[Gamerchick]

I didn't want to come back to this site until I could stick to a diet without being unhealthy/impatient/obnoxious/annoying.

But my question is this: If I'm eating too much sodium, even if I'm not losing water weight, am I still losing fat?

I started on June 24th and I've only lost 5 pounds (this was only from the first week). I know I didn't lose 5 pounds in fat...but I figured I would have after nearly 3 weeks.

I looked at my food choices (out of 1500 calories), and it looks like I'm eating way too much sodium. If I continue to eat too much sodium, will I lose weight anyway? Or will this keep me from losing weight?

[fiberlover]

Too much sodium won't keep you from losing weight if your body is using more calories than you take in. Excess sodium will cause you to retain water.

Are you over 2400mg per day? That is the daily max you should have, however people with normally functioning kidneys don't usually have problems with sodium. I would be drinking more water if you have a lot of sodium.

Can you switch to lower sodium foods?

[Suzanne 3FC]

I think it's how you look at the question. Excess sodium will not affect how you lose fat, you can still burn it off. But excess sodium can cause you to retain water, which might temporarily hide the results on the scale. This is only initially, though.

If you lose 5 pounds of fat and gain 5 pounds of water, the scale won't move but you've still scored a victory in fat loss. However, you won't retain more than a few pounds of water at a time. You can lose 50 pounds of fat and still retain just 5 pounds of excess water.

Cut back the sodium and see if you can drop a couple of pounds from that. Keep the sodium down, and further drops should be fat

[QuilterInVA]

I would recommend cutting back on the salt as well. It can lead to high blood pressure. Also, be sure you are exercising while losing weight or you will lose muscle along with the fat. Good Luck - you've got a good start in only 17 days.

[JayEll]

Hey Gamer! Long time no see in these parts!

Salty foods won't affect losing fat, but you'll weigh more due to water retention.

Excess salt does not cause high blood pressure, BTW. That's just medical folklore.

Hope you're doing well!

Jay

[srmb60]

Originally Posted by Gamerchick

I didn't want to come back to this site until I could stick to a diet without being unhealthy/impatient/obnoxious/annoying.

But you do realise that we welcome you. Lots of people struggle and support does help. That's what we're here for.

[Gamerchick]

Thanks for welcoming me back.

This is actually the longest I've stuck to dieting in a long time. I was basically just enjoying myself food wise cause I was graduating. But now that I'm ready and wanting to lose weight now I find it easier to stick to it. And, I've gladly passed up many many opportunities to cheat. I believe I'm committed now. I didn't want to bring back any eating disordered beliefs with me, so I made sure to be happy with eating averagely to lose weight.

I bought a doctor scale that told me I was 20 pounds higher in the wrong direction

So I was 270...Now I'm 265.

Ehhhhh. I'm really enjoying the foods I'm eating. And I can feel I'm eat WAY less, but the scale wasn't go down the way I planned...thus the sodium question.

My plan is to stick to what I'm doing the rest of the month. If the sodium issue makes THAT much of a deal, (and I'm not 260 by the end of the month), I'm going to opt for less sodium in my meals and see how that goes.

I think 1500 for me is a really good number so I don't want to change it.

Thanks for the input! I'm glad the people I like are still here.

Thanks Jayell and SusanB for being so patient.

[sotypical]

Gamerchick - I think 1500 is too low! Someone else will be able to give you better numbers and provide you with that awesome link I always forget... but I think you should be eating more then 1500. I eat around that (and exercise) and still lose...

Eating too low does not result in weight loss. I know this from experience. When I eat too low I do not lose. "Eat to lose!"

[Gamerchick]

Don't worry! I eat more or less depending on how I feel. Anywhere from 1400-1700. I'm doing it depending on how I feel and what makes my body feel good. I feel great with the amount I am doing, and I like it. I think that is what counts. I'm pretty sure my body is okay with this amount.

[sotypical]

Gamerchick - you need somewhere to move down too. What happens when you lose weight were are you going to go? If you body can lose on 2000 a day I really recommend eating that. Even 1700 sounds border line low to me, of course everybody is different. But I believe you would see better results if you up to like 1700-2100, that is just a rough estimate. I will try and dig up that link for you.

[sotypical]

Here you go, this link is great -
http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm

[msroboto]

This is a pretty good calorie estimator. http://nutrition.about.com/library/b...tion_guide.htm

You enter the data and it tells you how many calories to eat a day to lose a pound a week. They estimate with and without exercise. For best results exercise if you can.