Posts: 10 Member
    nerevarmoonandstar wrote: »
    chaddward86 wrote: »
    My dairy

    hahaha

    Something funny to you????
  • OyGeeBiv
    OyGeeBiv Posts: 733 Member
    You're eating a lot of cheese, which is high in sodium. You might want to cut back on cheese, or at least look for low-sodium versions.
  • StacyChrz
    StacyChrz Posts: 865 Member
    It looks like you're eating a lot of convenience foods. While they may make it easier to stay within your calories they tend to have a lot more salt. I would suggest taking a little time one or two days/week to plan out and pre cook some food to help you get through the week.
  • chaddward86
    chaddward86 Posts: 10 Member
    I'll give that a try thanks a bunch

  • krista681
    krista681 Posts: 26 Member
    sonnydaniels wrote: »
    Try switching up your workout routine some to give your body some variation if you are hitting plateaus--incorporate some weight training aimed at adding lean muscle which will increase your metabolism

    exactly. if you do the same workouts every day your working out muscles that are already trained so your body doesn't have to work as hard. constantly rotate your workouts. also, as far as your food journal goes, all the cheese and processed foods will get you! generally I try to stick with anything that comes prepackaged is a no no. Meal prepping will definitely help keep you on track as well as help incorporate fresh foods and home cooked meats! Stick to leaner meats other than beef. Try turkey meat instead (moose is my go to) or chicken. To help fill the void of unhealthy snacks, try smoothies and add some whey. super filling, great for a natural pre or post workout, and the natural sugar in the fruit will help kick the munchie/sweet tooth cravings.
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