While driving to our local buffet the other day I started thinking about sodium and weight loss. Watching your calories is very important but paying attention to your sodium intake is also a very important part of any weight loss program as well. It is important to have some sodium in your diet but too much can make you feel puffy and fat.
One thing I have noticed when I eat out at restaurants, the next day, it can be hard for me to get my wedding ring on. I have been wearing my ring for over thirty years and my ring size has not changed. However, when I go out to eat the next day I can barely get it on. This is a huge indicator that I had way too much sodium the previous day. This makes me feel so uncomfortable that it stops me from eating out at particular restaurants. I have noticed that I feel fluffy and bloated after some restaurants I eat at and do not feel that way after eating at a different restaurant. This got me wondering about what was different in these various restaurants.
There is a chain buffet that I like to go to and I don’t have the sodium and weight loss problem the next day. I think it is because of the huge number of choices I can make. They have a lot of salads and chicken and pot roast. I love the french fries but I can just take a few to get the taste, because french fries are delicious! My other favorite thing there is their mac and cheese. So creamy and so yummy.Of course, I have to hit the dessert part of the buffet. But, again, I just take small amounts of various things. They make these single serving lemon meringue pies that are wonderful. In just looking at the size I would judge that the size is less than a piece of a regular pie. There is always a pile of the best chocolate brownies covered with a chocolate frosting. They are my favorite part of the meal- except for the mac and cheese.
I find at this type of restaurant, because of all the choices, I can eat a small bit of all my favorite foods and be totally satisfied and not be bloated the next day. If I eat at a fast food chicken chain the next day I am completely bloated. I know it is because of all the salt in the batter. But, there is also a lot of salt in the mash potatoes and gravy. Of course, I need to have at least one biscuit.
When I go to the buffet I will have one or maybe two pieces of fried chicken- usually and wing and a leg- and since I am limiting the number of pieces of chicken my sodium is also being limited. This verses the pile of fried chicken I would eat at the chicken to go place where I would eat three to four pieces of chicken as there is no other options than mash potatoes and gravy.
This may not be the most scientific way to measure sodium and weight loss but it is a great indication when I have overdone the amount of sodium I have eaten in my food. Try paying attention to your rings the next time you eat out. You might be surprised that this measurement of bloating will help you make better choices next time.
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