Does anyone track their salt intake?

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  • tifarahmonteith
    tifarahmonteith Posts: 23 Member
    in my understanding.....weight gain overnight like that is not really "weight" like you think.......the higher your sodium intake, the more water your body holds onto to try to dilute it. So essentially, if you are getting too much salt in your diet your body will retain water like crazy and that extra water is the number you'll see on the scale.
  • Twylyght
    Twylyght Posts: 224 Member
    I always have tracked my sodium because I like high sodium foods. I also still drink a can of dr. pepper every day which has sodium in it too. If I do go over, then I down my water even more the next day. I already drink 72-80 oz. a day so when my sodium is over...I'm like a camel....lol. Good luck on your sodium intake and try not to weigh yourself everyday...it's very deceptive and discouraging!
  • Butterfly3730
    Butterfly3730 Posts: 220
    Absolutely. Not only because I have high blood pressure but because I'm amazed at how much salt I was consuming before. I have it at 2500 mg but really need to lower it to 1500 mg because that is what is recommended by my dr. And plus, for me it is a guarantee that if I have a high sodium day, it will result in a gain on the scale.
  • JSheehy1965
    JSheehy1965 Posts: 404
    I try and track sodium intake. I don't salt food when I cook, perhaps just a little when it's finally on my plate - and even though I work full time, I'd rather eat home made stuff than frozen dinners. Fat free yoghurt, fat free cottage cheese..in fact a lot of "fat free" foods have a LOT of sodium! It's kinda scary! Fitness Pal is great at helping you track all kinds of stuff.
  • fluffy925
    fluffy925 Posts: 93 Member
    I have found this topic really usefull, thankyou guys start tracking from now on, which i hope will lower my blood pressure!
  • kaetra
    kaetra Posts: 442 Member
    I'm having a hard time digesting that "they" are saying 1500 per day should be the normal now. I'm wondering who "they" is - hehe, not that I don't believe it, it just seems pretty extreme to me. 1500 would be very limiting to anyone's diet - especially in America. ......

    How about Health Canada: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/nutrition/sodium/index-eng.php

    Wow, that is pretty harsh for the salt lovers, but I totally understand why Canada is going with that.
  • mamamc03
    mamamc03 Posts: 1,067 Member
    Oh yes I track it!! That is definitely why you gained. Eat clean & research menus before you eat out anywhere. For funzies, go check out Chili's, Subway & Applebee's. You will be shocked!!
  • Contrarian
    Contrarian Posts: 8,138 Member
    I don't track my sodium. I don't have any health issues that are related to sodium consumption, and I don't eat a lot of processed foods. The only time it might be an issue is when I eat in restaurants, but drinking lots of water on those days will help to work it through my system.

    I'm not terribly concerned with weight due to water retention, anyway. That's easily sorted.
  • Diandra81
    Diandra81 Posts: 128 Member
    I've been tracking mine since last year when I was diagnosed with hypertension. It's difficult at first, because so much of the food that we eat is LOADED with sodium. It will get easier though....I don't consume more than 1200 mg of sodium daily.
  • karenwill2
    karenwill2 Posts: 604 Member
    I track it!
  • lax75
    lax75 Posts: 118 Member
    I track sodium for health reasons, more than for weight.

    From the Mayo Clinic website -
    The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting sodium to less than 2,300 mg a day — or 1,500 mg if you're age 51 or older, or if you are black, or if you have high blood pressure, diabetes or chronic kidney disease.

    So being of a certain age :-) I try to stay under 1500. I make my own soup and stews, only use fresh/frozen vegetables (ex. for diced tomatoes but I get the no-salt-added kind, and dried beans - I cook a full pound bag of beans at a time and just keep in frige to use as I need), and don't add table salt to anything. But it hides in lots of places like bread, milk and even carrots! It does take a little getting used to but now I can stay under the1500 limit without too much effort EXCEPT for stir-fry and going out to eat. Managing sodium when I haven't made what I'm eating seems much harder than managing the calories!
  • babbgirl1975
    babbgirl1975 Posts: 36 Member
    That was one of the 1st things I did was go and add sodium to my tracking chart! I did WW for awhile & noticed times when I thought I should be losing and wasn't was because I was getting way too much sodium. I was eating alot of lean cuisines & smart ones meals. Not that I'm downing them. But they are packed with sodium and hindered my efforts! Its so much better to make your own meals & control the amount of sodium you get!!!
  • blueeyedcristi
    blueeyedcristi Posts: 304 Member
    Most definitely!
  • Tajdancer
    Tajdancer Posts: 82 Member
    I track. And I've noticed that when I keep it under/around 1500 mg per day, I lose weight more consistently.
  • FlynnMacCallister
    FlynnMacCallister Posts: 172 Member
    You should always weigh yourself at the same time of day, as your weight genuinely can vary by a good 2 *kg* over the course of a day, never mind 2 lbs!

    I should be tracking sodium; hypertension runs in my family. >.<'' Thanks for the reminder!

    (Edit: and damn, I kinda need to be a little more careful about it! Oops. Thanks so much for bringing it up.)
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