Hesitant to ask....
kyedo
Posts: 83 Member
Ok I am a little hesitant to ask this questions due to the wide range of answers I expect to see; but I need some direction after a rather scary day yesterday due to dehydration.
What are the guidelines for how much water should be consumed while following a low carb way of eating? Also are there any specifics as to levels for electrolytes?
I am finding that I do not have a hard time eating this way, but I do find it difficult to keep drinking when not really thirsty. So I am thinking I need a solid/rational target for water consumption.
What are the guidelines for how much water should be consumed while following a low carb way of eating? Also are there any specifics as to levels for electrolytes?
I am finding that I do not have a hard time eating this way, but I do find it difficult to keep drinking when not really thirsty. So I am thinking I need a solid/rational target for water consumption.
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It's not specific to LCHF, but I like the metric of "half an ounce of water per pound of bodyweight" ... so if you weigh 180lbs than aim to drink 90oz of water per day ...
but at a minimum I think 64oz is a good target because it's simple to think of using a quart water bottle and having it empty before lunch and empty again before dinner. Kind of a way to keep track of time and quantity with one tool.0 -
What was scary about dehydration? AFAIK, we're adapted to handle dehydration without any serious issues -- as long as we don't go more than a few days with no water.
Sodium, OTOH, seems to cause issues for many low-carbers. 3000-5000mg/d is the standard recommendation to reduce symptoms of low blood volume due to sodium losses.0 -
I personally only drink about 4 glasses of water a day but I salt the $&@? out of everything I eat and I drink 1-2 cups beef broth a day.0
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I just drink when thirsty typically. But I think the half ounce of water per pound of body weight is a good plan. I personally don't track fluid intake, but if I did I would count all fluids, not just water. So, coffee and tea too...
I've never had a bit of low electrolyte issues just drinking to thirst and salting all of my food and occasionally having broth or pickles/olives.0 -
@wabmester Yeah I suppose "scary" is in the eye of the beholder. The rapid heartbeat, dizziness, confusion and fever just made for an out of the ordinary afternoon for me.0
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I guess the natural response to dehydration would be to drink more water, but that won't help.
Your body wants to maintain a constant sodium concentration in the blood. About 140 mmol/l.
Drink more water, and that dilutes the blood sodium concentration. So the only effect is to pee all the excess water out, and you quickly end up dehydrated again.
If you eat too much sodium, the body does the same thing -- excretes it. Along with water at a ratio of about 320:1.
If you're low in sodium, however, your body will happily hold on to what you eat. Your thirst will increase just enough to dilute blood levels back to 140 mmol/l. And everybody's happy.
The key is to consume enough sodium. Low-carb diets are usually low-sodium, so we have to supplement. Low-carb also makes us excrete too much sodium due to some weird physiological quirks, so we have to supplement for yet another reason.
All of your symptoms are due to insufficient sodium intake.0 -
I agree that increasing your sodium would probably help. 3000-5000mg of sodium is a good place to start for those who have lowered their carbs. Drink broth, salt your food, take salt tablets or just drink a teaspoon of salt in a glass of water. I know it sounds extreme but it will probably help with some of those low blood pressure symptoms.
Hope you feel better.0 -
Had similar problems when I started, plus a b$!#h of a headache. I took some salt and potassium tablets, and that did the trick. 300 mg of each, I keep it up since I exercise and drink plenty of water too and find that those symptoms are due to lack of salt. Without potassium I get leg cramps like the billio. You could find these things at a grocery store or drugstore it makes all the difference.0
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Thanks for the input (one of the things I REALLY like about this group)
Okay, focusing on sodium intake.
Man this is all so different than what has been preached by the mainstream (cut the fat, watch your sodium) for so many years.0 -
Here is a link to article on low carb/high potassium foods. You could try adding some of these to your diet to prevent symptoms in the future. http://www.livestrong.com/article/268978-low-carb-high-potassium-foods/0
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Man this is all so different than what has been preached by the mainstream (cut the fat, watch your sodium) for so many years.
Yup. Everybody is reluctant about the sodium, and just about everybody suffers for it. And it's not easy to get sufficient sodium intake without junk food! I'll sometimes get a burger at McDonalds just for a quick 1000mg sodium fix.
