Question about taking sodium chloride
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dietbepsi
Posts: 136 Member
Thank you to everyone who helped me get out of my doldrums yesterday, helping me to realize I was having keto flu and telling me how to get out of it. Oh my word I'm like a different person today. My energy level is through the roof. I'm so happy. I picked up some sodium chloride tablets, I don't know if I should take one or two per day. Plus I'm going to use the nu-salt I still salt my food and I plan on drinking a cup of broth. I don't want to have to much sodium. I mean more than I should on this planned. I don't know what happens if you have to much a day but I don't want to take a chance. Thoughts?
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Too much will lead to temporary water weight gain. It takes about 4 days to dump the excess, so just go with the flow (pun!) and don't let it stress you out if it happens.
If you take the tablets, I'd take them with food. Pure NaCl could be rough on an empty stomach.
Since the "flu" symptom relief is so quick with sodium, I just get enough to relieve symptoms. No need to go crazy with the stuff.0 -
Too much will lead to temporary water weight gain. It takes about 4 days to dump the excess, so just go with the flow (pun!) and don't let it stress you out if it happens.
If you take the tablets, I'd take them with food. Pure NaCl could be rough on an empty stomach.
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Yikes that's probably why I was up two pounds today!0 -
But I don't even care! To not feel like I felt yesterday is well worth it! Plus I know it's only temporary0
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I take three a day, but I have problems with malabsorption (gastric bypass) and don't absorb but about 50% of what I consume. Play with it, and find what works for you! High sodium will also make you thirsty (think eating a bunch of ham)! I'm so glad you feel better! You are on your way to your sweet spot!
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Be careful, some people can honestly have too much sodium. If you get foot/leg/ankle or hand/finger swelling that does not abate after a week you probably need to cut back. Play around with it, but be aware that you can upset your body's balance quite easily with tablets.0
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Yes, there is the potential for overdoing it with the sodium tablets (but undiseased (healthy) kidneys) can flush in out through the urine. Compromised kidneys are a whole nother story,
The urine is where we lose the sodium to start with.
Good luck!0 -
So, since I started taking the tablets (seemingly only when I start craving salt, which generally means I'm low), I've had a weird almost super dehydrated feeling intermittently. I don't know whether to salt up and take more - or stop them completely... I'm getting over 100 oz of water most days, and adding one salt tablet on average. I also started MCT within a few days, and my lips are so dry and chapped feeling (like when you lick them and they burn, even though the skin isn't cracked) to the point where my SO can't kiss me without me feeling pain...
Yesterday, the only times this easy was when I loaded up on fats, and even that was temporary. Coconut and MCT oils absorb readily, but "dry out" quickly too. I'm about to lose my mind...
Anyone have ideas???? *sigh*0 -
I have felt this at times while taking them, but it always goes away. I relate it to like I used to feel (not this bad) after eating ham at a holiday. So I'm thinking it's an excess of what's needed. Can be completely wrong, and probably am (have been proven wrong here many times lol!)! Maybe you aren't making the same amount of ketones right now, therefore flushing sodium leading to increased need, right now.
Light bulb just went off with the ketones!!! Makes perfect Sense about increase and decreased needs of sodium! We don't make the same number of ketones everyday!0 -
@KnitOrMiss was having similar issues after starting mct oil, I wonder what the connection is0
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KnitOrMiss wrote: »So, since I started taking the tablets (seemingly only when I start craving salt, which generally means I'm low), I've had a weird almost super dehydrated feeling intermittently. I don't know whether to salt up and take more - or stop them completely... I'm getting over 100 oz of water most days, and adding one salt tablet on average. I also started MCT within a few days, and my lips are so dry and chapped feeling (like when you lick them and they burn, even though the skin isn't cracked) to the point where my SO can't kiss me without me feeling pain...
Yesterday, the only times this easy was when I loaded up on fats, and even that was temporary. Coconut and MCT oils absorb readily, but "dry out" quickly too. I'm about to lose my mind...
