Sodium Levels Before Weigh-in
Hello everyone! I have an idea that I would like to run by you guys. We know that Sodium makes you retain water but doesn't make you gain fat. I weigh myself once per week.
My idea is to eat a reasonable amount of Sodium most days (between 1400 - 2400 mg per day). But on the day before my weigh-in I would do everything I can to get the least amount of Sodium possible.
In theory, I'm giving myself 24 hours to lose the water weight which should give me a more accurate reading on the scale on weigh-in day.
Does this make sense? Am I giving my body enough time to lose the water weight?
Thanks in advance for any tips!
doctorgrim
Anyone, anyone? Bueller? Bueller?
Im not sure, but it is an interesting theory and I know if I have a ton of sodium in the morning before my weigh in its not close to accurate. I think its wortha shot, let me know how it works!
I've noticed that I can weigh 4 or 5 lbs. more in the evening if I've had a lot of sodium in a single day (i.e. 2800mg). It would be disheartening if I didn't know that it is water weight.
I admit, I'm a bit obsessed about the numbers on the scale. To some degree, I'm using them to stay motivated.
I'll let you guys know if it works out.
sounds good!!! I know I am also slightly obsessed with the scale and can become discouraged seeing it go up.
My experiences are not scientific but I've noticed more weight a day or two after high sodium intake. I keep my weight +/- 190lbs consistently for months. I weight myself at the exact same time/same scale/ same condition after breakfast each day. When I hit 192 or higher its always after an increase in high sodium foods outside my normal diet. So I'm a believer that it matters but to determine how much sodium causes how much t=retention would be a wild guess.
I looked at my nutrition reports for the last week to look at my sodium input. I was 288 lbs. at the beginning of the week and after 3 days of low sodium (less than 1600mg per day) I weighed 284 lbs.. After a couple more days I weighed in again and was shocked that I was at 289 lbs.! Looking at the data I was getting 2600mg - 3000mg of sodium in those two days. Almost twice the amount form earlier in the week. I'm making sure it's super low today and it looks like I'll get less than 500mg of sodium.
I'll let you guys know what weight is tomorrow morning. Hopefully my body will have enough time to purge the water weight. If not, it sounds like I might need to give it another day.
Good news! The experiment worked! I lost 3 lbs. of solid fat this week. I almost got depressed mid-week because of my water weight. I highly recommend getting as little sodium as possible on the day before a weigh-in.
My advice is...do not underestimate your body's ability to hold water weight and sodium is a huge factor in that. I was able to keep mine to about 1000mg. I wouldn't get much less than that. It might not be healthy.
I have to reply to this post ...
I totally feel your pain about water weight, salt and I do not mix, we have a love hate relationship, meaning I love it .. it hates me.
I dont know how to explain really what happens, but mostly if I have a high sodium intake day it is nothing for my weight to be up 10+lbs the next day, my body loves to retain water.
My dr says that this will go away once i lose weight, BUT what he doesnt understand is how Im suppose to lose weight, if i can regain everything ive lost in water weight after one meal.
Im sorry its really hard to explain, let me see if i can give an example.
By having a high sodium day, it is easy for me to gain 10+lbs over night, and that really sucks ! and by High Sodium I mean more than 2000mg of sodium per day.( which is lower than the 2400mg recomended by adults)
Dont get discouraged by water weight, just drink lots of water and pee lots !
*ive edited this example since it was thrown way out of proportion since i gave a crappy example anyway *
Sounds like a couple of problems. The sodium AND the fat. Restaurant burger, fries, and pizza are off my menu until I get to my goal weight.
However, we make modified versions of those...
Like a Boboli whole wheat pizza with tomato sauce, a thin layer of 2% Milk mozzarella, and turkey pepperoni on top.
For the burger we have whole wheat buns, lean turkey patties (breast meat only), 2% Milk Cheese, lettuce, and tomato.
Both dishes are excellent and very satisfying. The pizza is high in sodium though.
As for the sodium, try and get less than 2400mg per day. Then lower it to 1000mg or so the day before your weigh-in so you don't get discouraged. Don't weight yourself more than once per week.
High sodium foods to stay away form the day before weigh-in: Cheeses, Processed Meat, Bread, Pickles...
Low sodium foods: Fruit, Oatmeal, some Kashi cereals, Mrs. Dash Seasonings, Meats...
I think you missed my point,
my point was that processed foods that are high in sodium dont mix with me, in post ppl they cause 2 maybe 3 lbs water weight gain, where for me they can cause 10-15lbs.
You seemed to be rather freaked out by 2-3lbs of water weight, which imo isnt very much.
