Calories, Sodium, and my Search for a Healthy Me

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DreadRunner
DreadRunner Posts: 19
in Food and Nutrition
After I got out of the Marines my weight pretty much exploded to 230 lbs (I'm 5'7"). Due to hypertension My doctor put me on a low sodium diet, 1000 mg a day. I was miserable doing this but I did for a bit but still ended up on medication at the age of 27 in 2009. Not good. I busted my *kitten* and I've been floating between 180 and 190 for awhile. In that time I've gotten back into running and even finished a marathon last October. But I've had enough of this medication and I figure that if I have a chance to get off of it then I've got to get down to a "healthy" BMI for my height. So my goal is 155 lbs.

So I'm back into crazy PT mode singing cadence to myself when I run and basically scaring the neighbors. The problem is my eating, always has been and always will be. I really try to give myself a "cheat day" so that I don't snap on people but I'd rather just figure out how many calories to eat and that those calories be low in sodium.

For the first issue, I've limited myself to 1300 calories and when I stick to that, even if I exercise, I lose weight. If I go over that and eat the calories that I lost due to exercise I gain weight. I have no idea why, just something that I've noticed throughout the last few weeks on this site.

The second issue that so many "health foods" have a ton of sodium in them. I'm trying to only eat 1500mg of sodium a day because 1000mg of sodium a day is frankly too difficult. I can't only do fruits and veggies which would be ideal because I'm fairly certain that I would be unbearable to be around.

Any ideas, recipes, suggestions, or anything is highly appreciated. I look at these forums almost every day for motivation to get out there and exercise so a lot of you have already helped a ton, thanks.

Replies

  • willia123
    willia123 Posts: 60 Member
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    I stay under 1000 for the most part. You can add me if you want- my diary is open to my friends.
    Chicken breast
    salmon
    tilapia
    even plain ground beef

    I use no salt seasoning and fresh herbs.

    No sodium whole wheat bread
    unsalted tuna
    unsalted almond butter

    olive oil
    avocados
    fresh veggies (some have more sodium than others- like brussel sprouts- but are still low

    I avoid things like ketchup when I can- lunch meats, cottage cheese, anything from a box. I fail sometimes, but I have it down for the most part ;)
  • mom2mozart
    mom2mozart Posts: 307 Member
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    I also watch my sodium - and try to keep it at 1600 or less per day. Most days I succeed. Eating out completely destroys this most of the time. I use assorted varieties of Mrs. Dash to season my vegetables and meats. I've pretty much given up eating canned foods (except 1/2 cup of baked beans with my hot dogs - which is a rare treat). I read labels and have found nice alternatives. Some stores are better than others for the low or no salt added foods - which I'm sure you've found. My diary is open. Chic Peach is one of my friends who is consistently low on sodium. She does great with her logging. Her diary is also open.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    What "healthy foods" are you eating that are high in sodium? Not many raw foods have a high sodium content so my advice would be to buy raw foods and prepare your own meals as much as possible. Even healthy processed foods are generally high in sodium because it's widely used as a cheap preservative and people have grown accustomed to the taste.

    Experiment with spices and herbs as an alternative to salt when seasoning food.
  • DreadRunner
    DreadRunner Posts: 19
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    What "healthy foods" are you eating that are high in sodium? Not many raw foods have a high sodium content so my advice would be to buy raw foods and prepare your own meals as much as possible. Even healthy processed foods are generally high in sodium because it's widely used as a cheap preservative and people have grown accustomed to the taste.

    Experiment with spices and herbs as an alternative to salt when seasoning food.

    I look at recipes online for different meals. The Beachbody DVDs have meal plans with them and each meal is close to 1000mg of sodium almost. I've made the switch to No Salt, the potassium salt substitute. It tastes horrible but whatever, I only use it if I have to.

    The problem is the cooking for myself. I go to school full time (with an hour long commute) and work close to 30 hours a week. If you have some recipes that will keep for a week, I'd cook them on Sunday.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    What "healthy foods" are you eating that are high in sodium? Not many raw foods have a high sodium content so my advice would be to buy raw foods and prepare your own meals as much as possible. Even healthy processed foods are generally high in sodium because it's widely used as a cheap preservative and people have grown accustomed to the taste.

