Salt or carbs?
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emily2975
Posts: 45 Member
Trying something different this time... I know when I go hardcore at the beginning of a new 'diet'/lifestyle change I always end up failing. So I'm doing something different this time...can't hurt!
I plan to make 1 significant change at a time. Once that becomes part of my routine (after a couple of weeks, give or take) I will make another change. With that in mind, which would you folks recommend I reduce first? Salt (I eat way too much sodium, I know it is contributing to bloat and cutting way back on that would give me some initial water-weight-loss motivation). Or carbs (often go hand in hand with the salt, but not always - I know a ton of people who have gotten great results on keto, or 'almost keto' diet plans).
Feedback welcome
I plan to make 1 significant change at a time. Once that becomes part of my routine (after a couple of weeks, give or take) I will make another change. With that in mind, which would you folks recommend I reduce first? Salt (I eat way too much sodium, I know it is contributing to bloat and cutting way back on that would give me some initial water-weight-loss motivation). Or carbs (often go hand in hand with the salt, but not always - I know a ton of people who have gotten great results on keto, or 'almost keto' diet plans).
Feedback welcome
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Replies
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How about just eating less of what you're already eating? I tend to get around 2500-3000mg of sodium according to my food diary. I try to stay between 150g-200g of carbs.
Weight loss is about calories, full stop. Salt is good to try to watch, because it affects all my electrolytes, but I eat enough vegetables and drink enough water to offset my sodium intake.10 -
Before you consider low carbing, do you enjoy the food you can have if you cut down your carbs? Not much point trying that one out if you can't face the foods for the long haul, you'd be back to the cycle of going for it, then saying you are sick of eggs in a month
I eat lower carb (not keto) and it suits me nicely. If you want to try taking it steady why not just cut your calorie allowance by bit and see how that goes?4 -
Salt makes my carbs taste good, so for me neither.
Obviously you know that both of these changes will contribute to an initial drop in water weight (since that appears to be your motivation for doing it). Do you plan to stay reduced sodium and low carb? Because if not the water weight will return. The only significant change I made to my diet was to give up 98% of my caloric drinks in favor of water.7 -
I'm a fan of moderation. I know low carb is the "in" thing, but does it really help? Knowing many friends it failed for I have reservations. Sodium is needed by our bodies, but there is too much in the processed foods we eat. If you track and find yourself way over there, I would definitely suggest that you get that under control. Even trying to be careful I find myself over 2400mg a day regularly. Either way, don't go extreme. It is never good.3
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If you were to do keto you'd probably want to increase salt.
IMO, which is more of a problem -- would your diet be healthier if you cut carbs some and replaced with other foods (with the reminder that many carbs are very nutrient dense and many less nutrient dense "carbs" are in reality as much fat as carbs)? Would you have an easier time controlling calories if you cut carbs? Do you need to lose weight?
For salt, do you have a related health condition? Is the amount of salt you consume especially excessive? Can you cut down on some of the less nutrient-dense/more caloric foods you eat that are also high in salt rather than merely focusing on cutting way back on salt?
I don't add salt to finished food or want to, but I do use salt in cooking and don't think about it/log it. This is because I mostly eat home cooked foods (from unpackaged ingredients), so I suspect my salt is already low enough. I also use this to mean that I don't need to worry about the things I eat that are higher in sodium (cottage cheese, cheese, pickles, so on).4 -
Thanks for your notes everyone!
The water weight is just something I am aware of, I definitely need to lose more than just water weight! But I'm hoping it will be encouraging and seem like 'progress' to lose the first 5-10 pounds in the early days. I plan on staying lower carb and lower sodium than I am now, but won't get rid of either (not doing keto). I'm also planning on increasing my intake of 'good stuff' (lean protein, more water, pack more nutrient-rich veggies into meals, etc.) but am trying to figure out which of the other to cut back on first. If I pick carbs I can still have some salty things (pickles!) and vice versa.0 -
I eat a crap ton of plants, including beans, lentils, potatoes, root vegetables, etc...so something like keto is a complete non starter for me. If you want to do keto though, you'd want to have a pretty high sodium intake...with very low carb diets, you want more sodium, not less.1
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What I found worked better for me (I lost 90 lbs in 2014-15) was to focus on calories + positive things to do. You may find that if you hit a protein goal and calories and add in more servings of veg you are just naturally crowding out less nutrient-dense foods.
I think my goals were pretty simple at first -- standard breakfast, bring lunch rather than buy it, homecooked dinner, all meals with sufficient protein (I was trying to hit a minimum of about 90 g), emphasize veg at all meals, and hit calories.6 -
I think my goals were pretty simple at first -- standard breakfast, bring lunch rather than buy it, homecooked dinner, all meals with sufficient protein (I was trying to hit a minimum of about 90 g), emphasize veg at all meals, and hit calories. [/quote]
Yep, that is my plan! I just know I rely way too much on salt and carbs, but I'm definitely not eliminating either of them. Upping the protein will be important too, even though I feel like I eat enough I probably don't.
