Like salt? - Just say no to the shaker.

I have two problems with dieting.  When I'm too big, it's impossible to lose weight.  Conversely, when I'm too small, it's impossible to gain.  Both happen when I'm not looking.  So in an attempt to shed 20 - 40 pounds, I've gone to the gym three to four times a week for the last eight weeks.  I've seen no results aside from having more energy and feeling better.  I still look terrible and forget about anything fitting.

In a final effort to get rid of this fat, I've started watching what I eat.  Now, after three days of this - two successful, I decided to plug my food into a nutrition journal in hopes of seeing how the nutrients break down.  I'm on a fruit and vegetable diet with limited amounts of everything else.  This means I eat a lot of onions and green peppers with a corn or potato thrown in for good measure.  On the fruit side, I eat a lot of strawberries, bananas, and blueberries, and light whipped cream.  This leads one to a very low calorie, low fat diet.  Awesome right?!  Not so much.  I'm getting killed in salt and sugar (fructose). 

I'm not too concerned with the sugar as I know where that's coming from.  The salt, I had no idea.  Okay, I had a little bit of an idea.  I drink about six to eight 12oz cans of coke a day, but that's only 400mg of salt.  If that was the only salt I was taking in, I'd be good to go.

So what killed me?  What gave me a salt ratio of 2734/2400?  First and foremost it was four tablespoons of Kraft Free Zesty Italian dressing.  It has 15 calories per serving.  I had two servings for a whopping 960mg salt total.  Second, I got hammered by some Buddig Honey ham.  90 calories per pack.  It also has 650mg of salt.  Thirdly, a can of Hormel chicken breast at 580mg per can.  120 calories.

Bottom line:  Don't add any salt to anything, never, not ever.  Just don't.