The Plague!

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I'm going to talk about IT again! Which IT, this time, Berta?  Salt.  Why? Well, because so many of you still don't get it. In fact, many who should know better do not understand that trace amounts of sodium over what your body needs to stay alive can undermine your weight loss progress.

Okay, I think most of you get the concept that sodium brings on the Big Bad Bloat  (BBB) because it causes your body to retain water, right? Okay, and you think this is no biggy, right? You think that since you're eating less than ever before, and perhaps even exercising a bit more than usual, and drinking more water that the weight is probably dropping despite the BBB, right? And how could it not be dropping? It's incomprehensible to think that the BBB is not obscuring great weight loss success that will present itself when the humidity lifts and the crisp autumn air greets our slimmer new selves, right?

Well, unfortunately, when the BBB finally subsides, many find that they do not go down; in fact, they often go up a bit. Up? Did she say UP? Yes, she did. And it's not your thyroid. It's not exercise resulting in greater muscle mass. It's not hormonal (this time). It's just that Rule Number One is harder to attain during the dog days of the BBB. Wordies among you will be thinking that we don't attain rules; we follow them. Well, usually that's the case, but this is an exception to the rule. Allow me to explain.

Before I begin, I must remind you that polite company does not shoot the messenger. That being said, I am often in polite company gone postal when I explain the following; thankfully, at least I will not be able to hear the angry diatribes of my readers' that will surely have butterflies in China churning up tornadoes in far away places! Just try to concede that Berta doesn't write the rules! And she does have to follow them, just like you! 

I'm sorry, dear readers, but if you want to lose weight, you absolutely must feel a little bit hungry at bedtime-every bedtime for a few nights in a row. That's it in a nutshell.  Easy.

Or not. You see, salt will deny you the ability to attain a state of slight hunger. It will actually make you feel as if you had eaten your way through the day.And because the sodium will make you thirsty, you will drink excessively, but your body will not produce the normal amount of urine and perspiration; it will not release fluids of any kind. Therefore, you will retain most of what you drink.  This is how extra "scale" pounds appear, and this plays terrible games with your head. 

Let us not forget that we all naturally retain in hot, humid weather. This is a function of self-preservation, the body's defense against dehydration. Unfortunately, we tend to hold more than is necessary because we ingest far more salt than was available when the body was designed. Holding on to all that water will make you feel full, and just as feeling hungry for a few days will cause your weight to drop, feeling full for a few days will drive your weigh up, even if you have been eating well!  Not fair?  I agree!  But that's all she wrote, so stop playing the "not fair" game! Just stop eating it, adding it, and being sabotaged in restaurants!  It isn't worth it!

If you still don't believe me, then just try it for a few weeks and see how you feel.  I guarantee that you will feel hungrier, and when you do, I want you to remember that in your saltier days you were probably eating more and you were full. By simply removing the salt, you will feel lighter and a bit hungrier. Just don't eat your way back up to fullness; that's the trick to getting back on track! Remember that you want to feel a little bit hungry every night and sustain that for as many nights as possible until your weight drops, as it will in approximately four or five days.  Don't think that something must be wrong because you're feeling hungry; that's how you're supposed to feel. 

Allow me to share a few more facts and interesting tidbits about the long-term effects of excessive sodium.

Calcium Deficiency and Osteoporosis - I have already spoken about this in another article about milk and dairy products. If you read that article, you know sodium, along with milk and dairy is one of the many substances that deplete us of calcium!  Too much sodium in your diet will increase your risk for osteoporosis and kidney stones! 

Water Retention, Weight Gain, and Headaches - Of course you know that excessive sodium causes fluid retention, but what you might not know is that it also stresses the heart and circulatory system. This creates edema, which is the swelling of tissues.  Edema, will look like bloating and puffiness all over the body, but mostly in areas like your ankles, fingers, pelvis, and abdomen.  Pre-menstrual and peri- menopausal women are very susceptible to this. Too much water retention can also cause headaches and migraines.  Believe it or not, over the years, I have seen many cases of women and men gaining and retaining over 15 pounds of water weight. This puts enormous stress on the body! 

Stomach Ulcers and Stomach Cancer - The stomach uses sodium to produce hydrochloric acid; the digestive system? is very sensitive to salt, and too much can cause stomach ulcers and some types of stomach cancer.  Here is something else you might not know: the excess salt used to preserve and smoke  "cured" (interesting terminology) foods is known to put consumers at risk for stomach and esophageal cancer. 

Hypertension - Many of you already know this, but I thought I would explain the direct link between sodium and  hypertension and blood pressure for those who don't believe it necessary to eliminate salt for the purpose of weight loss. A constant blood pressure reading of 140/90 or higher is indicative of hypertension. Hypertension is know as the "silent killer" because it frequently goes unnoticed until it's too late, often working behind the scenes causing tissue damage for up to twenty years before any symptoms arise.  Diseases associated with hypertension are heart attack, stroke, arteriosclerosis (the hardening of the arteries), bleeding in the eyes, impaired sight, or blindness, enlarged heart, and congestive heart failure. 

As you can see, there are many reasons for reducing sodium, so if the inability to lose weight is not enough, or you doubt the veracity of my words, then perhaps some of these other reasons will help you commit to putting a lid on the salt!  This means not adding any salt to your foods. Try my favorite trick of adding garlic powder and some fresh lemon in place of salt. Or look for a salt alternative that you like. You can find a good selection of delicious, no-salt herbs online at www.thespicehouse.com.

At the risk of alienating restaurant owners, I must advise you to Eat In! I know it's sometimes hard, but at the very least, opt to eat in more often. This will save you from mountains of sodium.  When you must eat out, don't be afraid to ask that your food be prepared without added salt.  Understand this doesn't mean you will enjoy a salt-free meal, since soups, sauces, and spreads have the stuff in abundance.  Even when eating in, you must be vigilant about avoiding prepared foods, as they are loaded with sodium. 

I know in the beginning it's a drag to wrap your head around all this, but in the end you will be so very happy that you did! 

 You can do it!  Just Lose It!!