Leg Cramps
cdpits
Posts: 91 Member
Well, been doing well with this woe, I experience some extreme lag cramps last night that woke me up a few times ! I know I read about supplements I should take for this, but can't find the post about it? Also, does anyone get heartburn? Any suggestions are much appreciated 
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I reckon up ur sodium levels and drink plenty of water.
Also I have heard caffeine ob keto can induce muscle cramps but doesn't effect everyone.
Hope this helps.0 -
A lot of people recommend bone broth as a way of getting more electrolytes in your diet... this can really help with the cramps you're experiencing.
Not sure about the heartburn though... sorry.0 -
Well, been doing well with this woe, I experience some extreme lag cramps last night that woke me up a few times !
For me leg cramps were always Magnesium. Luckily, its the easiest thing to supplement. I take 400mg of Magnesium Citrate a day, no more cramps. The other key electrolytes to note are sodium and potassium. Avocados are great for potassium if you like those, most meat does have it, even though most MFP entries won't say so too. I do use Lite Salt which is half potassium, which helps me get a little more as well. With Sodium, I just salt all the things. If I am feeling bad I'll drink a cup of chicken broth which has a lot of sodium.
But for leg cramps, if you arne't already taking a magnesium supplement, I'd bet that's it. Do note you want Magnesium Citrate, not Magnesium Oxide. Most brands you pick up in a CVS or Wal Mart or whatever will be Magnesium Oxide, its not absorbed as well and doesn't work as well for this purpose. I personally buy Magnesium Citrate on Amazon.
Also note that the way you can tell if you are getting too much magnesium is diarrhea, which isn't fun, but at least for me, makes it really easy to figure out. Too little, leg cramps, too much, bad things with the stomach, just right, neither!
Good luck 0 -
Well, been doing well with this woe, I experience some extreme lag cramps last night that woke me up a few times !
For me leg cramps were always Magnesium. Luckily, its the easiest thing to supplement. I take 400mg of Magnesium Citrate a day, no more cramps. The other key electrolytes to note are sodium and potassium. Avocados are great for potassium if you like those, most meat does have it, even though most MFP entries won't say so too. I do use Lite Salt which is half potassium, which helps me get a little more as well. With Sodium, I just salt all the things. If I am feeling bad I'll drink a cup of chicken broth which has a lot of sodium.
But for leg cramps, if you arne't already taking a magnesium supplement, I'd bet that's it. Do note you want Magnesium Citrate, not Magnesium Oxide. Most brands you pick up in a CVS or Wal Mart or whatever will be Magnesium Oxide, its not absorbed as well and doesn't work as well for this purpose. I personally buy Magnesium Citrate on Amazon.
Also note that the way you can tell if you are getting too much magnesium is diarrhea, which isn't fun, but at least for me, makes it really easy to figure out. Too little, leg cramps, too much, bad things with the stomach, just right, neither!
Good luck
Completely agree with this - I use Solgar Chelated Magnesium - it's not the cheapest over here in the UK, as I think it is a US brand. I never get diarrhea with it. 4 pills is the RDA - I usually take between 1 and 3 and that seems to be enough to keep the leg cramps at bay. If I forget to take them too many nights in a row (and I am rubbish at remembering) I will definitely get leg cramps. I do now also take a 99mg potassium supplement, but the magnesium worked fine on its won.
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Thank you for all your insight ! Will definitely be going to the shops today to get some magnesium !! I will keep you posted on the results,those cramps are nasty LOL!!0
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I second the magnesium advice. I use a product called SloMag and it seems to work for me.0
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Thanks for all your input! I added the magnesium supplement 2 days a go and last night , no leg cramps ! What a relief that was. Also after rereading a bunch of posts I found I wasn't drinking enough water. Up to about 100 oz. I think I slosh when I walk
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Lol. After everything I said I forgot to take magnesium for a few nights and woke up with terrible leg cramps last night. I definitely remembered tonight!0
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"Keto-flu" and Sufficient Intake of Electrolytes
Are You Having Charlie horse/leg cramps?
Need Potassium?
I hope this helps,
Dan the Man from Michigan
It's Ketogenic or Bariatric! How I Found the Ketogenic Diet
Blog #10 Keto: Abbreviations, Acronyms & Terminology Used on the LCD & Keto Discussion Groups
Blog #13 DittoDan's Milestone's, First's And Good Changes Since Starting the Ketogenic Diet0 -
OMG, I had the worst leg and foot cramps last night ! I didn't take my magnesium last night, and had vodka instead, but also probably didn't drink as much water as usual, especially when I switched to vodka last night. I lost track of how many times I had to jump out of bed to flatten my feet against the floor to straighten them out, it was more than 10 times. I should know better.0
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Well, great news, since starting the mag. supplements, no more leg cramps woohoo!!0
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Good news ! I have made sure that I drink way more water these days, take my magnesium daily and have also added some avocado and spinach for the potassium, and have not had one cramp since the other night. No magnesium + not enough water + inadequate potassium= leg cramps.0
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Since starting keto in March I have woken up with really bad leg cramps two or three times.
Awhile back a friend gave me a canister of "Natural Calm" to help me sleep, and as it turns out, it's magnesium citrate! I'm glad I have some on hand in case I need it. Do you take it every night? I really don't want to wake up with cramps anymore.
Another question: are there any foods that are keto friendly that are also good sources of magnesium? I like to minimize the supplements when I can 0 -
Almonds, leafy greens.... can't think of any others, but if you do an internet search, I'm sure you will come up with others.
