Wake up call to sodium

L_Reece
L_Reece Posts: 3 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
We are remodeling the kitchen, so have been eating a lot of pre-packaged foods or eat out. This has made me reach my heaviest weight of 367. Last week, I noticed my ankle/feet/calves very puffy. My left leg started weeping water through the pores. I went to see a doctor and she told me to not go over 2,000 sodium per day. I stopped counting my calories and just started counting my sodium instead. This has forced me to cut calories anyways. It has been one week today and I am down 11 lb. I know this is all water weight, but my leg has stopped weeping and I feel better. I am going to continue in this way in hopes I can keep losing. I will keep everyone up to date. Wish me luck. Thank you.

Replies

  • Aplant77
    Aplant77 Posts: 112 Member
    Wow!
  • L_Reece
    L_Reece Posts: 3 Member
    The doctor is running tests for an underlying reason. I have dieted off and on, but just did not keep up with it. This was the eye opener I needed to really stick to it and do something. Watching my sodium makes me under my calorie intake by a few hundred. I was down another pound this morning, so this seems to be working.
  • bigbandjohn
    bigbandjohn Posts: 769 Member
    My quick note on sodium.... Average 1-2 grams per calorie. Adjust for your caloric intake. At 1600 calories, I need to average 1.5 grams. I try to (sometimes unsuccessfully) avoid higher sodium foods. I have been informed from a kidney doctor that you do need between 1000 and 1200 grams of sodium minimum on average today for health reasons, but most of that can be obtained naturally in foods without adding salt.
  • DaisyHamilton
    DaisyHamilton Posts: 575 Member
    Wow that is so scary. Good luck OP, glad you found something to help motivate you, but sorry that it was in this way.
  • ssbbg
    ssbbg Posts: 153 Member
    bigbandjohn wrote: »
    My quick note on sodium.... Average 1-2 grams per calorie. Adjust for your caloric intake. At 1600 calories, I need to average 1.5 grams. I try to (sometimes unsuccessfully) avoid higher sodium foods. I have been informed from a kidney doctor that you do need between 1000 and 1200 grams of sodium minimum on average today for health reasons, but most of that can be obtained naturally in foods without adding salt.

    This is a good rule of thumb, except mg not grams! I like 1 mg/ 1 calorie better than 2. (Even on a 1200 cal diet that gives you the 1200 mg your kidney doc recommends) That gives you a bit more wiggle room to use a higher sodium condiment too.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,089 Member
    bigbandjohn wrote: »
    My quick note on sodium.... Average 1-2 grams per calorie. Adjust for your caloric intake. At 1600 calories, I need to average 1.5 grams. I try to (sometimes unsuccessfully) avoid higher sodium foods. I have been informed from a kidney doctor that you do need between 1000 and 1200 grams of sodium minimum on average today for health reasons, but most of that can be obtained naturally in foods without adding salt.

    I think you mean average 1 to 2 milligrams of sodium per calorie, not 1 to 2 grams per calorie, which would be horrifically bad advice. On a 2000 calorie diet, that would be 4 to 9 pounds of sodium a day.

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