low carb
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akualeahbb
Posts: 3
started low carb on Sept 15 at 196 pounds, been going to the gym three times per week, have joined a total body tone class. so far i have lost a total of 17 pound. wondering if i should continue on the low carb,i'm experiencing side effects of leg cramps and constipation. Has anyone been through this before? help!
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Replies
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Cramps - Carbs help keep sodium in the body, low carb can actually leave you low on salt. This can cause cramps. Many suggest a cup of stock/broth to help compensate. ETA: Oh, also plenty of water. Your muscles need it to recover.
Constipation - Are you getting sufficient fibre? Easy to fall short on low carb. Make sure plenty of your carbs are in the form of fibrous green veggies. You can also add flax to foods. I often have a Greek yogurt with a few berries (also good for fibre) and some milled flax stirred through.0 -
YOu can also relieve constipation by eating more fat. WIthout being too graphic lets just say that fat is slippery enough to keep things moving.0
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For constipation you can add a fiber supplement to your diet. You can also check out the thread on Muffin in a Minute. I've been eating one of those a day and have eliminated a fiber supplement.0
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thanks for your suggestions. one more deilemna, my 15 your old daughter is overweight, we tried many things over the years, she goes to the ymca three time per week. with my recent lost on low carb she asked me to put her on low carb also. due to her age and the few side effects i have experience i have been discourageing her but she keeps insisting. please help.0
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Maybe you could meet her halfway. Don't put her on low carb per se, but just make sure she's not over indulging in them.0
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1) Eat more fiber (psyllium husks if you can't get it from your food) I shoot for at least 40g/day
2) Take magnesium supplements I take 400 mg/day
3) drink plenty of water.
With all of these actions,start small and work your way up to whatever level you need. Don't overdo it right from the start or you could be distressed.0 -
one more deilemna, my 15 your old daughter is overweight, we tried many things over the years, she goes to the ymca three time per week. with my recent lost on low carb she asked me to put her on low carb also. due to her age and the few side effects i have experience i have been discourageing her but she keeps insisting. please help.
Because of her age and still developing body, you really should make an appointment with your family doctor or a nutritionist to get their advice on what the best weight loss plan would be. Good on her for taking the initiative and for your inspiration to her!!0 -
I've had leg cramps in the past and got rid of them by: eating lots of spinach & avocados, taking magnesium & potassium pills, and drinking a powerade zero on exercise days. Cramps went from being ultra brutal to non-existent in just a few weeks.0
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+1 for salt, Magnesium and water for the cramps. Spinach is my new thing, love that stuff.
+1 for fat consumption to help the body move the stuff along, as can leafy greens (which can't do any harm in your diet anyway).
Absolutely agree about taking medical advice for your daughter. Nothing wrong with scaling back the soda and the processed foods anyway though, that can't harm anyone. Good on you for being a good example.
Maybe a bit of education is better than a rigidly prescribed diet plan? We have "Green, Yellow and Red" foods in our house ("Healthy, Sometimes, Avoid"), it works well for our 7 year old. She knows she can have cookies, just not all the time. No point in turning food into an obsession. No kid should fear ice cream, I don't 0 -
I think, given that ketotic diets are used to treat epileptic children that they are fairly safe. As for nutritional concerns, I bet there's a lot already figured out about kid specific stuff from the epileptic community, though I haven't looked but a little into it. I do remember reading that the kids can end up shorter than usual because of it, though, which makes sense as IGF-1 (a growth hormone) is stimulated by carbs (and dairy), and greater IGF-1 means bigger/taller people.0
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I think, given that ketotic diets are used to treat epileptic children that they are fairly safe. As for nutritional concerns, I bet there's a lot already figured out about kid specific stuff from the epileptic community, though I haven't looked but a little into it. I do remember reading that the kids can end up shorter than usual because of it, though, which makes sense as IGF-1 (a growth hormone) is stimulated by carbs (and dairy), and greater IGF-1 means bigger/taller people.
That may be true but I don't see how we've evolved and thrived through ice-ages during periods of carb (and dairy) scarcity if carbohydrate was the main stimulator of IGF-1.
I'm not saying that the theory isn't true just there may be other IGF-1 stimulating factors which take over if carbs are not in plentiful supply (good sources of protein for example).
And, of course, there is a world of difference between getting some carbs from a baked potato and a pizza <Master of stating the bleeding obvious off>
The historical thing is all very interesting to speculate on but eating less processed food, avoiding sugar and getting some nutrient-dense fodder inside cannot be a bad thing for all ages as far as I can see. No need to go carb-phobic though.0 -
That may be true but I don't see how we've evolved and thrived through ice-ages during periods of carb (and dairy) scarcity if carbohydrate was the main stimulator of IGF-1.