The best ways to reduce water weight, is to pee !! and Drink lots of water !
Its unrealistic to avoid foods or food groups untill goal weight, eating everything you want in moderation is what works, for most ppl.
Moderation really is the key to success here, not depriving your self of the things you like untill you are at a healthy weight, learning to eat properly and in healthy portions in a healthy manor is what this forum is all about.
as a side note you will notice that half fat cheeses and other Low fat items will have almost 2x the sodium amounts of those with reg fat, they add more sugar and salt to items to replace to fat so that they still taste good.
I see that you are new to CC, just as a tip Prevention magazine has a great website for healthy recipes. You might want to check their site out.
I am new to CC but I've managed to lose 40 lbs. so far eating the way I'm eating now. The bottom line is that I get less than 1800 calories of quality food that fills me up and are loaded with vitamins. Restaurant pizza and burgers will not do that for you. It's a quality over quantity thing.
Add to that 30 minutes of Elliptical training and some strength training every day and the weight will come off. It's not complicated.
The point of this thread is that water weight is temporary but it can be discouraging when you weigh-in. 2 - 3 lbs. is how much fat I lost this week. If I hadn't abstained from sodium before my weigh-in it would have looked like I didn't lose anything. That's not very motivating and I bet that's why some people quit before they've given themselves more time.
Original Post by korali:
I think you missed my point,
my point was that processed foods that are high in sodium dont mix with me, in post ppl they cause 2 maybe 3 lbs water weight gain, where for me they can cause 10-15lbs.
You seemed to be rather freaked out by 2-3lbs of water weight, which imo isnt very much.
The best ways to reduce water weight, is to pee !! and Drink lots of water !
Its unrealistic to avoid foods or food groups untill goal weight, eating everything you want in moderation is what works, for most ppl.
Moderation really is the key to success here, not depriving your self of the things you like untill you are at a healthy weight, learning to eat properly and in healthy portions in a healthy manor is what this forum is all about.
as a side note you will notice that half fat cheeses and other Low fat items will have almost 2x the sodium amounts of those with reg fat, they add more sugar and salt to items to replace to fat so that they still taste good.
I see that you are new to CC, just as a tip Prevention magazine has a great website for healthy recipes. You might want to check their site out.
I totally agree that this can be discouraging, the water weight gain due to sodium intake. I also disagree with the moderation thing for foods. This site is definitely for healthy eating but I fail to see how any portion of a regular pizza or a cheeseburger and fries is healthy?? I dont think we need to have these foods that is a mindset we get into when we dont think we can just eat how we are supposed too. Our bodies are not meant to eat deep friend potatoes with salt... are white crust with heaps of cheese and processed meat.
doctorgrim is definitely right that there are healthy alternatives to these things but I think food is an addicition and if you believe you can have those things at least once a week I guess an alcoholic can drink at least once a week too?? logic does not make sense. Also if you gain 15 lbs in one day from eating that, isn't your body telling you something?
Sorry I dont mean to sound offend or rude. It just frustrates me that you think it is ok to gain 15 lbs in one cheat date. That is pure proof your body is not meant to have those foods and they are doing nothing good for you at all. All those foods are good for is the two seconds they touch your tongue, it does nothing to nourish your body.
OK so obviously i didnt do a good job with getting my point accross.
It doesnt have to be Pizza, or fries, or Burgers or whatever ( for the record I havent eaten a burger or deep fried fries in as long as I cant remember.) they were just examples that i came up with to make the point that MY body retains water very easily, this is why I cannot have any processed foods in my diet.I do try my best to stay away from garbage food, and for the most part eat a pretty clean/ unprocessed diet.
Comparing me to an Alcoholic .. wow that's just classy. =)
The mentality that certain foods are OFFLIMITS is what leads to serious binges.
My original post was to let Dr grim Know that water weight comes off, its just water, every one has it, just some ( like me ) have it more severe than others.and to let him know that he shouldnt get discouraged by a few lbs of water weight !
Im sorry if you took so much offense in my post as to equate me to someone who is an alcoholic, for someone like my self who was once a train smoker, and someone who has over come a drug addiction, Im sorry you are rude and i do take offense.
It's all right there in your profile...
"I refuse to give up, Icecream and pizza.
I refuse to give up Steak and Frenchfries with Mayo.
I refuse to give up Cheese, and Cookies."
It's unfortunate because you work so hard all week long only to load up on the weekends. I hope you can find the strength to commit 100%. Please consider that you can eat modified versions of all these things and not mess up your diet.
