Thirsty and Craving pickles? What....?

DameMcMame

Arg... No clue what's going on...
Over the past 3 days, I have been putting on weight, a total of 1.4 lbs, a whole pound heavier today. But I'm more concerned about my thirst and cravings.

I was drinking water ceaselessly last night. I drank more than half my body weight and when I went to bed I was STILL thirsty... I've also got daily cravings for pickles, which is unusual for me. Not usually much of a fan of pickles. I still feel good, I am just confused at what my body is telling me with this endless thirst and these desires for pickles. Ideas anyone?

auntstephie321

Your body is crying out for sodium

sammyliftsandeats

@auntstephie321 is correct.

The more you drink, the more you flush out what sodium (along with potassium and magnesium) your body is carrying. You need to keep it balanced or that's when the *kitten* hits the fan.

DameMcMame

Is that why I'm thirsty too? I thought I was thirsty because of TOO MUCH sodium... My daily food tracker generally shows as over goal for sodium.

Sunny_Bunny_

5000mg of sodium a day is typical for keto level carbs. A minimum of 3000mg for other low carb levels.
You will can retain water if your body is trying to hold onto what sodium it has left. Once it's gotten to the point where you are experiencing symptoms, you've also depleted your magnesium and potassium because they will be dumped when sodium gets low to maintain a balance.
You need to supplement sodium and magnesium for sure at this point and potassium can correct itself pretty easily if you drink coffee and tea and it's in lots of foods in sufficient quantities, unlike sodium and magnesium

sammyliftsandeats

DameMcMame wrote: »

Is that why I'm thirsty too? I thought I was thirsty because of TOO MUCH sodium... My daily food tracker generally shows as over goal for sodium.

How many mg of sodium are you getting per day? If you are using the MFP default for sodium, it is pretty low for the LC lifestyle.

Is your thirst a '*kitten*, my mouth is dry AF, I am thirsty' or is it a mental note to drink some water?

If your urine is pale yellow, you are sufficiently hydrated.

This electrolyte business can be a challenging balancing game at the beginning, but once you find something that is working, you will have it down.

And also, I wouldn't be worried about the weight increase. It is going to fluctuate all the time. It can be water retention from muscle repair if you're exercising, something related to the weather (if it's humid where you are), or even just from a bit of a heavier meal. Track the trend, not the daily fluctuations.

auntstephie321

samanthaluangphixay wrote: »

DameMcMame wrote: »

Is that why I'm thirsty too? I thought I was thirsty because of TOO MUCH sodium... My daily food tracker generally shows as over goal for sodium.

How many mg of sodium are you getting per day? If you are using the MFP default for sodium, it is pretty low for the LC lifestyle.

Is your thirst a '*kitten*, my mouth is dry AF, I am thirsty' or is it a mental note to drink some water?

If your urine is pale yellow, you are sufficiently hydrated.

This electrolyte business can be a challenging balancing game at the beginning, but once you find something that is working, you will have it down.

And also, I wouldn't be worried about the weight increase. It is going to fluctuate all the time. It can be water retention from muscle repair if you're exercising, something related to the weather (if it's humid where you are), or even just from a bit of a heavier meal. Track the trend, not the daily fluctuations.

I see the bolded mentioned a lot. This isn't always the case, my body dumps sodium like crazy in the beginning it's very hard for me to retain water at that point. And that's with 5000 mg of sodium or more a day. I will use the restroom probably every 15 minutes and urine will be clear during that time. If you are passing large volume of pale or clear urine in a short time period you need to replenish your electrolytes or your body will just keep flushing all the water you drink.

DameMcMame

Ok, so, I guess I am low on sodium, I was going with the 3000 mg, I'll bump up to 5000 mg. Not sure what to do about magnesium?

Sunny_Bunny_

DameMcMame wrote: »

Ok, so, I guess I am low on sodium, I was going with the 3000 mg, I'll bump up to 5000 mg. Not sure what to do about magnesium?

I think the best value for a well absorbed form of magnesium is Bulk Supplements Magnesium Carbonate on Amazon.

It has no flavor. You can add some to coffee in the morning then to water later in the day and again at bedtime. It's easy to find your perfect dose too as you should take the maximum amount each day that your body can use.
You determine this by starting with your morning dose, 1/4 tsp. If that causes loose stool then cut it back just a bit and take another dose only once your bowels are back to normal. Once you find the dose that doesn't cause loose stool or that kind of grumbling in your gut, then take that morning and night. If still no grumbling, you can probably tolerate a mid day dose too.
3 doses at 1/4 tsp provides over 2000mg. That's my magnesium sweet spot. I haven't had a single muscle cramp since I started taking this product in this way.

BulkSupplements Pure Magnesium Carbonate (Micronized) Powder (250 grams) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EOWINR2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_vBhYxbW7E7RR8

auntstephie321

@Sunny_Bunny_ thanks for sharing the link I just ordered some, I'm having so many issues with my gut I need mag that I know is getting absorbed, the new one I ordered doesn't seem to be doing the trick and I'm getting cramping in my calve at night, just mild ones but I'm nervous it'll get worse. I don't know why the one I got isn't absorbing well it had good reviews and knit has had good success with it. I think my body just hates me lately.

Sunny_Bunny_

auntstephie321 wrote: »

@Sunny_Bunny_ thanks for sharing the link I just ordered some, I'm having so many issues with my gut I need mag that I know is getting absorbed, the new one I ordered doesn't seem to be doing the trick and I'm getting cramping in my calve at night, just mild ones but I'm nervous it'll get worse. I don't know why the one I got isn't absorbing well it had good reviews and knit has had good success with it. I think my body just hates me lately.

I really think there's a huge benefit to the powdered ones because you have absolute control over the dosing so you can take it 2, 3, 4 or more times a day if you want. I think the best method to get maximum absorption is to take small, frequent doses.
I think our body's can handle only so much in a single dose but can actually use more than what can be tolerated in that method if we can take the smaller, more frequent doses.
I'm a big fan of not just supplying enough but supplying the maximum I can handle. Magnesium is so insanely important in so many more ways than just preventing cramps. I want to give my body its best chance, especially when it's so easy to do.
Did you ever read The Magnesium Miracle? I actually never read it entirely. Just sort of picked through it a while back. I keep meaning to check it out and really go through it.

auntstephie321

No I haven't read it, I know how important it is and so many of us are deficient with no clue. I never would've figured out why I get the spasms in my neck and shoulder for the past decade of I hadn't gone low carb and started supplementing mag after a few nights of charlie horses. I agree that smaller doses throughout the day would be ideal for absorption, can't do that easily with pills and with now reading digestive enzymes each time I eat plus probiotics two hours before food, I really am getting tired of taking pills constantly. I have some natural calm too but I don't think it has as much mag as the one you posted plus it makes me a bit too relaxed it's good at night but not all day.