Does "The Salt Solution Diet" Really Work?

I love salt!   I'm one of those people who pours it on everything, because food just tastes, well, pretty darn bland without those tasty little crystal morsels sprinkled on eggs, or poured into a boiling pot of water for pasta. My sweet tooth was replaced by my love of salty foods when I stopped eating meat many moons ago, and since my blood pressure, thankfully, is perfect I have never had to worry about my sodium intake. 

But as age has crept upon me over the years, so have the pounds. I am not overweight, but I have about 10 of them I would like to get rid of permanently, and they're clinging to me like a wet t-shirt.  When I got very sick with a nasty flareup of my Ulcerative Colitis two years ago I lost 30 pounds, twenty of which my body should not have dumped considering my height and frame, but I gained those extra 10 pounds and I want them gone, but not as a result of being sick.

I have never been much of a dieter, or calorie counter, and regimented exercise has always bored me to tears, but I started exercising a bit and cutting down on desserts and yet there they still are. Then, while standing in the grocery store check-out line I noticed a Woman's World magazine with the words printed in white "Is salt making you FAT?" and "Lose 11 lbs in 14 days".  The magazine got added to my purchases, and I immediately  read the article.

The article, excerpted from Heather K Jones, RD's book The Salt Solution, has some interesting notions about how salt makes you fat, so I decided to try the diet, as challenging as it was to find no-salt, low salt foods. I diligently followed the diet using the recipes and the guidelines in the magazine article, while I waited for my copy I had purchased on Ebay.  And guess what?  I didn't drop a pound in those effort-filled two weeks. 

I assume that it has worked for others, but it certainly didn't for me. Perhaps following the book's recommendations rather than the magazine article's would have made a difference, but I'll never know.  However, it's always worth a try, especially since you can find a hardcover copy on Amazon for .44cents plus shipping. Unfortunately, I spent $15.00 on mine on Ebay!  But the one positive thing I gained from the experience is that I have substantially cut down on my salt intake, which is probably a good thing since an excessive use of salt really isn't good for you. But I am back to sprinkling those luscious white crystals on some of my food, albeit sparingly; and will have to find another way to lose those annoying extra pounds.

Water and Weight Loss

I think we all know that drinking more water can help cut down the amount of calories you ingest. Fill your stomach with liquid and you feel fuller. However, a recent Penn State University study has confirmed that eating low fat foods with a high water content can actually help with weight loss.

Fruits, veggies, beans and apparently low-fat dairy contain fewer calories and satisfy hunger more so you have a tendency to eat less.

They've also found that people who drink a bowl of veggie broth (of 100 to 150 calories per bowl) before a meal consume as much as 20 percent fewer calories.

Barbara J. Rolls, PhD at Penn State says "hunger is one reason people don't stick with diets." If you can feel fuller from less food, then you will obviously start losing some weight. I remember reading somewhere that we often misinterpret feelings of 'hunger' for feelings of thirst, so try drinking some water when you feel hungry and see if that doesn't actually curb your hunger pangs. Besides the more water you drink the more toxins are released from your body.

So start off with a clear, low-calorie soup, make a nice plate of veggies along with some beans and a little cheese, add some fruit for dessert and see what happens.

I think I'll go buy some miso soup and start off my meals with that.

H/T healthyupdates.com