Should I be concerned about Sodium? I went to the store and picked up Campbells Select Harvest Soups...some are 100 calories, 0g for Fat. Two servings in each can. I was thinking this could be a before dinner snack or when I'm ready to chew my arm off at work? Not sure if its a good choice with the Sodium at 480mg? Or should I even been concerned about that?
Sodium can bloat you which can make you weigh more. I don't worry too much about sodium myself but I generally don't eat canned/frozen foods which are sodium heavy.
I've gone through phases where I've really watched my sodium, and where I just made sure I wasn't getting way too much. As long as I'm drinking plenty of water I don't think it's really made a difference in my weightloss.
I am up to drinking about 34 oz of water a day. I just stink at controlling my eating habits and cravings!!! I have wrote down everything that has hit my lips this week. I feel so discourage! I feel like I should starve just to get below 200.
It's a personal thing, unless your doctor has advised less sodium for heart or blood pressure issues. I kicked out sodium because I started out with high BP. Now I'm rather anal about it. I hate sodium! But because I eliminated it from my diet, when I DO eat things that are high in sodium I will have a 2-4 pound blip up on the scale and takes a good three days to go away.
I have a friend who did NOT kick the sodium to the curb. Her loss has been nearly identical to mine, however she does not get the blip ups I get. She's likely constantly carrying sodium-related water and that's ok with her.
Yeah, I actually had to add sodium back into my diet because my blood pressure got too low. If you have high blood pressure, then you'd want to watch sodium, if you tend toward low blood pressure, you might want to be careful about reducing sodium.
I have no health issue but being over weight...I just turned 30...and while High BP and heart issue run in our family...I have no signs yet...which is why I want to get the weight down on my own with diet pill help this time.
Like others said before, if you have problems with high blood pressure or if too much sodium makes you bloat, then yeah, you might want to watch your intake. It depends on what the rest of your intake looks like too, though. If the rest of your meals are generally lower in sodium, then +480mg can still leave you with a low-moderate intake for the day. If you eat a lot of high sodium meals, then +480mg might be too much. It really all depends on you, your preferences, and how the sodium makes you feel.
Should I be concerned about Sodium? I went to the store and picked up Campbells Select Harvest Soups...some are 100 calories, 0g for Fat. Two servings in each can. I was thinking this could be a before dinner snack or when I'm ready to chew my arm off at work? Not sure if its a good choice with the Sodium at 480mg? Or should I even been concerned about that?
480 for packaged soup is EXCELLENT. Most have nearly 700 or 800 mg of sodium. The select harvest line is designed to have lower sodium then their regular soups. Out of curiosity, I checked my cans (I have 6 cans of soup in my closet). The Healthy Requests were all around 410 but the regular was 880mg. As far as the soup goes, you're okay on the sodium thing.
That said, honestly I believe sodium levels are a personal choice and should be based on your health issues. If you have high blood pressure, studies show you need to lower your sodium. If you don't drink a lot of water, you'll definitely retain water with a higher sodium count. Now, if you drink a ton of water, you should be flushing even higher amounts of sodium.
I've been thinking a lot about sodium lately. I eat relatively clean, unprocessed, whole foods - veggies, fruits, lean protein. I rarely if ever add salt to food during or after cooking. But I do get sodium from low fat cottage cheese, natural (as opposed to processed cheese), and bread products (low-cal tortillas and light breads, mainly). These foods easily bring me to 2000mg of sodium a day, which is over my recommended amount. If I have soup - which I do occasionally - that can easily turn into 3000 or even 4000mg in a day.
I need to have a physical (just got insurance, yay!) to check things over with a doctor, but I've decided the benefits of losing the weight I have outweigh the effects of going over in sodium. I have been to an urgent care center recently for an infection, and my BP was fine.
chatterbox - I'm concerned that you feel you're starving! That IS discouraging, and not necessary! There are definitely ways to lose weight without starving. Are you calorie counting? What's your target number? What are you eating every day?
JenMusic..I'm not sure what I'm doing? I was not successful at WW, so I'm not sure that I will be successful at calorie counting. I have written down EVERYTHING that has touch my lips since Sunday. I'm the type that has never had really anyone around me diet or even have weight issues so I just eat what has been put in front of me. Now...I’ve hit 30 and do not play sports so I have gained a TON of weight. I have tried everything! I MEAN EVERYTHING! I am so discouraged it’s not even funny. I think I should just get use to being FAT.
