Low Carb, Sodium, Blood Sugar & Ketones

[msmi1970]

For most low carbers, this would be obvious. Just wanted to share anyway.

Been in ketosis for around 9 months. Went through the light headedness phase early on. Increased salt intake. Symptoms disappeared.

I eat twice a day now. Use about 4-5 TB of Salted Butter & salt food liberally.

Started a "cholesterol" experiment 12 days ago. Temporarily stopped the butter. Still salt my dinner liberally.

Started to get light headed every time I stood up or looked up. Muscles felt weaker. Almost fainted last night with minimal increase in activity. Sweating profusely. Have ruled out both blood sugar & blood pressure as the problem.

I am an idiot. Quick review of Steve Phinney's book. Took several doses of salt & potassium. Got up this morning totally cured. Won't make that mistake again. That is not the interesting part.

I have been very disciplined with my food intake the last 12 days. Managed to get my FBS down to 4.8 but despite the prolonged gap between meals, my ketone levels have only been around 2.2 for the last week.

On the day I suffered my most severe bout of light-headedness (which I assume had brought me to the point of highest sodium deprivation), my FBS had shot up to 5.8. That in itself may not be particularly unusual. However, even after 16 hours between breakfast & dinner, it did not come down at all & that has never happened. My ketones stubbornly remained at 2.2.

After restoring my sodium/potassium, the very next day saw my FBS return to 4.8 & interestingly my ketones shot up to 3.5.

The intricacies of the relationship between the multitude of components within the body is truly astounding!!

The more I learn, the less I know...

 

[vintageutopia]

Salting my food is something I am still having a hard time wrapping my head around. I know I should, but I don't.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[Mrsmac247]

This is interesting, I do not add additional salt to my foods as the seasonings I use for my meats usually contains a little. The only added salt is to my eggs and whatever amount the bacon contains.

I wonder if I should up my salt intake and see what happends

 

[vintageutopia]

Last week, I was feeling fatigued for no reason mid-day, so I popped a beef bouillon cube in hot water and drank it. Admittedly, I had more energy soon after. So, I suppose I was sodium deficient.

I have been taking a mag citrate powder every night to avoid leg/foot cramping, though.

 

[msmi1970]

Salting my food is something I am still having a hard time wrapping my head around. I know I should, but I don't.

Thanks for sharing.

despite reading about it, the first time this happened to me, i immediately assumed it was postural hypotension. this time round, despite having suffered through it, once again i made other assumptions before recognising the symptoms.

you are absolutely right. after all the research, i jumped in cold turkey with drastically lowering my carbs, had absolutely no problem getting 80% of calories from fat BUT the one thing i could not wrap my head around was this salt thing..to my detriment...twice..

 

[msmi1970]

This is interesting, I do not add additional salt to my foods as the seasonings I use for my meats usually contains a little. The only added salt is to my eggs and whatever amount the bacon contains.

I wonder if I should up my salt intake and see what happends

i honestly think most of these electrolyte levels are highly personalised although Dr.Phinney recommends for anyone that is fully keto-adapted to take at least 2 grams per day through bouillon..& definitely before exercise.. good luck..

 

[msmi1970]

Last week, I was feeling fatigued for no reason mid-day, so I popped a beef bouillon cube in hot water and drank it. Admittedly, I had more energy soon after. So, I suppose I was sodium deficient.

I have been taking a mag citrate powder every night to avoid leg/foot cramping, though.

I hedge my bets & take 400mg magnesium. really don't know if it does me any good..

 

[4ratbags]

Im glad you posted this actually as sometimes even though you've read it before it doesnt sink in.

 

[Brunneria]

Its tricky - especially in hot weather, when you sweat more and drink more, which flushes salt out even more quickly.

All my life I have got cramps in hot weather - while probably eating fewer carbs than most.
Eventually I learned that salt on food and potassium supplements would help, but all I ever did was treat the symptoms, in hot weather.

Only after arriving at this forum did I learn that magnesium would also help, that extra salt should be every day, and that I felt a lot better with these - and yet, a few months ago when I reduced my protein a bit, I accidentally reduced my salt at the same time!

Today, I woke with the sore throat that means I am low on potassium, AGAIN!!!

 

[msmi1970]

Its tricky - especially in hot weather, when you sweat more and drink more, which flushes salt out even more quickly.

All my life I have got cramps in hot weather - while probably eating fewer carbs than most.
Eventually I learned that salt on food and potassium supplements would help, but all I ever did was treat the symptoms, in hot weather.

Only after arriving at this forum did I learn that magnesium would also help, that extra salt should be every day, and that I felt a lot better with these - and yet, a few months ago when I reduced my protein a bit, I accidentally reduced my salt at the same time!

Today, I woke with the sore throat that means I am low on potassium, AGAIN!!!

hope you feel better Brunneria... for me, being mindful of adequate salt intake is possibly the one "small" nuisance related to LCHF..

 

[Brunneria]

Yes thanks - feeling fine. it was a very small blip, and a very useful reminder!

 

[msmi1970]

Im glad you posted this actually as sometimes even though you've read it before it doesnt sink in.

no worries. even having been through it, i still discounted the obvious..the conditioning that salt is bad is so ingrained.

 

[Robbity]

I think I've been lucky in that I've always been a heavyish salt eater, in spite of long term nagging by the doctor.

I used to get bad (leg) cramps years ago when on diuretics, so knew about potassium (my previous pre diabetes "supplement" was frequent bananas ), but have only recently, and probably not yet properly, taken on board, the magnesium requirement as well.

Robbity

 

[Pasha]

I did a small trial ,not adding any salt to my food at all. Went OK for a week or so and then started to get leg cramps again at night.
Started adding 1 gram of salt to my breakfast each morning and so far the cramps have disappeared. Blood ketones are high all the time, I do very low carb diet. [ see signature].
Everybody is different, as is said thousands of times each day on this forum. I just didnt realise how great are these differences .

 

[4ratbags]

Thanks @msmi1970 for starting this thread. I am always feeling lightheaded, get headaches and leg cramps at night so I will give the potassium, magnesium supplements a go and I will try to add a bit of salt to my food.

 

[Pasha]

I posted this on another link, but it may be useful on this thread also.

http://fhs.mcmaster.ca/main/news/news_2014/sodium_intake_study.html

 

[4ratbags]

Thanks for that, my only concern is that I will overdo it somehow but Im sure if I start adding a little bit of salt to breakfast and dinner I should be fine

 

[msmi1970]

Thanks @msmi1970 for starting this thread. I am always feeling lightheaded, get headaches and leg cramps at night so I will give the potassium, magnesium supplements a go and I will try to add a bit of salt to my food.

Hi 4ratbags
if you go very low carb, then definitely increase your salt intake. once your body is keto adapted, the default setting is for the kidneys to excrete rather than retain salt.

That is why despite my high salt intake, my blood pressure has come down to 115/75 at rest (from 160/100) with no medication. the body is a fantastic machine.