    Experiment with spices and herbs as an alternative to salt when seasoning food.

    I look at recipes online for different meals. The Beachbody DVDs have meal plans with them and each meal is close to 1000mg of sodium almost. I've made the switch to No Salt, the potassium salt substitute. It tastes horrible but whatever, I only use it if I have to.

    The problem is the cooking for myself. I go to school full time (with an hour long commute) and work close to 30 hours a week. If you have some recipes that will keep for a week, I'd cook them on Sunday.

    Soups or stews might be a good option. You can even let them cook in a crock pot while you are at work and/or school. And they will keep for several days and can be frozen.

    I haven't tried the salt substitutes. I like to use fresh herbs, chilis and garlic along with some of the no-salt mixed dry seasoinings (such as Mrs. Dash).

    You could also cook a big roast with vegetables on Sunday, then use the leftover meat to make sandwiches or bbq later. Or mix it into a pasta or rice dish or a stir fry for a quick meal.
  • DreadRunner
    DreadRunner Posts: 19
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    Soups or stews might be a good option. You can even let them cook in a crock pot while you are at work and/or school. And they will keep for several days and can be frozen.

    I haven't tried the salt substitutes. I like to use fresh herbs, chilis and garlic along with some of the no-salt mixed dry seasoinings (such as Mrs. Dash).

    You could also cook a big roast with vegetables on Sunday, then use the leftover meat to make sandwiches or bbq later. Or mix it into a pasta or rice dish or a stir fry for a quick meal.

    Soups usually have a ton of sodium in them. I've pretty much given up on ever having soup again. The crock pot is a great idea though. Now to just find some recipes for it.

    Does anyone have experience with my calorie issue?
  • lalipoon
    lalipoon Posts: 11 Member
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    here is a low sodium lentil soup recipe:
    Ingredients
    • 6 cups water
    • olive oil
    • 1.5 cup chopped onion (one med onion)
    • ½ cup chopped carrot (one carrot)
    • ½ cup chopped celery (one celery)
    • 1/2 teaspoons salt
    • 2 ¼ cups red lentils, picked and rinsed
    • 2 cubes low sodium vegetable bouillon
    • ½ teaspoon ground coriander
    • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
    • ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
    • 2-4 Tablespoons lemon juice


    Directions
    Coarsely chop the onion, garlic, carrots, celery
    Start 6 cups water boiling, add bouillon cubes - dissolve
    While water boiling, start sautéing onion in olive oil, add carrots, celery, garlic in turn
    Add lentils to boiling water
    Add sautéed mixture to lentils when onion/garlic/vegetables softer
    Add spices/lemon juice to mixture
    Simmer for ~20 minutes

    Use immersion blender until onion, garlic, carrots, celery mostly blended to puree
    Add lemon juice
  • Greyhorserider
    Greyhorserider Posts: 2 Member
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    My husband has kidney issues at 38, so we have been doing low sodium for about 10 months. Now I can not have anything too salty or it tastes horrible. I never did cook with much salt, but going out to restaurants now is tricky. Two most excellent cookbooks are the American Heart Association's Low Salt Cookbook (on amazon, 3rd or 4th ed) and The No-Salt Cookbook, also on amazon . I would not have made it without them.

    I have made several recipes from both these books (No Salt does not list calories so I use it less) - the chili is my favorite from the AHA, along with the ranch dressing (56 mg for 2 tablespoons, 23 cal) I have made the mayo and the bread from the No Salt CB. The bread is like pizza crust and is best warm. I have not even tried soups in the last year - too hard without salt. If you have a Whole Foods or natural food store, ours has Diestel no salt added turkey - 25 mg or something for a 2 oz serving, 60 cals. It is our new deli favorite. They have Homestead uncured hot dogs with 25 mg too. I had to look at several packages to make sure it was not a typo. Not something for every day, but 180 cals and sometimes you just want a hot dog without blowing the sodium count! That is my deal with my husband - tell me what you are craving (last week was chili dogs) and I figure out how to make it low sodium and within our calorie budget.