I have cut the sweets...and I have piled on the fruit...bananas mostly. Maybe 3-4 a day...they seem to fill my sweet void. Bfast contains of yogurt or oatmeal, yesterday a PB and banana sandwich on wheat bread. Today grits and eggs. Lunch always a salad with FF dressing topped with grilled chicken or fish..maybe a side of cabbage or rice. Then it falls down hill...I'm either bored at 3pm or I just think I'm hungry. I have started this week drinking water...and then eating a banana. I'm not sure that I'm making the best dinner choices either. And I know I really to walk more, but it’s dark when I get home from work and its freezing here in NC. This is just an excuse huh? We just bought our first home and wiped our savings so a gym membership is out of the question for right now.
I'm going to give you the same advice I give myself when I'm not sure if something in the fridge is still good or not. When in doubt throw it out!
Sodium affects people in different ways but it does lead to more water retention and higher blood pressure. If heart problems run in your family kick high sodium foods to the curb.
That soup really is not that bad sodium wise but it is definitely a factor you should look at when selecting foods.
Wow I wouldn't eat 3-4 banana's a day- that's quite a bit and they are loaded with sugar and carbs. I mean obviously they are better than candy bars but maybe you could switch from bananas to berries
I'm not sure what your plan is but when it comes to carbs fruits can have quite a lot of them, I stay away from fruit because of the high carb counts and when I do eat fruit it's berries.
As for the sodium I think it's fine in the soups- as long as you log it you should be okay- I find the only times my sodium levels are too high is when I eat out.
Yeah, depending on the size of your bananas you could be getting around 100 grams of carbs just from them a day. I eat 3 servings of fruit a day, 3 servings of veggies, and usually one higher carb item like yogurt or a whole wheat pita with cheese, and my net carbs is usually around 85g a day. It sounds like you are eating a lot of carbs over all. Carbs can make some people just more and more hungry the more they eat. I would try getting rid of some of the carbs and it should help with the hunger.
Chatterbox - Aww, breathe! You can be successful at this. I do know everything feels overwhelming at first. Can I make some suggestions? Feel free to take these with the proverbial grain of salt, and I'm sure that other experienced people will chime in.
1. I guess you're trying to calorie count? That's a great way to lose weight (as many are, but it's how I've lost mine so I like it a lot ). I would google "calorie estimator" or "calorie counter" and look at some sites that estimate how many calories you should eat to lose weight. The key word is "estimate" - it's impossible to determine how many calories you need to eat to lose, but this will give you a range. My personal opinion is to start at the top end of the range - it's easier to move down if you find you need to.
2. I know you said you're writing everything you eat down, which is really important. You can stick with tracking your calories on paper, or many people like some free online calorie trackers. I use MyPlate, others use FitDay or Sparkpeople or caloriecount. I find the online tracker makes it easier for me, but that's up to you.
3. Plan ahead - at least a meal ahead (know what you're going to eat for dinner before you open your fridge!) but a day ahead is even better. Write it down BEFORE you eat. This is crucial. If you don't track it first, don't bite it.
4. Figure out how to eat lots of food for fewer calories. This has been important for me, because I like to eat and feel full (not stuffed). I eat lots of veggies. Lots. I eat lean protein (chicken, turkey, eggs and egg whites, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese) because it keeps me fuller longer. I eat a carefully portioned amount of whole grain carbs - oatmeal, high fiber cereal, light, high fiber bread and tortillas.
5. Stick with this - planning, tracking, and eating within your calorie range - for at least 2 weeks, maybe 3 or 4. Evaluate. Are you losing a realistic amount (maybe a bunch the first week, slowing down to 1-2 pounds after that)? If not, maybe you need to lower calories by 50-100 or so. Are you hungry? The answer here may not be raising calories, but trying different kinds of food to stay fuller longer.
6. About exercise - I exercise because I feel better doing it than when I don't, but I don't do it for weight loss. I do it for fitness. Figure out something you like. I can't afford a gym either, so I do a 30 minute DVD at home 4-6 times a week. But you can start by turning on the radio and dancing around your house for 5 minutes. I'm serious! A little bit of movement is a great way to start.
OK, I hope this didn't overwhelm you! These are just some ideas, but I think they're pretty solid and time-tested.
Sodium?
You can be successful at this. I do know everything feels overwhelming at first. Can I make some suggestions? Feel free to take these with the proverbial grain of salt, and I'm sure that other experienced people will chime in. 
