[UConnJulie]

Karla,

At this point, don't make it more difficult than you have to ... but trust there are a whole host of reasons why you need to eat more (hormone production, bone production/regeneration, metabolism stimulation, etc).

Follow the simple rules ...
*Eat 5-6 small meals per day.
*Each meal has protein, REAL carbs (unprocessed whole foods like sweet potato, brown rice, fruit, quinoa, etc), fibrous veggies, and some healthy fats.
*Eat until you are satisfied but not stuffed.
*Eat even if you are not "hungry" every 3 hours or so. If you have only been eating one meal per day for 30+ years, then your body no longer sends out reliable hunger signals.

Remember that a "meal" might be a small can of tuna, mixed with some high quality mayo and chopped onions, spread on a slice of Ezekiel bread, and a cup of crudite (cut up raw veggies) on the side, . Or it might be 2 hard boiled eggs, a sliced tomato, and a handful of grapes. Each meal doesn't need to be restaurant dinner portion sized!!

Sodium is needed, especially if you are sweating a whole lot. If you aren't eating a lot of processed foods or dumping a ton on each meal, I wouldn't stress over it.

Fluid retention in females is often more about hormone balance (specifically estrogen/progesterone ratio).

I would also be cautious about very low dietary fat levels. Dietary fat does not make you fat. Just like dietary cholesterol does not elevate serum cholesterol levels. Fat is necessary (especially at our stage of life) for hormone production. If you are looking to lose fat, then limiting saturated fat might be beneficial, but otherwise eat plenty of healthy plant-based fats.

I KNOW that all the dietary information out there is confusing ... but you are doing the right things. Ask questions, read, learn. For some people, it takes a lot of experimentation to find what works best for their individual constitution. Don't be afraid to try something for a few weeks, then re-evaluate and see where it is taking you (ie toward your goal or away from it).