    "Natural" and "clean" food has sodium too... a cup of beets or celery has almost 100 mg of salt! Chard is high also, along with turnips and those roots that grow underground. Things do add up. Some things in the database listed as no sodium do have some, so if you are looking for an accurate count you may have to really review this if your using mfp database and not entering your own.

    We do not use the salt substitutes - just herbs, chiles, and mustards (Westbrae's no salt stoneground) and food that packs a punch without salt. My biggest complaint is all my favorite cooking "healthy" magazines have recipes that have tons of sodium. But I have learned to leave any added salt out and rework recipes to reduce it further. Stick with it and read labels! My husband wanders the aisles of walmart and comes back with a lot of low sodium items. But it takes time.

    My husband was able to get off one of two meds for high bp this week. We are aiming to get rid of the other one after he drops 20 lbs and the kidneys stay stable. <fingers crossed>

    Good luck. I can not help with the calorie issue - I am still trying to figure it out for myself. I am eating more calories (doing something close to TDEE-20%) than I ever had on a diet, working out more, but not necessarily losing more scale weight although I am losing dress sizes and finding muscle I never thought I would have. I know I have to give it longer, and overall 14 lbs in a bit over 2 months is not bad. I want to change it up when the scale does not move but I keep telling myself I have to pick something and stick to it for a few months.
  • DreadRunner
    DreadRunner Posts: 19
    Options
    My husband has kidney issues at 38, so we have been doing low sodium for about 10 months. Now I can not have anything too salty or it tastes horrible. I never did cook with much salt, but going out to restaurants now is tricky. Two most excellent cookbooks are the American Heart Association's Low Salt Cookbook (on amazon, 3rd or 4th ed) and The No-Salt Cookbook, also on amazon . I would not have made it without them.

    I have made several recipes from both these books (No Salt does not list calories so I use it less) - the chili is my favorite from the AHA, along with the ranch dressing (56 mg for 2 tablespoons, 23 cal) I have made the mayo and the bread from the No Salt CB. The bread is like pizza crust and is best warm. I have not even tried soups in the last year - too hard without salt. If you have a Whole Foods or natural food store, ours has Diestel no salt added turkey - 25 mg or something for a 2 oz serving, 60 cals. It is our new deli favorite. They have Homestead uncured hot dogs with 25 mg too. I had to look at several packages to make sure it was not a typo. Not something for every day, but 180 cals and sometimes you just want a hot dog without blowing the sodium count! That is my deal with my husband - tell me what you are craving (last week was chili dogs) and I figure out how to make it low sodium and within our calorie budget.

    "Natural" and "clean" food has sodium too... a cup of beets or celery has almost 100 mg of salt! Chard is high also, along with turnips and those roots that grow underground. Things do add up. Some things in the database listed as no sodium do have some, so if you are looking for an accurate count you may have to really review this if your using mfp database and not entering your own.

    We do not use the salt substitutes - just herbs, chiles, and mustards (Westbrae's no salt stoneground) and food that packs a punch without salt. My biggest complaint is all my favorite cooking "healthy" magazines have recipes that have tons of sodium. But I have learned to leave any added salt out and rework recipes to reduce it further. Stick with it and read labels! My husband wanders the aisles of walmart and comes back with a lot of low sodium items. But it takes time.

    My husband was able to get off one of two meds for high bp this week. We are aiming to get rid of the other one after he drops 20 lbs and the kidneys stay stable. <fingers crossed>

    Good luck. I can not help with the calorie issue - I am still trying to figure it out for myself. I am eating more calories (doing something close to TDEE-20%) than I ever had on a diet, working out more, but not necessarily losing more scale weight although I am losing dress sizes and finding muscle I never thought I would have. I know I have to give it longer, and overall 14 lbs in a bit over 2 months is not bad. I want to change it up when the scale does not move but I keep telling myself I have to pick something and stick to it for a few months.

    You're awesome!
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Options
    Soups usually have a ton of sodium in them. I've pretty much given up on ever having soup again. The crock pot is a great idea though. Now to just find some recipes for it.

    Does anyone have experience with my calorie issue?

    If you make the soup or stew yourself, it only has as much sodium as you add. Again, herbs and spices other than salt make all difference in how much salt is needed to make a recipe tasty IMO.

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