I've given you some suggestions above for the pizza and burgers. Try a 100 Calorie Snack Pack for your cookie fix. They are not nutritionally sound but they won't make you gain weight if you eat them once a day. Instead of french fries with mayo, try eating a potato with some ICBINB Light spread and some light sour cream on it. Light cheese is loaded with sodium which will make you gain water weight but it's only temporary. Cheese full of fat is much harder for your body to burn. The issues with steak are portion size and fat. If you must have steak keep the portion size to about 4 ounces.
You are almost there, 75% of the way really. Another 25% and you'll be golden. I'm hoping you will get there.
Yes it is right there in my profile, and just like you Ive come up with other ways to enjoy the things I love by tweeking recipes etc and using healthy alternative.
I dont eat oreos any more I make oatmeal raisin cookies with flax seeds.
I dont eat french fries any more, I make my own in the oven with olive oil and spices.
ive even made my own icecream with natural ingrediants.
I woudlnt eat a 100 calorie snack pack if my life depended on it ... why would i when I could have my own homemade cookie at 80 cals each, or my own lemon poppy seed muffin , made with wholesome natural ingredients.
You guys are all so quick to judge, this was the first post Ive replyed to in a LONG time, because I honestly felt that I should let you know that you are not the only one who struggles with sodium issues. Sorry to have tried.
So much for trying to help ppl out. my god.
Original Post by korali:
OK so obviously i didnt do a good job with getting my point accross.
It doesnt have to be Pizza, or fries, or Burgers or whatever ( for the record I havent eaten a burger or deep fried fries in as long as I cant remember.) they were just examples that i came up with to make the point that MY body retains water very easily, this is why I cannot have any processed foods in my diet.I do try my best to stay away from garbage food, and for the most part eat a pretty clean/ unprocessed diet.
Comparing me to an Alcoholic .. wow that's just classy. =)
The mentality that certain foods are OFFLIMITS is what leads to serious binges.
My original post was to let Dr grim Know that water weight comes off, its just water, every one has it, just some ( like me ) have it more severe than others.and to let him know that he shouldnt get discouraged by a few lbs of water weight !
Im sorry if you took so much offense in my post as to equate me to someone who is an alcoholic, for someone like my self who was once a train smoker, and someone who has over come a drug addiction, Im sorry you are rude and i do take offense.
I see what you are saying about water weight. Sorry you think I am rude but I base what I say on experience and results. And binges occur when you are unable to mentally overcome something. Having the urge to binge because you cannot have a food is a serious problem and should be discussed with a doctor. After all a binge on food is no different than a binge on alcohol or drugs. Both are addictions that a person cannot figure out how to control and both can cause serious health problems. Now Im not saying you binge, Im just curious as to what is involved in a cheat day? I have been doing this since June with one cheat at my brother's wedding and that was on a couple of glasses of wine. I have lost 60lbs in that time so I consider what I am doing fairly successful. I also see you have been successful in your weight loss so that is great.
I also was a smoker and have used drugs in the past I am proud to say I do none of that anymore and I do not allow myself to just have one cigarette so why would I allow myself to have a full day where I ruin everything I did for the week? Im not sure I understand what you meant by a cheat day. because if you consider eating an apple cheating than I was definitely off base but a cheat day by definition is when you allow yourself to eat all the bad things you cant during the week. If its not good for you during the week why would it get better for you on the weekend?
Sorry you take offence but I state the reality of a situation.
oh and thats great about the other recipes! I still dont get how its a cheat if you make everything as healthy as you say? Maybe you didnt really mean you cheat? not sure i completely understand as stated above but if its working for you than keep with it and dont give up.
I think this is where your statements went awry...
"Its unrealistic to avoid foods or food groups untill goal weight, eating everything you want in moderation is what works, for most ppl."
It's bad advice to not watch what you are eating. As you know, better quality food is going to give your body better fuel. Fuel for activities which burns even more weight. Your cookies sound delicious btw.
I would never recommend ppl to not watch what they eat, Im just saying that if you set something as offlimits ppl feel way more restricted than they are.
enjoying the foods you love in moderation, is something that ppl can do for the rest of their lives !! and thats the key here i think, and why so many ppl gain back the weight they lost, cus they cant continue to restrict the things they love forever.( and to a certain degree thats what happened to me, why Ive gained back some of the weight Ive lost.. along with lots of other things)
I will be the first one to admit, that i love foods that arent that great for me, something things I can do without ( oreos for example) , others moderation is key, and trying to find alternatives that help you along the way.
Anyway this is way off topic, my whole point was to let you know that you shouldnt get discouraged over water weight, i have in the past and its sucks !
** EDIT
As I said earlier, you should really check out prevention.com .. great website, with nice recipes.
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