Salt: Up And Down

[LCFF2110]

Hi,


Newbie here on LCFF. Have been doing diet for several weeks and noticed great results with fat loss and inflammation and reduced blood sugar, however having a bit of a yo yo ride with salt.


Initially I didn’t supplement with extra salt and felt absolutely lousy- low energy, weak, light headed, pressure in my head (interpreted as brain swelling in absence of salt to balance fluid in cells). I thus moved on to having a drink of salty water each morning- 3g per day.


Supplementing with extra salt has reduced these symptoms greatly, however I now experience water retention, raised blood pressure (after it had initially dropped), puffy face. This is particularly frustrating as I was finding my improved appearance very motivating- which has now dissipated given that salt causes so much water retention. Also it is very demoralising to have high blood pressure as I was hoping to improve my health greatly when doing the Atkins diet.


Any tips from anyone out there? As I am feeling a bit stuck between a rock and a hard place. Is it only initially when transitioning that one needs to supplement with extra salt? Is it the case that once your body gets used to ketosis you don’t need salt any more?


Any words of advice or encouragement would be most appreciated, feeling very fed up

 

[NoCrbs4Me]

Welcome to the forum.

It's difficult to give useful advice without some more information.

Do you have diabetes? If yes, what kind?
Are you on any meds?
What do you typically eat in a day?
How much exercise do you do?

 

[LCFF2110]

Hi,

Yes I have T2 diabetes. Not taking any medication for blood sugar- low carb diet has brought my hba1c numbers down sufficiently.

I don't do very much exercise at all.

Brek: Strawberries and double cream

Lunch: tuna on low carb protein bread + cheese + boiled egg + Brazil nuts

Tea: meat e.g. chicken or pork or beef + lots of veg (normally peas, carrot, cauliflower) with cream again for pudding.

Black Coffee intermittently throughout day

 

[NoCrbs4Me]

You say you've been doing low carb for several weeks? You should have adjusted by now. I'd try just adding salt to your food like you would normally do instead of a glass of salty water. Maybe a little bit of exorcising might help - like a half hour walk a day.

 

[LCFF2110]

Thank you for your reply NoCrbs4Me, is the consensus then that salt is only needed for the initial transition? Or is it plausible to need to supplement with salt all the time ?

What was your experience?

Cheers,

 

[bulkbiker]

I put a couple of pinches of salt in my coffees spread over the day rather than have one salty drink. Maybe try that?

 

[NoCrbs4Me]

Thank you for your reply NoCrbs4Me, is the consensus then that salt is only needed for the initial transition? Or is it plausible to need to supplement with salt all the time ?

What was your experience?

Cheers,

I never worried about salt. Then again, I like lots of salt on my steak.

 

[Petaluk]

I use Himalayan salt, the pink one. I just sprinkle some on my eggs.

 

[Petaluk]

I can usually tell if I need more salt, just by my blood being thicker when I prick my finger.