Done with ham!

[bikinidreams]

I purchased a nice ham for Easter, and enjoyed it yesterday. It was sugar free, but it sure was not nitrate free. My scale proved that to me this morning, when I weighed in and found myself carrying an extra 2-3 pounds! Sugar-Free Sheila avoids ham, according to her FAQs. I am done with ham! I've heard some people on here say they are not affected by nitrates, but I sure am! Very frustrating! I'm drinking extra water today to cleanse my poor system of the junk!

[Sunny_0ne]

Re: Done with ham!

bikinidreams, keep drinking your water and those extra pounds will be gone in a day--two at the most!

They are nothing but excess water.

[liv]

Re: Done with ham!

Hams are pretty salty so it could have been that too. You may be retaining water to deal with the salt.

[Koober101]

Re: Done with ham!

Yes Ham is very tricky, I went to the store some weeks ago and looked
at 5 different brands... ALL not acceptable. Either have sugar, Maple flavor
and ofcourse Dextrose : (

I live in Virginia, I should be able to find a pig farm, God knows you can
smell them. lol

I will buy a pig and tell them please do not do anything to it ! I do not want
you to add wheat flour, sugar, flavorings and anything !

I simply want a peice of HAM !

(end rant)

[msanjelpie]

Re: Done with ham!

Ham is very very salty. It is probably water retention. Nitrates do not effect weight loss. They are just not healthy.

[bikinidreams]

Re: Done with ham!

Is it true that nitrates do not effect weight loss and that it's just the salt/sodium? This whole ham experience has made me very curious--- I have the same problem with pepperoni and sausage.

I'm going to get more water!!!

[liv]

Re: Done with ham!

I think it is the salt. Nitrites and nitrates have been linked to cancer and that is why we try to avoid them as best we can.

[Ryan.Stoeppel]

Re: Done with ham!

I agree, it is most likely the salt that is causing you to retain water. Nitrates won't do that.

[sadie147]

Re: Done with ham!

Is it true that nitrates do not effect weight loss and that it's just the salt/sodium? This whole ham experience has made me very curious--- I have the same problem with pepperoni and sausage.

I'm going to get more water!!!

I'm going to agree with the others about sodium, pepperoni and sausage are usually filled with it too.

If you're using fitday, perhaps you can keep an eye on your daily sodium intake as well..you'll probably see a trend with water weight and high sodium days.

I googled it and from what i found the US RDA for adults is 2400 mgs a day, and the UK one is 1600 , the Canadian one is 1500 Apparently the average intake in the US is 4-5000 mgs!

[bikinidreams]

Re: Done with ham!

Thanks, Sadie- that's a great suggestion, because I have been "stalled" for a couple of days now, but then again I have cooked with pork rinds a few times this past week, and that ham... I better check it out!

[SugarFreeSheila]

Re: Done with ham!

Transient as water weight gain from excessive salt is for me, certain things have an effect - like too much pepperoni, etc. Since it occurs naturally in almost everything, I love seasoning, but don't add table salt to any of my food. Even plain hamburger meat tastes extremely salty to me!

[bikinidreams]

Re: Done with ham!

Thanks everyone for the responses! I realize just now, after snacking on a few slices of nitrate-free deli meat (which just so happens to be LOADED with sodium), that I have been underestimating the amount of salt and sodium I consume! I am convinced that my weight loss will be much more steady if I eliminate those junky foods for good. I can work them in later when I am maintaining, but for now, I'll make the sacrifice!

[bikinidreams]

Re: Done with ham!

Here's my new question:

Does salt/sodium itself interfere with weight loss? Yesterday, I cut way back, and I didn't see any change on the scale. 4th week on Atkins, SW- 175, CW-170! I'm going to post a Review My Menu thread now!

[Ryan.Stoeppel]

Re: Done with ham!

Sodium causes you to retain water. You can still be losing weight, but if your body has taken in more sodium then it needs you will retain water weight. Drinking more water will help to flush your system, but it does take a few days. The daily recommended amount of sodium for a diet is 1500mg, just fyi.

[bikinidreams]

Re: Done with ham!

Thanks for the suggestion, Ryan. 1500mg sounds like a good place to start. I'm going to head over to FitDay now to calculate my sodium intake! Another day of restricted salt, let's see what the scale says tomorrow!