Salt and Sugar...

irandra23
irandra23 Posts: 35 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
So i have been reading a lot about how salt and sugar aren't good and one can lose weight by controlling the intake of this.

What are some of the ways you have managed to control this. I am type 2 diabetic so i know the sugar bit just wondering about the salt.

Replies

  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,510 Member
    edited December 2016
    The only weight salt has an effect on is water weight. It has no calories and doesn't contribute to fat gain or loss but it can make you retain fluid and dropping your salt can make you lose retained water, and see a drop on the scale
  • Whitezombiegirl
    Whitezombiegirl Posts: 1,042 Member
    Limiting sugar just limits overall calories as long as you dont replace them with something else.

    Limiting salt will help reduce water retention which will show on the scale but wont represent fat loss.

    I dont eat many salty things and i never add salt to food- but if i ever get salt cravings i go with it because i think it must be what my body needs at the time. Ill eat saity food or even just lick salt off my hand. I usually try an ectrolyte drink first though.
  • crackpotbaby
    crackpotbaby Posts: 1,297 Member
    Listen to your doctor, endocrinologist, diabetes educator etc about the sugar/diabetes relationship.

    Salt/water retention relationship? Absolutely.
    Most people need 1500mg to 2300mg of sodium per day. Your doctor can give you a good indication of where in this range you should be.

    If you eat processed foods there's a good chance your daily sodium intake will be met without adding salt to anything.

  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    I'm under doctor's orders to pile on the salt! I have on and off hyponatremia due to medication and don't use many packaged foods, but that's me. You do what your doctor recommends.
  • crackpotbaby
    crackpotbaby Posts: 1,297 Member
    GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
    I'm under doctor's orders to pile on the salt! I have on and off hyponatremia due to medication and don't use many packaged foods, but that's me. You do what your doctor recommends.

    Me too :)
    Lithium.
    Salt all round.

  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
    lizery wrote: »
    GottaBurnEmAll wrote: »
    I'm under doctor's orders to pile on the salt! I have on and off hyponatremia due to medication and don't use many packaged foods, but that's me. You do what your doctor recommends.

    Me too :)
    Lithium.
    Salt all round.

    Cymbalta here, fairly high dose for migraine protocol.
    It's funny too, I've lost my taste for salt since menopause and it's not easy to do this. I used to like things really salty when I was younger. Now? Notsomuch.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    irandra23 wrote: »
    So i have been reading a lot about how salt and sugar aren't good and one can lose weight by controlling the intake of this.

    What are some of the ways you have managed to control this. I am type 2 diabetic so i know the sugar bit just wondering about the salt.

    You can't

    you can reduce calories by reducing the amount of food you eat including sugar

    you can reduce water weight by limiting the amount of sodium you eat - but there are health requirements for sodium in diet
  • crzycatlady1
    crzycatlady1 Posts: 1,930 Member
    edited December 2016
    Weight loss is about reducing calories. What you eat to make up your calorie intake doesn't matter for weight loss, but with your medical condition you should talk to your doctor/dietician about your food plan.
  • ShammersPink
    ShammersPink Posts: 215 Member
    High sodium intake is a risk factor for hypertension and stroke, and the association is much stronger in black people, compared to white people. The average sodium intake is higher than health agency recommendations.

    If you have no specific health reasons for eating a high salt diet, it's sensible to keep your sodium intake down, but it will have no effect on weight loss, beyond water bloat.

    In the UK, our intake is always referred to as "salt", both in recommendations and on food labels. The recommended maximum is 6g per day, which equates to 2400mg sodium, but the average intake is 8.6g/day.

    Many people on MFP don't understand that sodium is only 40% of the salt content, so many of the food entries, transcribed from labels on UK foods, are wrong. I correct them when I find them.
  • irandra23
    irandra23 Posts: 35 Member
    Thank you all for the advise.
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