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Stomach cramps - low carbs link?

J

JIS

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I am 4 months post Diagnosis Day (T2); I have drastically cut my carbs and have shed 15 kg of weight down to 92kg from 107 (height is 5' 11" - big build). A month ago I experienced quite severe stomach cramps and hot and cold "flushes" (I am a man :wink: ). These cramps went aways after about an hour and then, some weeks later reappeared; only to ease again for another few weeks.

So here's the thing; Gillian McKeith's TV series in 2004 or so (You are what you eat), contains some interesting information about drastic carb reductions. She states that we cannot cut the carbs entirely and symptoms resulting from this include ... stomach cramps.

The difficulty I have is that I am very intolerant to most carbs including potato, bread, pasta etc; so I have a small amount of porridge in the morning and this wil generally be the majority of my carb intake for the day.

Question : do these stomach cramps align with your experiences? What is their cause and what is the best way forward? (Yes I will ask my Diabetes Nurse but I seek the experiences from this forum too).

Many thanks on this Fathers' day (with the rumblings of stomach cramps in the background, hence this post !!)

John
 
Well; judging by the lack of response, I must assume that either the cramps are not associated with the low carbs OR none of you have experience of this. I have to say it's not regular but bow; when it occurs you know about it.
Thanks
John
 
Not suffered anything like this but I would guess that any drastic change in diet may produce some initial stomach upset ? The only thing I have read about is when following The Atkins Diet, one of the side effects sound similar to yours. So, there may well be a link. I would Google Atkins Diet and try that route for more info. I do think it's only temporary though. The only other thing that causes stonach problsms occasionally would be Metformin. Not sure what meds , if any, you're taking though. Hope things get better for you !
Mo


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Thanks Mo; no I am not taking any meds. My wife Chrissie is not diabetic BUT she has cut the carbs in a similar way (as we share meals) and she too has suffered these occasional stomach cramps. I'll look up the Atkins diet. Thanks again.
 
JIS said:
Thanks Mo; no I am not taking any meds. My wife Chrissie is not diabetic BUT she has cut the carbs in a similar way (as we share meals) and she too has suffered these occasional stomach cramps. I'll look up the Atkins diet. Thanks again.
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Hi, I think you would be doing yourself an injustice if you 'assume' that the cramps and flushes are due to your diet and diabetes, even though they may be. If it were me I would speak to my GP about it before 'self-treating'.
 
Are you still getting these stomach cramps?

Mine is a similar story.

18st 6lbs and a HbA1c of 7.2% on diagnosis in late March 2013, I cut down food amount (and carbs) quite a lot, combined with lots of exercise and I've shed 3.5 stone to be 15st today (1st August). Blood sugars down from 8-14s to 4-7s now. Great stuff.

But ..... I've been getting stomach cramps / stomach pains and aches and heavy legs recently (had them on / off since diagnosis - but during that time I've obviously been losing weight / low carbing etc).

So, I'm wondering if the same thing is the story with me ..... i.e. low carbing causing stomach to cramp and cause pain ...... ?????
 
I get abdominal cramping if I drop fibre below 15-20g a day.
I find flaxseeds, chia seeds, shirataki noodles, raspberries and blackberries useful in keeping fibre up without putting carbs too high
,
 
Hi. Well yes. But not as much because since losing lots of weight my BG had improved and my ability to process carbs had also improved. So I eating more carbs than a few months ago and the cramps have faded too. The same with my non diabetic partner mirrors my diet. So we are pretty convinced that ultra low carbs causes stomach cramps.
Thanks for your post.
John


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i dont get the cramps low carbing, i have experienced no ill effects at all so yet again it goes back to us all being different :) well done for getting yourself under better control :)
 
JIS said:
Hi. Well yes. But not as much because since losing lots of weight my BG had improved and my ability to process carbs had also improved. So I eating more carbs than a few months ago and the cramps have faded too. The same with my non diabetic partner mirrors my diet. So we are pretty convinced that ultra low carbs causes stomach cramps.
Thanks for your post.
John


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Thanks for replying.

Certainly sounds like what's happening to me too. Also getting a lot of itching, again intermittent. Did you notice that too ?
 
Hi, have recently started to reduce carb intake over the last few weeks and have had two separate days with similar symptoms as yourself, as these days were almost a week apart I thought it might have been something I had ate at first! Having ruled that out I will now keep a closer look on my daily carb intake, thanks for the heads-up. :)
 
SPARKLE4 said:
Hi, have recently started to reduce carb intake over the last few weeks and have had two separate days with similar symptoms as yourself, as these days were almost a week apart I thought it might have been something I had ate at first! Having ruled that out I will now keep a closer look on my daily carb intake, thanks for the heads-up. :)
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Itching and stomach pains you mean SPARKLE4 ?
 
Oh yes its awful isnt it. But mine is getting better. I found carbonated water helped me. And my Blood glucose has dropped so well worth it.

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Hi JIS, I couldnt say whether or not a lack of carbs in your diet would cause stomach cramps although I cant recall feeling similar symptoms when I was eating around 60g carbs a day, but regarding your comments on:

JIS said:
Gillian McKeith's TV series in 2004 or so (You are what you eat), contains......
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Gillian McKeith was exposed as a total fraud who had no legitimate dietary qualifications who lied about her qualifications which is why she disappeared from our screens, so I wouldnt worry about anything that she may or may not have said, she was a just a total joke.

I did get some stomach cramps when I started Metformin but I see you are diet only so ill leave it to the committed low carbers here to answer you more fully.
 
Hi sparkle.
I was diagnosed in may and drastically changed my diet cutting carbs right back to 190 gms a day. I too have had cramps. My diabetes nurse was concerned at my drastic response and warned this could be one problem I could get along with many other complications caused by drastic change and reduction in my diet. I also got a severe infection in my breast. I have since tried to moderate my response to my bg readings but I do find it hard not to respond to high bg tests by cutting back.... My fitness instructor says once I regulate my bg levels I can increase my carb intake. The d nurse says cut back gradually. Seems like maintaining balance at every stage is key.
slow and steady. Slow and steady.
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I get a nasty crampy pain in my lower abdomen,rather than stomach,particularly in the morning when I'm hungry.Been low carbing for about four months now.It seems to fade if I lie down for a while though it's not always appropriate to do so!
 
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