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When trying to lose weight I wouldnt worry about salt or carbs (unless you have a medical reason) I would concentrate on meeting the calorie goal given you by MFP. Once you have got into the habit of hitting your goal then you can tweak your nutrition.1
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These are not the kinds of changes that really stick. I think going at it one thing at a time is a great plan. Here are some suggestions that are not as drastic and more meaningful:
- Increase your intake of vegetables (this has the potential to displace some higher calorie foods)
- Log food every day (helps you notice your eating patterns)
- Eat more protein (can potentially help you be less hungry)
- Notice what, how, when, and where you tend to overeat and try strategies to combat these specific reasons
- Notice how you feel after eating certain foods to compile a list of the things you find filling
It's more about adding than eliminating, and more about habits than specific food items. If you focus on the process itself you're more likely to "make it stick".6 -
I applaud the strategy of gradual change rather than gong nuts and crashing.
Only, make sure that the changes you make are changes you need to make. There's no point making arbitrary changes that will have no impact on achieving your goal. Make changes that matter.5 -
Thanks for your notes everyone!
The water weight is just something I am aware of, I definitely need to lose more than just water weight! But I'm hoping it will be encouraging and seem like 'progress' to lose the first 5-10 pounds in the early days. I plan on staying lower carb and lower sodium than I am now, but won't get rid of either (not doing keto). I'm also planning on increasing my intake of 'good stuff' (lean protein, more water, pack more nutrient-rich veggies into meals, etc.) but am trying to figure out which of the other to cut back on first. If I pick carbs I can still have some salty things (pickles!) and vice versa.
I would focus on increasing the things you want. If you want more protein and more veggies, you might find that carbs and sodium naturally reduce. I have found that focusing on what I want to decrease leads to cravings and eventually a crash and burn.4 -
Thanks for your notes everyone!
The water weight is just something I am aware of, I definitely need to lose more than just water weight! But I'm hoping it will be encouraging and seem like 'progress' to lose the first 5-10 pounds in the early days.
You don't need to lose water weight. In fact you can't 'lose' water weight in the same way that you can lose fat. Water weight is just the range of water that your body naturally operates between. For every 'OMG! I lost 5 pounds' that comes about due to an ebb in water weight there will be a corresponding "OMG! I've been so good and I put on 5 pounds' water weight flow.
Water weight is a uncontrolled variable not a goal.3 -
just cut back on calories and don't worry about carbs or sodium. calories is the key after all...2
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Thanks for your notes everyone!
The water weight is just something I am aware of, I definitely need to lose more than just water weight! But I'm hoping it will be encouraging and seem like 'progress' to lose the first 5-10 pounds in the early days. I plan on staying lower carb and lower sodium than I am now, but won't get rid of either (not doing keto). I'm also planning on increasing my intake of 'good stuff' (lean protein, more water, pack more nutrient-rich veggies into meals, etc.) but am trying to figure out which of the other to cut back on first. If I pick carbs I can still have some salty things (pickles!) and vice versa.
If you look at the big picture, you wouldn't want to focus on water weight loss, even to make it seem like progress. Water weight is evil. If it makes you happy the first couple of weeks it will make you rage-quit the next couple of weeks. It's always in flux regardless of how you do it because sodium is not the only thing that affects it.5 -
nutmegoreo wrote: »Thanks for your notes everyone!
The water weight is just something I am aware of, I definitely need to lose more than just water weight! But I'm hoping it will be encouraging and seem like 'progress' to lose the first 5-10 pounds in the early days. I plan on staying lower carb and lower sodium than I am now, but won't get rid of either (not doing keto). I'm also planning on increasing my intake of 'good stuff' (lean protein, more water, pack more nutrient-rich veggies into meals, etc.) but am trying to figure out which of the other to cut back on first. If I pick carbs I can still have some salty things (pickles!) and vice versa.
I would focus on increasing the things you want. If you want more protein and more veggies, you might find that carbs and sodium naturally reduce. I have found that focusing on what I want to decrease leads to cravings and eventually a crash and burn.
This^^1 -
Water weight giveth and water weight taketh away. Forcing your body to shed water weight so you see a "win" on the scale today, just means that a couple of weeks from now you will expect to lose weight but will not see the win on the scale because some of that water came back.
Holding and releasing water weight is how your body works, it needs to do it. Fighting that is a losing battle.
In all seriousness, you are better off focusing on getting your frame of mind right - progress will sometimes be slow. Some weeks, it won't show on the scale at all. Focus on progress over the long term. Keep track of goals to accomplish that aren't tied to the scale - hitting your calorie goal, watching the game without bingeing on snacks, eating more veggies, having more energy, sticking to your exercise schedule, whatever. Look at this as slowly changing the way you live over time, with weight loss as the awesome benefit.
Reducing salt or carbs isn't necessary to be healthy, unless you have a medical condition that requires it or consuming them is causing you to eat too much altogether. IMHO, focus on the stuff that will give you the most bang for your buck 3
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