Anyone have ideas???? *sigh*
To me, 100 oz of water sounds like whole stinkin lot! I don't really think about how much I get on a daily basis, but it's not that much. I just drink when I'm thirsty. I probably average about 3500mg sodium a day, sometimes more, and don't get that much water...
But, everyone's needs are different and if you're comfortable at that amount, then it's definitely the way to go. So, my water to sodium ratio is likely differently balanced than yours. Being saltier I'm assuming. But, really, it's about how our bodies handle each I guess, so I'm just guessing that my balance is saltier...
Anyway, I do know, that I have not had one day of anything ever resembling Keto flu symptoms and I feel like hydration isn't a problem. My lips are always slightly dry, always have been. My skin is fine, but I do moisturize fairly regularly with coconut oil and this great goats milk lotion I found.
I am one that has also maintained moderate to large ketones consistently too, so I don't know, but my experience tends to make me think that the more water you drink, the more sodium you need. And the more water you drink, the more diluted the acetoacetate in the it one is. Not that that one matters even one tiny bit. I just think it's why a lot of people test lower than I tend to. I don't believe drinking less water is a good thing and I do think I would be well served to try to get more. So I'm not advocating drinking less.
I'm kinda rambling.... Do you get what I'm saying? It's been a long, busy day and I'm not being very articulate tonight. Lol0 -
KnitOrMiss wrote: »So, since I started taking the tablets (seemingly only when I start craving salt, which generally means I'm low), I've had a weird almost super dehydrated feeling intermittently. I don't know whether to salt up and take more - or stop them completely... I'm getting over 100 oz of water most days, and adding one salt tablet on average. I also started MCT within a few days, and my lips are so dry and chapped feeling (like when you lick them and they burn, even though the skin isn't cracked) to the point where my SO can't kiss me without me feeling pain...
Yesterday, the only times this easy was when I loaded up on fats, and even that was temporary. Coconut and MCT oils absorb readily, but "dry out" quickly too. I'm about to lose my mind...
Anyone have ideas???? *sigh*
Well my brain is clearly not firing properly tonight (having some mct hot cocoa to fix that)
I read this post knit not realizing you wrote it then replied that you were having the same issue *smh
So this came to mind. Mct increases ketone production, if you're body flushes excess ketones through urine thus flushing sodium and now the mct is giving you more. Isn't it likely your flushing more sodium out because of that. And therefore making you more dehydrated, kinda like in the beginning of going keto but then it levels out as your body get used to the ketones. Now you're giving it more so it needs to adjust again and use all those instead of dumping them.0 -
Remember that I will always be deficient(if using my example)due to the malabsorption.0
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I'm sorry....what is mct?
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Medium Chain Triglycerides. A whole other story! lol. Basically a liquid fat often derived from coconut oil. Some people swear by it. I'm sure if you started a new thread with that exact phrasing as a title, people would LOVE to tell you all about it and their experiences
I don't use it so thus ends my experience & comment. 0 -
I made a rather detailed description of MCT in another thread recently but I can't remember the post subject to retrieve it..0
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Found it. I just copied what I wrote on the other one...
"MCT oil is a liquid oil that comes from coconut oil. MCT stands for medium chain triglyceride. It contains higher concentrations of the smallest of the medium chain triglycerides. The exact fatty acids that it contains and their concentrations varies from one brand to the next.
A true MCT oil doesn't contain lauric acid which is coconut oils main one. It is a 12 chain triglyceride (C12) and some people don't actually consider it to a be a medium chain at all. But technically it is considered as one. Basically, the longer the chain, the more work the body has to do with it to turn it into ketones. This is not good or bad. Just the way it works. Lauric acid is very good for you. It's why coconut oil is known as a healthy fat.
There are MCT oils that contain 3, 2 or just one fatty acid.
Some have lauric acid (C12), caprylic (C8) and capric acid (C10). But the lauric is in lesser concentration than in coconut oil and the others are a higher concentration. Carrington Farms is one like this. So is a brand called Buried Treasure. Concentrations around 4.5g each per tablespoon.
Some have only caprylic and capric acid. Again, at higher concentrations than coconut oil. Now Foods is an example. Concentrations around 4.5g each per tablespoon.
