How much should I worry about...

You really need to check every label and try to buy fresh. Even bread is high in sodium. I used to eat a lot of lean cuisine and stuff like that - low in Cal's, but high, high, high in sodium. I limit cheese, pre-seasoned meats, deli meats, anything like that. I even make my own fries - never buy the frozen bags of fries (my kids love this stuff). I also get most of my recipes from "skinny" sites like Gina's skinnytaste.com - there are so many sites like this. And if you're drinking lots of water, then yes, you should be OK, but there are so many ways to cut the sodium. Good luck!

I don't let sodium bother me. It doesn't affect me as I have no heart issues and I don't retain fluids. There is research coming to light that higher sodium levels is not the enemy once thought (similar to cholesterol, fat and any number of nutrition bugaboos). http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=its-time-to-end-the-war-on-salt While that link itself isn't a study, it quotes other studies.

I think that the battle cry of "reduce your sodium!" is similar to the Eggs Will Kill You Crowd. Basically, further science is needed and if sodium isn't affecting you in a measurable, negative way, don't worry so much.

Too long to post here, but read up on fluid & electrolytes. Your body needs sodium, and if you are drinking enough water you should be okay. I find it funny that people worry more about sodium than they do potassium.

Um...actually I am nowhere near 3500. I am probably under 1000 most days, around 800-ish. Even if the MFP numbers are off, that's a helluva margin of error.

if you are hydrated (nice light pee is the indicator) and you get sweaty on a regular basis, you have nothing to worry about.

Basically NO MORE than 1 tsp per day =:bigsmile: ~)

The only cheese I allow myself is Swiss, it seems to be only 40-80mg per slice, as opposed to cheddar (320mg+). All others I've looked at are in the 150-200mg range. Swiss is more expensive but it works for me.

Yes your body needs sodium but only 180 mg. Yep, that is all your body needs. All the rest is too much unless you run marathons. http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/publications/dietaryguidelines/2010/meeting2/commentattachments/aha-220e.pdf

That's not what the site you're quoting says. The site you're quoting says "under conditions of maximal adaptation and without sweating", you need 180mg. Unless you don't sweat at all, you'll need more.

I spent several months on a low sodium diet of less than 800mg per day just to see how it would make me feel. I didn't feel any different, and it had no effects on my fitness ability or my vitals. So I went back to the average 2,500+mg per day.

Sodium if I'm drinking 8 glasses of water a day? I have been trying to buy reduced sodium everything but I still seem to be constantly over. I finally took that off of my food diary today because I can't stand looking at the number. I was trying to stay at 2000mg or less but it seems like the only way food companies think they can put taste into their foods is by infusing it with tons of sodium. I cut all extra salt out of any recipe I make and try to use healthy spices.

I find one of the biggest culprits is high sodium levels in cheese, is there something I should be looking for when buying cheese to have lower sodium?

Anyone else have this problem or do you just not let sodium get to you?

how much should you worry? I wouldn't much at all. honestly. I don't even track my sodium now. or sugar, for that matter. you are, presumably, eating better now than you were before you started. if you are watching that, eating within your limits otherwise, you are already cutting way back on previous sodium level. so that's already better.

here's the thing. first, sodium isn't the devil. we actually need some in our bodies. and excess won't make you gain weight. it may make you retain some water at times. but that's it.

and you make a good point about drinking water. that's how you dump excess sodium. we lose 90 to 95 percent of our sodium through urination. more water, more bathroom breaks, more sodium flushed out. working out will get rid of a bit, through sweating. and eat foods high in potassium. when sodium and potassium are balanced, your body won't hold onto as much.

I stopped fussing over sodium. I'm normally around 2000, sometimes more, sometimes a LOT more if I have pizza. I know it's not something that has any impact on fat loss, I take in a lot of fluids and sweat buckets when I exercise, and have good blood pressure.

But I do choose frozen or fresh vegetables over canned. Not only are they less sodium, but taste better, too.

I'm over on sodium so frequently I finally stopped tracking it. I make sure to drink plenty of water daily and it's never seemed to hinder my weight loss.

I think when people say to cut all sodium down to a teaspoon or whatever they're just being needlessly unrealistic. You can lose weight without growing all your own food in the backyard.

I don't add salt to anything and everything is home made except for bread and I still go over my sodium so I also stopped tracking it.

Sodium& potassium do not have an inverse relationship like some other electrolytes do. They don't really 'cancel each other out', per se. Sodium is extracellular, potassium is intracellular (one is a cation & the other an anion). Your kidneys excrete potassium, so if someone has renal failure or whatnot, their body holds onto that potassium & it can go dangerously high. This is why people need dialysis; it gets rid of all the things that build up in the blood as a result of the kidneys not being able to filter. Like the OP said, if you are drinking enough water & not taking in obscene amounts off sodium (or have high BP), you should be fine.