Sodium...does it make u fatter or just make u retain water?

[John Prophet]

I have tried hard to "clean up" my diet...but I still eat microwave stuff liek instant rice meals etc...lots of sodium.

now it seems the less I eat, the fatter I get...wtf?

will sodium actually make u fatter somehow or just make u retain water like a bitch?

[JerG]

it won't make you fatter.

[Marion_Cobretti]

salt is bad for your heart

[jth16]

makes you retain water.

[Joe Go]

Originally Posted by John Prophet

I have tried hard to "clean up" my diet...but I still eat microwave stuff liek instant rice meals etc...lots of sodium.

now it seems the less I eat, the fatter I get...wtf?

will sodium actually make u fatter somehow or just make u retain water like a bitch?

Yeah, it'll make you retain water when taken at huge amounts. I'd suggest you to stay around 3500-2500mg a day.

You need to find a way to push the microwave/instant stuff off the menu. It's quick and easy, but offers pretty much nothing nutritionally.

[cncretecbwo]

i lost like 2-3 lbs in 2 days when i dropped sodium some... quite the surprise id say

[pologod05]

Originally Posted by Marion_Cobretti

salt is bad for your heart

pretty much everything is bad for your heart in some way or another if you get too much of it.

salt just makes you retain water. as for feeling fatter, if your cutting and your salt intake is high, you could be retaining water and have carb depleted muscles so you will feel really flat.

[samatash]

It doesn't make you fat. It just holds water.

It can be bad for your heart if you take too much on a consistent basis, however. Basically, don't eat fast foods too much and you'll be fine.

[thepointman]

Originally Posted by Marion_Cobretti

salt is bad for your heart

Salt is as essential to life as water. You will die without it.

Not that most people don't get more than enough in a healthy diet, but saying it's bad for your heart is just so disingenuous.

[Caseyface]

Search T-nation on an article on sodium. sea salt is good for retaining and cellular equilibrium, table salt isnt though. Can't tell you the chemistry behind that, but hey, good read.

[nadiamab]

it makes you retain water when you consume too much of.
it also makes you look fatter even though you haven't gained actual fat.

[momotl]

You need sodium to function properly and for us bodybuilders would require more sodium compare to a person that does not workout. It depends on your bodyweight in how much to consume per day. But for an average guy weighing in around 150-180lbs, I would say consuming anywhere from 2000-4000mg of sodium is sufficient.

[Dieteticz]

Originally Posted by jth16

makes you retain water.

Actually sodium in and of itself doesn't really cause water retention (at least not the kind that makes us look soft). It's the sodium to potassium ratio in our bodies that mostly influences how much and where we retain the water. With enough potassium, retained water is shuttled into the muscles.

If you remember the good old days of bodybuilding, this is the reason why bodybuilders drank wine before competitions. Before they even began manipulating the electrolytes individually, they got lucky with wine consumption because it has an ideal sodium-potassium ratio.

[Opies]

Originally Posted by Caseyface

Search T-nation on an article on sodium. sea salt is good for retaining and cellular equilibrium, table salt isnt though. Can't tell you the chemistry behind that, but hey, good read.

no... just no.

Table salt is chemically identical to sea salt in terms of the actual salt. The difference is that sea salt has minerals in it, while table salt is iodized. And if our table salt wasn't iodized, a good portion of us would be suffering some serious health issues (iodine is rarely found in the diet, and is essential for thyroid health)

Anyway sodium is great stuff. Sodium itself will not make you retain water, but high sodium intake combined with low water intake and low potassium intake can definitely cause water retention. It's all about balance.

Originally Posted by thepointman

Salt is as essential to life as water. You will die without it.

reps on recharge

As thepointman said, sodium is as essential to life as water, so make sure you get lots of it. Athletes or anyone who does a lot of strenuous work should take in more sodium than the average bear as they will use it and lose it a lot faster.

[Puddle_Pirate]

Originally Posted by momotl

You need sodium to function properly and for us bodybuilders would require more sodium compare to a person that does not workout. It depends on your bodyweight in how much to consume per day. But for an average guy weighing in around 150-180lbs, I would say consuming anywhere from 2000-4000mg of sodium is sufficient.

Like ^^^^^^^ he said. Sodium can actually be beneficial for you depending on the training you do. Say for instance, you're an endurance athlete in addition to a lifter that sweats a lot, a good bit of sodium may be needed so you don't become dehydrated.

Go ahead, add some salt to ur sweet tater fries. Good stuff.

[blacksmith77]

if this guy didnt have 3k+ reps he would get flamed

[in10city]

Makes rodents fat (serious).

[John Prophet]

Originally Posted by blacksmith77

if this guy didnt have 3k+ reps he would get flamed

who me? r u serious? reps or no, ive been flamed plenty. I think ive negged maybe 3 people in 4 years on this forum

[FitFinch]

Originally Posted by momotl

You need sodium to function properly and for us bodybuilders would require more sodium compare to a person that does not workout. It depends on your bodyweight in how much to consume per day. But for an average guy weighing in around 150-180lbs, I would say consuming anywhere from 2000-4000mg of sodium is sufficient.

Agreed

Also if you have a proper balance in your water to salt to potassium ratio you will be fine. Balance is most important.

[Akoudlai]

Sodium should be consumed at a slightly elevated level for people who participate in vigorous exercise. yet sodium loading is really not a good idea unless if its a temporary thing for contest prep.

This article may be of help to you

Water: Beyond Hydration

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...ighlight=water

[mynameisbork]

Originally Posted by John Prophet

I have tried hard to "clean up" my diet...but I still eat microwave stuff liek instant rice meals etc...lots of sodium.

now it seems the less I eat, the fatter I get...wtf?

will sodium actually make u fatter somehow or just make u retain water like a bitch?

Why are bodybuilders such prissy ***s? It's pretty funny. They act all badass but they're really just a bunch of uninteresting and predictable pussies. "duh I can't do nothin so I'm gonna go to da gym all da time."

Dumb****s.

[grapemaster]

2000 is maximum rda, not recommended you should take that in. you only need about 500mg of sodium per day...

personally at over 200 it is a 10 pound swing watching my salt or not.