I do take magnesium almost every night - sometimes I forget. it's ok if i forget once, but several nights in a row then I will definitely know about it in form of cramps.
What bothers me is - if magnesium is depleted through its use in metabolism of carbs, why is it we low carbers are the ones that suffer more acutely (in form of cramps) from its absence?0 -
You should be drinking at least a gallon of water a day, and use salt on some of your food, it should help. (also drinking a gallon a day will drop your water weight incredibly fast)0
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Here's something I found while geeking out on Google:
"If caused by a mineral deficiency, one-sided leg cramps or calf spasms can help with the decision of what to supplement, whereby the left side is generally indicative of extra Calcium requirements, while the right side is usually an indication of extra Magnesium being needed. If right-sided muscle cramps respond to calcium(rather than magnesium or similar remedies), dehydration is suspect, and extra sodium or potassium may be required instead." This is from: http://www.acu-cell.com/dis-mus.html
I thought the idea of side-specific cramping being indicative of which mineral is deficient to be really interesting. I'll have to look more into that. I'm not sure how reliable the info is.totaloblivia wrote: »What bothers me is - if magnesium is depleted through its use in metabolism of carbs, why is it we low carbers are the ones that suffer more acutely (in form of cramps) from its absence?
This is a great question! Maybe it has something to do with calcium-magnesium ratios? I know the two work together, but I'm not sure how it's affected while in ketosis. I'm still learning.
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Awe crap, should I be taking calcium too?0
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totaloblivia wrote: »Almonds, leafy greens.... can't think of any others, but if you do an internet search, I'm sure you will come up with others.
I do take magnesium almost every night - sometimes I forget. it's ok if i forget once, but several nights in a row then I will definitely know about it in form of cramps.
What bothers me is - if magnesium is depleted through its use in metabolism of carbs, why is it we low carbers are the ones that suffer more acutely (in form of cramps) from its absence?
Because when we don't stay hydrated and keep up our sodium, the body responds to balance out the electrolytes by dumping potassium and magnesium (as a protection from overdoses, I'd guess)...0 -
KnitOrMiss wrote: »totaloblivia wrote: »Almonds, leafy greens.... can't think of any others, but if you do an internet search, I'm sure you will come up with others.
I do take magnesium almost every night - sometimes I forget. it's ok if i forget once, but several nights in a row then I will definitely know about it in form of cramps.
What bothers me is - if magnesium is depleted through its use in metabolism of carbs, why is it we low carbers are the ones that suffer more acutely (in form of cramps) from its absence?
Because when we don't stay hydrated and keep up our sodium, the body responds to balance out the electrolytes by dumping potassium and magnesium (as a protection from overdoses, I'd guess)...
Thanks Carly, I am not the best at hydrating and ensuring I get more sodium, so will focus on this more. You're always so helpful.
For those still needing to supplement, I am finding magnesium oil a great way of doing it. A few squirts before bed works well!
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totaloblivia wrote: »KnitOrMiss wrote: »totaloblivia wrote: »Almonds, leafy greens.... can't think of any others, but if you do an internet search, I'm sure you will come up with others.
I do take magnesium almost every night - sometimes I forget. it's ok if i forget once, but several nights in a row then I will definitely know about it in form of cramps.
What bothers me is - if magnesium is depleted through its use in metabolism of carbs, why is it we low carbers are the ones that suffer more acutely (in form of cramps) from its absence?
Because when we don't stay hydrated and keep up our sodium, the body responds to balance out the electrolytes by dumping potassium and magnesium (as a protection from overdoses, I'd guess)...
Thanks Carly, I am not the best at hydrating and ensuring I get more sodium, so will focus on this more. You're always so helpful.
For those still needing to supplement, I am finding magnesium oil a great way of doing it. A few squirts before bed works well!
LOL - I'm just a very logical/methodical person. Causation and logic make my brain do a happy dance. Hydration is key to succeeding at health gains, no matter what!! Maybe June should be a "get your water" month! LOL0 -
a magnesium, supplement is important as well. I take one and it helps. also I not only use salts like garlic salt on my foods but also Potassium salt, called Lite Salt by mortons. give you a little extra potassium with a nice salty flavor. but water water water!!!! a gallon a day helps with a cramps....promise!0
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Soaking in epsom salts in the bath (or just soaking your feet - buy a "dish washing tub" just for this - like $2.50 at WM for the BIG one - in them) can help naturally absorb the magnesium too. I find that magnesium is far more important to my muscle health than potassium, as my personal potassium levels have stayed even from before keto to 3-4 months in, but my magnesium was low.... too much is as bad as way too little, so just be careful.0
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When people talk about taking "1" tablet of Mag. as a supplement, how many mg are they. I have found them in different doses. I don't want to be taking too much if I don't need to, or should I just play with dosage to see how it affects me?
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The tablets I take are 400mg. I take two @ day.
I hope this helps,
Dan the Man from Michigan0 -
Thank you 0
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Mine are 135 mg, and I take then 1-2 times a day. I want to up the dosage, but it is cost prohibitive at this point with the one I was able to get. I remember before this WOE, my doctor said 300-500 mg for whatever reason she had me taking it (blood pressure, I think), but at 500 mg of Magnesium Oxide, it has extreme laxative effect. I love the way I feel on the Citrate, but I don't know daily recommendations without blood testing and such, plus the absorbability of your form can matter greatly (some are chelated, etc.)... So it's worth playing around with...0
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Thank you for your insight. I will definitely be playing with my dosage to see what the optimum dose is for me 0
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Just started taking magnesium last nite--250 mg. Best night's sleep I've had in a loooooooong time!0
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