low sodium diet for weight loss

Question
hi,
a few years back i was diagnosed with meniere's disease and was put on a very strict low sodium diet (800-1000mg/day). since then i have put on 30 lbs. because the foods that seem to be low in sodium are high in fat. gaining weight has had a direct effect on my self-esteem and self-confidence and i am now experiencing secondary depression symptoms. i have looked online and found that the low sodium diets that are available are still too high for me.  my doctors don't have any suggestions other than "eat a sensible diet" (what is that exactly?). my question is where do i go from here? should i see a nutritionist? go on a liquid diet? see if i am eligible for weight loss surgery? is this a hopeless situation where i need to just accept that as a result of my disease i will always be overweight? i do try to take brisk walks for exercise but the fatter i get the harder it seems to be getting. any advice you have would be greatly valued. thanks!

Answer
It is not a hopeless cause.  My diet is less than 1000mg of sodium.  Here are some suggestions:

1.  Keep the diet full of foods close to nature. This means steel cut oats instead of packaged oatmeal and eggs instead of cereal.
2.  Prepare your foods yourself.
3.  Juice your vegetables to get 7-11 servings or eat them raw.
4.  Focus on portions.
5.  Eat until you are satisfied and not full.  Also, eat when you are hungry not for the sake of eating.
6.  Add salt to foods after they are cooked not during the cooking process.
7.  Pay attention to the snacks that you eat.
8.  Drink 8-8 oz glasses of water daily.  Not soda, coffee, or other drinks because "they have water in them".  Drink clear water so that your body doesn't have to clean it.
9.  Find a nutrition app or online software that calculates sodium for you and keeps a log.  This way you can see where it is happening most.
10.  Brisk walks are great.  Don't stop doing it.  Maybe get a pedometer and work up to 10000 steps per day.
11.  Try Zumba.  It is incredible for fat loss.
12.  Exercise as much as you can before breakfast to maximize use of fat stores for energy.  The body uses blood sugar first, glycogen in the muscle next, then liver storage.  So after about 15-20 minutes of exercise, it begins using fat stores.  If you exercise 20 minutes, you might not get to your fat stores.  In the morning, all of these stores are at a minimum. Another way to do it is to do weight training first with circuit training type methods, then do cardio.  

1. Prev:Hysterectomy, weight gain and HCG
2. Next:Measuring body fat percent at home