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I was actually wondering about this the other day. Someone mentioned LCHF athletes awhile ago. I'm a fan of MMA and boxing and I wondered if LCHF would make it more dangerous for them to cut weight. I would imagine that the way we tend to dump sodium would make us more susceptible to dehydration than others.0
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It's one of the reasons body-builders cut with low-carb. They want the dehydration side effect, because it makes them look good!0
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I don't drink coffee. Do you? Since I don't drink it, my requirements (to have very very yellow colored pee) is 8-10 cups a day. If you drink coffee, you have to up it, how much? IDK, but until your pee is very light colored.
If you get light headed or dizzy, you need more salt. 3500 to 5000 mg day. But if you drink more water, you'll need more salt.
Google image: "urine color chart dehydration" and you'll find tons of charts.
I hope this helps,
Dan the Man from Michigan
Keto / The Recipe Water Fasting / E.A.S.Y. Exercise Program
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I was actually wondering about this the other day. Someone mentioned LCHF athletes awhile ago. I'm a fan of MMA and boxing and I wondered if LCHF would make it more dangerous for them to cut weight. I would imagine that the way we tend to dump sodium would make us more susceptible to dehydration than others.
I cut weight for my first jiu jitsu tournament while low carb. No issues with dehydration, since a cut involves superhydrating followed by dehydrating. I probably didn't have as much water weight to cut to begin with as someone eating higher carb, and also on the post-weigh rehydrate I didn't consume as many carbs as someone ordinarily would.
It was an interesting experience.0 -
I don't drink coffee. Do you? Since I don't drink it, my requirements (to have very very yellow colored pee) is 8-10 cups a day. If you drink coffee, you have to up it, how much? IDK, but until your pee is very light colored.
If you get light headed or dizzy, you need more salt. 3500 to 5000 mg day. But if you drink more water, you'll need more salt.
Google image: "urine color chart dehydration" and you'll find tons of charts.
I hope this helps,
Dan the Man from Michigan
Keto / The Recipe Water Fasting / E.A.S.Y. Exercise Program
I just saw a typo, I meant to say "very very light yellow colored pee"0 -
I am constantly thirsty so I drink a good 80-120 oz of water a day (plus about 30 oz coffee). I also keep to the 3000-5000 mg of sodium per day. I haven't been dehydrated but I've had issues with low sodium and low BP. Hope you figure out the right balance for you!0
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I don't drink coffee. Do you? Since I don't drink it, my requirements (to have very very yellow colored pee) is 8-10 cups a day. If you drink coffee, you have to up it, how much? IDK, but until your pee is very light colored.
If you get light headed or dizzy, you need more salt. 3500 to 5000 mg day. But if you drink more water, you'll need more salt.
Google image: "urine color chart dehydration" and you'll find tons of charts.
I hope this helps,
Dan the Man from Michigan
Keto / The Recipe Water Fasting / E.A.S.Y. Exercise Program
I just saw a typo, I meant to say "very very light yellow colored pee"
Lol I was wondering about that...0 -
Thanks for the input (one of the things I REALLY like about this group)
Okay, focusing on sodium intake.
Man this is all so different than what has been preached by the mainstream (cut the fat, watch your sodium) for so many years.
Yep. Rule of thumb for low carb -- take everything you learned about "healthy eating" and turn it all upside down/do the opposite.
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I've always been told to divide your body weight in half and that is how many ounces you should drink a day, but I struggle to do that. I just mainly try to drink only throughout the day other than my morning green tea. I find it easier to make sure I drink my water if I leave the cap of my bottle. I dont know why, it just works for me.0
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I eat quite a bit of salads, which helps because there is water in lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, and cucumbers. Then I drink unsweetened tea because it makes it easier to get enough liquid without taste. Still, I drink quite a bit of water.
As for electrolytes, I eat bacon nearly every day and get a fair amount of salt. I think most of the veggies I eat have plenty of potassium as well. I've considered emu meat for potassium too, but there is nowhere locally to buy it and shipping requires minimum order quantities that I don't want to have to buy. It's easy to get plenty of salt (bacon, sausage, etc.), but the electrolyte I struggle with is potassium.0 -
>It's easy to get plenty of salt (bacon, sausage, etc.), but the electrolyte I struggle with is potassium.
Use "lite salt" aka salt substitute: it's sodium + potassium0
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