I posted this in general health also, but thought maybe i could find some help here too

I was just wondering if i should be concerned with this? I check my blood pressure.. it is around 105/67 somewhere in there... I also take 1 potassium, 1 cal/mag/zinc and 3 ATKINS BASIC #3 daily.. Here are my averages (some foods were not plugged into fitday for sodium count during June, i believe) (counts here do not include supplements):

JUNE 21-28 ~ 1706.4 mg (potassium 648.82)

JUNE 29-JULY 5 ~ 2826 (1001.5)

JULY 6-12 ~ 1954.4 (696.34)

JULY 13-19 ~ 1965.5 (860.04)

JULY 20-26 ~ 4091 (1071.4)

JULY 27-AUGUST 2 ~ 5272.3 (1751.7)

TODAY: AUGUST 3 ~ 3956.7 (1583.9)

~~ I also drink 100-140 oz of water per day ~~

Is it OK to have sodium levels that high for a few weeks or is it dangerous? I have been basically eating meat for about three or four days and wanted to continue doing this until maybe friday.. It definitely helps my weight loss (i have taken off 4 pounds in 3 days.. if i go back to eating dairy etc it will come back on.. see my journal when i did this before).. plus i FEEL better and not bloated... but I dont want to hurt myself..

any and all help is appreciated.. if you would like to see my menu I can either post here or it is in my journal.. maybe i should cut out tuna fish (that alone has about 625 per can!) or buy reduced sodium when I do buy it? .. any suggestions?

thanks in advance I really appreciate you all!

It seems like I have read before that a person should keep their sodium intake under 2000 daily. Anyone who knows more please correct me if I'm wrong! Sorry I can't be more help but that really sticks in my mind.

If you have problems losing weight and being bloated when you add dairy, you are probably lactose intolerent. Eating just meat isn't the answer, though it may help weight loss. Can you really eat just meat for the rest of your life without completely jumping off the wagon out of bordom? You can still eat veggies, use soy cheese products, and experiment with a wide variety of foods that aren't dairy. You might also try having around 1/2 cup of yogurt, with much of the lactose converted to lactic acid it doesn't seem to aggrivate my lactose intolerence, and it can be used in place of cream in many recipes.

Why is your sodium intake so high with meats, are you eating alot of processed meats? The higher sodium could lead to problems with weight loss because of water retention. Try using a potassium to salt your foods, and look for low sodium products, or not overly processed products. You can still have pepperoni or such, just in moderation and with alot of extera water.

thanks for the input I have also read that it should be no more than 2400..

Yes Im definitely lacotse intolerant.. and no i dont want to just eat meats for the rest of my life .. just doing this for about a week to get rid of my dairy stuff (HIGHLY addicted to cheese) .. im eating veggies also..

sodium intake might be high due to the amount of sausage im eating.. I noticed today that 1 turkey italian sausage had 670 sodium!! Ive been eating alot of breakfast sausage, too.. Ill really have to look over my menu.. also have had a few days with olives (high salt).. was eating deli turkey alot (but have since stopped) as well as tuna fish..

I cant eat things like steak because i cant chew them I have rather dull teeth I guess (at least i have them all though i suppose).. and I would eat chicken all the time but im afraid of not getting enough fat.. although i suppose this could be remedied.. and of course there is that whole boredom thing..

im not a big salt user.. I do already take potassium as a supplement, like I said.. the lite salt wont help much since i only use a dash or two on veggies (if that much)..

ive been considering trying yogurt.. I guess ill just have to be more careful with my choices.. this was never ever an issue for me (it has been for DH).. like I said i have very good BP..

I just wanted to know if 3 weeks can really hurt me (as in heart, BP etc.. not weight loss)..

I guess ill just make some wiser decisions

thanks again!!

yeah its DEFINITELY the sausage.. i cant believe how much sodium they pack into those things!! (plus I absolutely LOVE them so ive been eating them ALOT).

grrr

Since your BP seems fine so I won't worry much about going over your daily sodium intake once in a while, but look at your 'Fitday' at the end of the week, divide by 7 and see if you're far over 2400 daily. If you find you're retaining water & slowing your weight loss, you might consider switching off sausages, rinsing your tuna, any other canned foods (this is what I do, since my BP used to be high).
You can easily make your own low-sodium sausage from ground pork/veal/lamb or any other meat you like + spices (I like 1 part each fennel seed & crushed red pepper to 1/2 part sage & rosemary). Packing the meat into casings is a whole 'nother thing, so I just make patties or 'kebab', or just eat it well cooked & crumbled. Luck to ya!

For the most part, healthy kidneys will keep sodium at an ideal level in the body ... any excess is excreted in the urine.

If you have high blood pressure, congestive heart disease, liver disease or kidney disease, the recommendation is to follow a low-salt diet. Low-salt generally means less than 2300mg sodium per day, equivalent to 1 teaspoon of salt (table salt is 40% sodium).

If you're drinking lots and your kidneys are healthy, then it's unlikely excess sodium will be a problem. Sodium is also excreted in sweat, so if you live in a hot climate or engage in vigorous exercise, then you'll be losing sodium that way too. In fact, if you sweat a lot you might consider keeping your sodium intake at the higher end of the scale.


Doreen

You might also be interested to read an article by Gary Taubes (yes, the same Gary Taubes who wrote What if It's All Been a Big Fat Lie? in the New York Times last year) .. about the myths and politics surrounding salt in our diets. Just like the low fat myths, there's really not a lot of scientific evidence proving any health benefit from a reduced salt diet, except for a small % of people on blood pressure medication.

Check out .. "The (Political) Science of Salt"
The full article can be read here, from the Aug '98 issue of Science magazine.




Doreen

wowee.. great responses! thank you very much..

texascarl you are an because ive been too lazy to look up how to make sausage at home! see.. i love hamburgers with sausage mixed into them.. love love LOVE them.. and hamburger really is the ideal meat for me (seems to really help with my weight loss plus very easy to chew LOL).. Ive been thinking and thinking about what spices i could add to it to make it 'sausagey' because I know thats the only thing im really missing in them.. not interested in casing since they bother me to chew (wow that makes me sound like a big baby or old granny )

I only seem to retain water when I eat dairy.. and if I go overboard with olives (i love those things)

doreen you are one of the reigning information queens here.. i was so excited to see that you had posted for me! My bloodwork done last year showed EXCELLENT everything (except sodium and calcium were low) (yesterday, .5 hr post workout my BP was 112/67 and pulse 72). I workout about 3-4 days a week (for .75 - 1 hour each time) by mountain biking, hiking, regular street biking and yesterday I started a program on my treadmill (goes up to 5.6 mph with 4 incline for 18 minutes).. yes i find myself sweating alot not only because of these activities but it has been hot and humid.. one day i was a bit dizzy and ate a cuke with salt afterwards which made me feel much better.. (i do take water with me.. unsure if I will begin diluting gatorade or not)

I am in the ladies room ALOT.. if you check my journal youll also see on higher sodium days i NATURALLY drink more water.. yesterday I got pretty high on the sodium scale but i also drank 3 liters of water (I drink nothing else)..

I am going to read that article you posted when i return from work..

thank you so much you all are such blessings!