And still others have only caprylic acid. Dave Asprey's Brain Octaine oil or a brand called Mickey T is another one. Concentrations of 15g and 13.6g on those two.
If you're interested in a fast energy source for mental energy or you just need a pick me up and want to boost ketone production, higher caprylic acid can do that with its 8 chain triglyceride, it requires no processing by the liver and is available immediately as fuel. The brain prefers this form of energy and will even use it before using any glucose present in the blood. This means even sugar burners can make ketones using high dose caprylic acid. This is the fatty acid that is being studied as potential treatment for Alzheimer's and all sorts of other brain conditions.
With that said, lauric acid has lots of great benefits too so if you're going to use an MCT without it, it's a good idea to still include regular coconut oil in your diet too.
As you can tell, this subject really grabbed my interest, and I did a lot of reading about it.
Probably more information than you ever wanted! Lol"0 -
Oh wow! Thank you. I will ponder this now:)0
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Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »KnitOrMiss wrote: »So, since I started taking the tablets (seemingly only when I start craving salt, which generally means I'm low), I've had a weird almost super dehydrated feeling intermittently. I don't know whether to salt up and take more - or stop them completely... I'm getting over 100 oz of water most days, and adding one salt tablet on average. I also started MCT within a few days, and my lips are so dry and chapped feeling (like when you lick them and they burn, even though the skin isn't cracked) to the point where my SO can't kiss me without me feeling pain...
Yesterday, the only times this easy was when I loaded up on fats, and even that was temporary. Coconut and MCT oils absorb readily, but "dry out" quickly too. I'm about to lose my mind...
Anyone have ideas???? *sigh*
To me, 100 oz of water sounds like whole stinkin lot! I don't really think about how much I get on a daily basis, but it's not that much. I just drink when I'm thirsty. I probably average about 3500mg sodium a day, sometimes more, and don't get that much water...
But, everyone's needs are different and if you're comfortable at that amount, then it's definitely the way to go. So, my water to sodium ratio is likely differently balanced than yours. Being saltier I'm assuming. But, really, it's about how our bodies handle each I guess, so I'm just guessing that my balance is saltier...
Anyway, I do know, that I have not had one day of anything ever resembling Keto flu symptoms and I feel like hydration isn't a problem. My lips are always slightly dry, always have been. My skin is fine, but I do moisturize fairly regularly with coconut oil and this great goats milk lotion I found.
I am one that has also maintained moderate to large ketones consistently too, so I don't know, but my experience tends to make me think that the more water you drink, the more sodium you need. And the more water you drink, the more diluted the acetoacetate in the it one is. Not that that one matters even one tiny bit. I just think it's why a lot of people test lower than I tend to. I don't believe drinking less water is a good thing and I do think I would be well served to try to get more. So I'm not advocating drinking less.
I'm kinda rambling.... Do you get what I'm saying? It's been a long, busy day and I'm not being very articulate tonight. Lol
@Sunny_Bunny_ I drink when I'm thirsty. Remember, too, that I'm still in the 260 weight range, too. So I need more fluids just based on blood volume alone. Mainly, I go by thirst and urine color.
So yesterday, I upped my sodium and ended up with a crazy amount of water - added some light salt in last night (to add some potassium since I was screwing up every other electrolyte), and felt better somewhat come evening, but still dry enough I needed lip balm.
The MCT is not triggering the postprandial somnolence, as I skipped it this AM and still had it after my egg scramble breakfast and jello fat bomb, took the MCT at that point, and no additional complication since.
Oh, I forgot, I also upped my fats a bit yesterday, too...
When I say dry, this is way out of norm for me. I DESPISE chapstick of any kind, and I've been applying it, fats in food, coconut oil, MCT, anything. It all absorbs quickly and goes right back to painful stuff. Work up today with a raging cold sore on one tiny corner of my mouth, and still the rim around my lips of painful dryness...it's almost eczema like in it's texture... Like when you lick your lips when it's cold and windy, repeatedly, and they get chapped around the edges....that's how this feels....0
