@DorkothyParker. I agree Magnessium is great. If my husband gets leg cramps he now knows where my supply is, takes one 400mg and within a few minutes cramps gone.

I'm on the other extreme of no meat LCHF for kidney disease reasons. I have no option but to control protein to VVL, supplement with essential amino acids(they replace all protein and protect heart/body muscle growth), and do eat some eggs, cheese, nuts, avocado, and of course the bulk of my diet is fats from butter, coconut oil, real mayo, some olive oil, heavy cream in coffee..and lots and lots of veggies. I can't keep carbs under 20 and survive, but staying at 40-50 is my average, however I lose slowly on this, and calories do count for me!

LCHF is not the be-all for everyone. Meds jerk me around, decades of LF ruined my system.

I am tempted to try living on a 90% fats, 5% protein, 5% carb diet but i'd be putting butter on slabs of cream cheese and having HWC in coffee as my daily fare. Maybe a pistachio for color.

A "fat fast" of 1200 calories, 90% fat is doable for a short time, but risky long term.

jetsamflotsam wrote: »

kmn118 wrote: »

It matters to my plan because I am T2D and cannot tolerate starchy carbs.

Hmmm... i'm insulin resistant from PCOS... I wonder if that applies to me too?

@jetsamflotsam I would resoundingly say yes, it absolutely applies. Even if you don't feel bad or have it affect your blood sugar, anything with an insulin load will spike the crap out of your insulin levels, and it will prevent you from burning fats. I do on occasion have about 1/4 cup of rice (it's been months), but only on a really really low carb day otherwise, and I pump up the fats.

I do eat 85% dark chocolate - not low carb/AS stuff, but small quantities. A big thing for me in getting my insulin levels under control is to learn to sweeten only to tolerance, not to taste. That means the least sweet that you can tolerate when eating anything.

Those Toblerone squares are okay maybe once a month. I would HIGHLY recommend tapering down to dark chocolate only. Milk chocolate has almost no benefits and will keep your insulin high and you craving sugar.

@dragonwolf can give more of the science behind this... Are you taking Meformin for your IR? If so, your body won't tolerate you having more carbs, particularly sugar, without dramatic responses. My solid BM waste tends to vary with my carb content, but it is the fats you're likely low in that will make the constipation thing ease, if you are like the majority of people. Fat replaces fiber in that part of the process.

Also, make sure you're getting TONS of water - that makes me do the rabbit pellet/hard situation, too. Plus, you're early on, and it takes adjusting! Good luck...and keep experimenting.

jetsamflotsam wrote: »

I'm a total newb to this whole LC thing (day 3 here) and I've noticed that some people on one end of the spectrum who eat absolutely no veggies, no fruit, no grains, just meat, dairy (in moderation) and fat. And I've seen some other people who use their carbs for nuts, green veg and a few berries. I haven't seen anyone that uses their carb budget for chocolate or whole grains... LOL I'm already feeling pretty constipated on day 3 and have budgeted in 1/4 cup of brown rice for dinner to mix in with baked salmon and steamed broccoli... I don't have cravings or blood sugar issues, do I have to be totally grain-free and sugar-free to succeed on LC? Or does my body even know the difference between carbs from lettuce or carbs from brown rice?

I'm on the spectrum that eats more veggies than meat and I have no constipation issues. I don't eat rice or grains. I do eat almonds and walnuts and 2 squares of 90% dark chocolate almost every night

Adding more green veg should help with your constipation as most of them have a high fiber count. You do want fiber! Here's where people get frustrated, they either don't know how to cook veggies or they grew up with someone who didn't know how to cook them then were fed overly mushy overcooked veggies that tasted terrible.

Do some experimenting. Roast a bunch of veggies with salt, pepper, olive oil and garlic and see what you like. I set my oven to 350 and wait 15 mins or until they have browned on top. Try broccoli, red and green peppers, and cauliflower to start. Try eating an avocado for a snack with a little lemon juice. Add a little more veggies and try different recipes as you move along if they get boring! There's a bunch of ideas on YouTube for cauliflower pizza, cauliflower mash and many other recipes that should help.

From a vitamin standpoint if you are only getting carbs from rice you are missing out on the vitamins broccoli, cauliflower and avocados offer for example. Avocados are high in potassium and broccoli and cauliflower offer Vitamin C, B, A Calcium and Iron. Cauliflower especially is very high in vitamin C.

rachelbl72 wrote: »

Looks like I need more then I took 2 yesterday and 2 about an hour ago and although I know I need to go I can't

Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »

rachelbl72 wrote: »

Just bought some magnesium citrate yesterday to see if it helps in the regularity department, took my first doseof 400 mg last night, just wondering how long does it take to work roughly.

If it's enough to act as a laxative, you'll know within the hour. If nothing, then you need a higher dose.

You won't OD on them, so don't worry about that. Basically the "OD" response is the laxative effect. You won't get that effect unless you take more magnesium than your body can put to other uses. There are over 300 enzymatic processes the body needs magnesium for, so if you're taking that much and not getting rumblies in your gut, you're actual magnesium need is at the very minimum that much. It's using all of it. You have to take more than your body can use to get the laxative effect.