Okay so I don't have a sweet tooth lately, which I thought was a good thing. But no, it has caused me so many problems in the last few weeks: mainly that I'm gaining water weight. No one likes water weight. It feels gross and it's not real nice to look at. I'm not a fan.
Why did this happen? Because instead of having a sweet tooth, I've been craving salty foods. I've been eating a lot of soy sauce with my sushi, popcorn and Amy's pizza. These are all low calorie, good for you foods, but they are incredibly high in salt, it turns out. There was my mistake.
So as usual, when things aren't going my way, I turn to research. I read books, browsed websites and called nutritionists to figure out why this was happening and I have found the answers and some solutions. I know I'm not the only one who has to deal with this, so I DEFINITELY want to share what I've learned with all of you.
1. Salt = water retention.
Eating excess sodium causes your body to retain water, and everyone retains this in different places. Most women retain water around their midsection and legs while men tend to retain it just in their stomachs and chests.
2. Sodium is in so many foods.
It's not just cutting back on adding salt to your food. Sodium is in everything, especially processed foods. Canned soups, frozen dinners an snack foods are filled to the brim with sodium. Steer clear, or just lighten your intake, if you want to avoid bloating up. I've had to give up soy sauce, popcorn and frozen seasoned veggies. I'm sad, but the weight is practically evaporating off now.
3. Natural diuretics CAN help, but only to a point.
Drinking tea or coffee can help reduce some of the water retention, but only a little bit. Use them at first to help your system flush out a bit, but make sure you drink plenty of water too.
4. Water helps get rid of water.
Seriously, drinking water helps to get rd of water retention. It flushes you out better than anything. Drink water. It's the best thing you can do!
5. Don't mistake water weight for body fat and visa versa. Try to be in tune with your body and know what is causing your weight gain or loss so yo can better know how to deal with it. Don't be afraid to visit a nutritionist for extra advice. The best advice is that which is tailored to your specific situation. Everyone's body is different.
I hope I don't miss the salt in my food, but I'm certainly ready to be rid of this water for good. Let's just hope I can keep on track with this!
My favorite seasoning (salt substitute) are McCormick Salt Free seasonings: lemon pepper. The lemon gives me a great acidic flavor that can seem salty to my taste buds and it's great on everything. I also have started to just sprinkle ground ginger on my sushi instead of dipping into soy sauce. It's awesome! I'm sorry I didn't think of it before!
What are some of your favorite salt-free seasonings?
I'm learning that no one diet works for everyone - period!
ReplyDeleteAnd also that just cutting back on alcohol and caffeine will make water weight melt off. I think Braggs amino acids are a good soy sauce sub and you've got the right idea with ginger I think - that sounds yummy!
p.s. I'm studying to be a health coach which is similar to a nutritionist so I"ll be chiming in on all this stuff :)