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I wanted to know your thoughts on sodium intake and the sodium/potassium ratio.My goal is to be around 8% bodyfat. I think today I'm around 10 or 12 % not sure because my abs are visible but i think i retain a bit of water. So the other day, I was looking about sodium and potassium, the sodium/potassium ratio and water intake seems to be very very important in the body, it determines the amount of liquid you retain etc but what's the ratio? A lot of people say 2:1 Potassium: Sodium... So I found the "Na+/K+ pump" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Na%2B/K%2B-ATPase it says " The sodium-potassium pump moves 3 sodium ions out and moves 2 potassium ions in, thus in total removing one positive charge carrier from the intracellular space" So the ideal ratio must be 3:2 Sodium/Potassium? Scott Abel confirms that Sodium must be taken high dose to be shredded but he doesn't say anything about potassium.http://scottabel.blogspot.fr/2007/07/sodium-unsung-hero-to-performance-and.htmlDr Joe thinks the same and never cut off sodium and water pre contest:http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/drjoe13.htmFor water intake, everybody seems ok to say that you must drink a good amount, around " BW x 0,6 = Water you need in ounces" Drinking a lot of water is going to flush all the excess water. I'm around 1 gallon/ day now before I was 0,5.After reading all this, I calculate my sodium and potassium intake, I was high in potassium aroung 2000mg and quite low in sodium: 1000 mgSo I added 2 mg of sodium with sea salt, pickles, mustard... What I notice I've done ULC for 1 week without any training and back load but with added sodium and water, I felt that my muscles were fuller and probably a bit more shredded but hard to say, compare than before without all the added salt. My ratio is now 3:2 Sodium potassium.What do you think on that?
Any idea guys and girls? Do you limit your sodium intake? watch it carefully? or you don't bother?Do you think it's an important factor to become ripped?
Any idea guys and girls? Do you limit your sodium intake? watch it carefully? or you don't bother?Do you think it's an important factor to become ripped?
I used to obsess over details like sodium and water intake, because I retain water easily too. But, the matter of fact is just that thinking/watching ones sodium intake etc. is not a sustainable way to look the way you want, all the time - actually stressing about it, only makes it worse, IMO. It is necessary if you're going into contest or something, but not as a everyday thing. What helped me a lot is keeping carb intake pretty regular, so I am backloading every night - also on off days, but smaller backloads ofc.. Also, just a couple of days in calorie surplus makes me retain water too. I don't watch my sodium intake at all, besides making sure I do get a good amount. As far as I understand, the body do not hold on to sodium on ULC as much as on a high carb diet. What helped me, is just making sure I'm hitting my macros pretty well every day, and keeping carbs pretty regular. The lower body fat you get to, the less water you retain, so just hit your macros, get shredded, and retain less water 🙂 Forget details like sodium and so on, it's not worth the stressing over it. Remember, everything above is just my opinion 🙂
Thank you for your response, very interesting. I understand what you mean, I'm the same, I don't want to spend my life counting macros…But in my diet, it's not very complicated for me to count the sodium really, i just add 2 big teaspoon of mustard with 2 meals, some pickles and some sea salt and that's it but i don't really count. Anyway, the body is smart, it balances the electrolytes if they are too many of sodium but from Scott abel and dr joe's view it is better to have more sodium than potassium.
Thank you for your response, very interesting. I understand what you mean, I'm the same, I don't want to spend my life counting macros...But in my diet, it's not very complicated for me to count the sodium really, i just add 2 big teaspoon of mustard with 2 meals, some pickles and some sea salt and that's it but i don't really count. Anyway, the body is smart, it balances the electrolytes if they are too many of sodium but from Scott abel and dr joe's view it is better to have more sodium than potassium.
I do not think I spend my life counting macros, haha, and I don't that much. Pick a handful of ULC meals that you eat for the most part. For me that could be like eggs and bacon. Figure out, one time, how to hit macros in that meal, and from then you don't have to count, because you'll know. While backloading you have to keep track of carbs anyway. And protein is not a bad idea too! Anyway, after I shifted my mindset away from details, I got leaner (I'm around 10% BF now, maybe a little lower) and it's a lot easier to stay like that every day 🙂 Again, looking good every day is about bodycomp., not sodium/potassium intake 🙂 I know you know that.
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