I'm not saying that the theory isn't true just there may be other IGF-1 stimulating factors which take over if carbs are not in plentiful supply (good sources of protein for example).
And, of course, there is a world of difference between getting some carbs from a baked potato and a pizza <Master of stating the bleeding obvious off>
The historical thing is all very interesting to speculate on but eating less processed food, avoiding sugar and getting some nutrient-dense fodder inside cannot be a bad thing for all ages as far as I can see. No need to go carb-phobic though.
If I recall correctly, IGF-1 doesn't stay at 0 and then go to 100 when carbs or dairy are consumed. It has a baseline, though I don't know what that is, I do know it is genetically determined. All I do know is that lots of carbs and dairy stimulate greater levels for longer periods of time, resulting in bigger/taller bodies than they otherwise would be. Except, if I recall, where the carbs are expended rapidly as in exercise. They'll still grow without the extra IGF-1 stimulation to whatever genetically determined height, probably as modified by other environmental factors not discussed here. From what I understand, though, in the past most humans were generally shorter than westerners are today.
The only reason I brought it up is that most people want to be on the taller side. On the other hand, excesses of adipose tissue create excess estrogen through aromatization, which can cause the bone ends to seal prematurely, resulting in shorter stature. Not sure how that changes from men to women and during growth, though. But it is clearly a multi-faceted issue. Just thought I'd bring up some of the things I recalled in case they were helpful to someone who has not completed growth, but is considering a low carb diet.
Perhaps fermented dairy like yogurt, kefir and cheese would contribute to IGF-1 without adding a lot of carbs (if desired).
Agreed that healthy food is more important. There's a group of people in South America that genetically do not respond to IGF-1., or they don't produce it, I can't recall. They are very short, but they live an extra long life and seem immune to cancer. IGF-1 seems to be good for getting big/tall, and for exercise recovery and muscle growth, but it has downsides.0 -
If I recall correctly, IGF-1 doesn't stay at 0 and then go to 100 when carbs or dairy are consumed. It has a baseline, though I don't know what that is, I do know it is genetically determined. All I do know is that lots of carbs and dairy stimulate greater levels for longer periods of time, resulting in bigger/taller bodies than they otherwise would be. Except, if I recall, where the carbs are expended rapidly as in exercise. They'll still grow without the extra IGF-1 stimulation to whatever genetically determined height, probably as modified by other environmental factors not discussed here. From what I understand, though, in the past most humans were generally shorter than westerners are today.
The only reason I brought it up is that most people want to be on the taller side. On the other hand, excesses of adipose tissue create excess estrogen through aromatization, which can cause the bone ends to seal prematurely, resulting in shorter stature. Not sure how that changes from men to women and during growth, though. But it is clearly a multi-faceted issue. Just thought I'd bring up some of the things I recalled in case they were helpful to someone who has not completed growth, but is considering a low carb diet.
Perhaps fermented dairy like yogurt, kefir and cheese would contribute to IGF-1 without adding a lot of carbs (if desired).
Agreed that healthy food is more important. There's a group of people in South America that genetically do not respond to IGF-1., or they don't produce it, I can't recall. They are very short, but they live an extra long life and seem immune to cancer. IGF-1 seems to be good for getting big/tall, and for exercise recovery and muscle growth, but it has downsides.
Interesting, I had heard that dairy products in particular are "pro-growth", and hence maybe not a good idea to consume a lot of if you are looking to lose weight. I certainly try to limit cheese (I don't drink milk) as I find it tends to stall my weight loss effort, tricky though as I love the taste.
As far as height goes, I was under the impression that we had grown shorter, generally, since the introduction of agriculture ... maybe I have just read one too many pro-Paleo books and been brainwashed a little 0 -
I was put on a ketogenic diet when I was 13 (in 1992) by a endocrinologist. Of course, neither me nor my mom went into it with an open mind or any information so I crashed and burned spectacularly. But yes it is safe for children (safer than being overweight) but please please get that confirmation from a doctor not from the Internet!0
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Plans closer to South Beach might be better for a teen, but make sure there's enough nutrition. Most underdevelopment is lack of nutrition (iodine depletion, serious deficiencies).
For cramps, more salt, more potassium, magnesium and calcium. Atkins now recommends adding soy sauce or salty broth if you're getting cramps. I haven't had a single one (I take Magnesium & Calcium supplements every night).0
