Calories/Sodium Intake-Help

I have no medical reason to limit sodium so I don't pay any attention to it.

That said, I think you've hit the nail on the head -- many pre-made foods like frozen meals or canned soups do tend to have more sodium than the equivalent we'd make at home. If you don't want to prepare more of your own meals, you can find lower sodium versions of many of these foods.

Water weight fades pretty quickly. If you're not medically required to restrict sodium, it's not a major concern. And if it helps...




Just my n=1

Water weight, in and of itself, is not a problem - just a # that has nothing to do with excess fat. If you need to cut down on sodium for medical reasons, or just want to "just because," then the way to do it is to prepare your own food from scratch. Get into the habit of looking at food labels and given an option, choose a lower sodium item. All prepared meals - most soups (unless they explicitly say low sodium - and imho are then tasteless), frozen complete meals, and lots of pasta sauces will be prepared with more sodium than you'd use making it yourself.

Vegetables and fruits are naturally low in sodium. Nut roasted without salt are low in sodium. Some meats and poultry can be injected with a solution that is high in sodium so you need to check the labels there. Yogurt is another good low-sodium option.

I am not an expert on this and my calorie goal is less than yours but i never hit my recommended sodium intake.
I guess i can advise you to eat more fresh veggies and some fruit. Avoid canned or frozen/processed meals. Chicken/ turkey beasts without skin, and shellfish are not high in sodium.
If you want to eat canned beans just buy the ones that have 'no added salt' or 'low sodium' label on them.
1% milk, less than 3% Greek yogurt or any low fat yogurt doesn't have much sodium. I add a mixture of chia and flax seeds to make up for the absence of fat in it.
Instead of using salt to taste in your food, you can slowly start to substitute it with lemon/lime juice.
Read the labels.
Especially watch out for high sodium in these foods:

Breads, rolls, bagels, flour tortillas, and wraps
Cold cuts and cured meats
Pizza
Poultry (much poultry and other meats are injected with sodium. Check the Nutrition Facts for sodium content or read package for a description of a solution, for example, “Fresh chicken in a 15% solution.”)
Canned Soup
Ready to eat sandwiches

Good luck

aocheltree75 wrote: »

I don't have a general medical reason for staying away from sodium but I was always told too much as not good. The convenience of the frozen pre-packaged foods are what get me because I can be a little bit lazy and not meal prep for the week, which I know I need to fix. So going under my recommended calorie intake---is that okay?

Being a bit under or being under occasionally is no big deal. But if you're consistently under and creating a deficit that is too large, it can potentially compromise your health and energy.

aocheltree75 wrote: »

I don't have a general medical reason for staying away from sodium but I was always told too much as not good. The convenience of the frozen pre-packaged foods are what get me because I can be a little bit lazy and not meal prep for the week, which I know I need to fix. So going under my recommended calorie intake---is that okay?

The difference between 2346 calories and 1600-1800 a day (you in mentioned in your OP) is 546-750 calories. This increases your calorie deficit per day quite a bit, If you only go under occasionally this is fine, but sustaining this large of deficit for longer periods of time could be quite unhealthy.

I would look into moderating the processed foods at much as possible, looking into lower sodium options, meal prepping as much as you can, and eat calorie dense foods if you need to to reach your calorie goal.