I have been staying within my calorie range for the most part but I notice when I come close to or go over my daily percentage of sodium I am so bloated the next day. I think this has a lot to do with why I'm not really losing weight quickly, but all the foods I love seem to be filled with sodium Anyone else have this problem?

when i have too much salt, that night, or the next day i have swollen ankles, and just feel like i swallowed a balloon.. so what i did, and it was hard at first, is i quit putting salt on anything... just the salt that is in food is enough.. food was kinda bland for me when i started eliminating it, but i got used to it.. and i used to be the type that put so much salt on stuff it looked like it had snow on it lol..
i try to eat more natural things now that dont have much sodium in them and i have noticed a real diff... my ankles are actually ankles now and not some inflated thing they used to be..
so, you arent alone in that one

The fewer processed foods you eat, the easier it is to control sodium. I know at first things seem a little blah, and frankly popcorn or corn on the cob without salt...ya right

I stopped cooking with salt completely. I salt my food carefully and lightly, only after tasting it and seeing if it really needs salt. I am using a lot more pepper lately, and other herbs and spices. There are salt substitutes but I haven't used them and I have heard they are can be bitter tasting.

I also learned that staying within my calorie range is one thing, doing it healthfully is another. I mean you can eat a limited amount of calories and that doesn't mean it is good food you food.

Even some "natural" foods can be high in sodium...celery is one! Too much celery can have the same effect as too much salt. Good luck in your quest for taste without the sodium!

Yup yup yup.

When I eat a lot of sodium, the first thing I notice the next day is that my fingers are puffy and it's hard to make a fist. I really retain water in my hands and fingers and feet most.

I try to eat as much unprocessed food as possible and I drink a LOT of water. I probably consume about gallon of plain water per day.

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I started watching my sodium intake earlier this summer after I got an infection in a leg with an old injury which set me up for edema (although fortunately I've never been all that sensitive to salt). Good-bye Sunkist sparkling lemonade and Canada Dry or Schweppes ginger ales (triple-digit sodium per can), hello Fresca and Vernors (35 mg/can); good-bye Smokey Robinson frozen potroast (only 190 cal but 1100 mg sodium), hello way more fresh veggies and way less turkey pepperoni on my homemade pizza (Boboli crust); less Spike, more Mrs. Dash (do you get those in Canada, mollymom? They're ok); goodbye Skippy Natural pb, hello Peanut Butter & Co. ...

DH and I eat very few processed foods. Salt is one reason for us not eating processed. We are both salt sensitive, but I'm very salt sensitive! In fact, I'm bloating up just thinking about salt. Lol.

When I cook I always cut the amount of salt in a recipe in half (unless I'm baking bread.) Also, I use kosher salt, which has less sodium per volume then regular table salt (it's because the grains are bigger, it has the same per weight, but who weighs salt?) It did take awhile to get used to using less salt, but your taste buds adapt pretty quickly. I know mine did.

If you aren't someone who cooks a lot, look for low sodium versions of prepared foods. Canned beans, tuna, soups, some frozen entrees, etc. all come in low or lower sodium versions.

Also, if you need to do some damage control after the fact, drink water and lots of it. It'll help flush the excess water out. I know it sounds counter intuitive, but it works.

mollymom, I realize now you must mean something like a potassium-based fake salt, not the Mrs. Dash kind of stuff? Also, per the TV ads for Promise Super Shots or whatever they're called, if you take potassium that helps you flush out sodium: true?

LOL at that....I feel the same way. I haven't been eating a ton of processed food...for example yesterday I made a whole wheat pizza from scratch with cheese & olives, and I ate some of that, and a salad with pepperjack cheese, spinach, tomatoes and dressing, and one piece of string cheese and I was at 3753 mg of sodium- yikes! I haven't even really been counting the salt I use for seasoning I must be higher than I thought!

Does drinking alot of water help? I know it does mean when I feel bloated for any reason but TOM. Just curious....

I can relate to the salt sensitivity. But I love the stuff and haven't wanted to give it up. I love to sprinkle salt on green apples, watermelon, cantaloupe. I put it heavily on my salads. And I DO struggle with the weight coming off. (But that could be because I have had a tendency to go off plan at times). But then again the water weight from salt could very well be tricking me into thinking it's me going off plan ... naturally I gravitate towards salty foods when off plan. Hmmm.

Can you really get used to life with less salt? I'm a salt (and pepper) junkie!

You know, the closer and closer I look at my eating habits ... the more I see needs to change!

Drinking water does help, yeah.

You *do* get used to less salt. In fact after a while, you'll find that things you used to eat now taste WAY too salty for you and you can't imagine how you could have eaten them. I had a handful of Pringles the other day and couldn't finish them because they were SO salty. And a year ago I'd have eaten a whole can and not even thought about it.

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OK PhotoChick, I think I'll try to cut way back on the salt. No table salt, lower sodium processed foods. Hubby is NOT going to be happpy with me! lol I once picked up a can of unsalted sweet peas by mistake and he about had a fit! He couldn't get them salted enough for his taste. (I don't remember if I ate any or not.)