Electrolyte imbalance

[Chi17]

I’m about 5 weeks in to a low carb/Keto way of eating- approx 20g carb/day. I feel it’s going great, I’m enjoying what I eat and feeling satisfied, weight loss hasn’t been rapid but it’s moving in the right direction. I never felt I suffered from carb flu initially but the last few days I have felt a bit lightheaded, had mild headaches and my legs have ached and cramped at night keeping me awake. I’m including plenty of salt in my diet, any other tips? Thank you

[Subtle_badger]

Other missing electrolytes may be potassium, magnesium and calcium. Also make sure you have a are drinking enough water.

A source of potassium is lite/lo salt. I use that occasionally. And I have some bone broth most days.

I haven't got it all worked out. Still get occasional night cramps.

[Chi17 in reply to Subtle_badger]

Thank you for replying, I’ve bought some electrolyte tablets, took one last night and had a better nights sleep. I could definitely try harder with the water too so I’ll get on that today..and try cutting down on tea!

[Juppy]

I use a keto flu drink recipe I found... one pint of water, 1 Tablespoon Apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp cream of tartar (for potassium). The potassium is important to balance out the salt. Sometimes I skip the lime juice if I don’t have any in. It sounds weird but I find I like it.

Bone broth also helps. And also night leg cramps are sometimes caused by calcium deficiency.

[Chi17 in reply to Juppy]

Thank you, I will give it a try if I start to struggle again. Must look into making some bone broth too.

[TheAwfulToad Ambassador]

I would just add to the excellent advice above : at five weeks, I would start allowing your carbs to rise above 20g (~50g is a sensible target for ongoing weight loss). That's not because you need carbs, but simply because it will allow you to get a wider range of foods into your meals, which in itself will help to correct (over time) what's going on here; it'll also prevent you getting bored with the same old routine. Supplements can be a useful stopgap, but they're a poor substitute for proper food.

Unless you're T2D, there's no particular advantage to staying in deep ketosis.

I had almost identical issues to you at the beginning; I used the daily broth thingy, which seemed to help, but IIRC it took 2-3 months before the cramps etc completely went away. But don't worry, it does resolve itself eventually!

[Chi17 in reply to TheAwfulToad]

Thank you for your response. I’m reluctant to up my carbs as my weight loss hasn’t been great...approx 1lb every 10 days, should I expect my weight loss to continue at the same rate by upping my carbs a little?

[TheAwfulToad Ambassador in reply to Chi17]

Sorry for not replying earlier ... I only have intermittent access to the internet.

Short answer is "probably", but individual response can vary a lot. The general recommendation is to just let your carbs rise slowly as your appetite prompts you (eg., by introducing moderately carby things like carrots or sweetcorn) and see if your weight loss continues. Unless you're very unlucky, you'll probably be fine. If you stall out for more than a month, drop your carbs again. No harm done.

It's a bit of misconception that it's the lack of carbs per se that causes you to lose weight. Keto causes various metabolic adjustments that restore your body's ability to manage its bodyfat correctly (becoming obese is a malfunction driven by years and years of low-fat high-carb food). Once those adjustments are complete, your body will continue to discard the fat that was stored away "by accident". It might slow down a bit, but what's the hurry? If it takes six months or nine months, does it really matter? The important bit, surely, is that you're eating in a way that keeps that weight off forever.

[Chi17 in reply to TheAwfulToad]

Thank you for the advice, I shall continue to go with the flow and see what happens, I’m in no great rush, I’m not very overweight just impatient but I seeing the benefits elsewhere and that in itself makes it all worthwhile.

[mkmo]

Same thing happened to me! Electrolytes were a constant issue! Got the capsules took one every day, and that did the trick! Good luck on your journey ! Stay the course!