I went through a period where I told myself I didn’t need to take any extra sodium or anything for just a 42 hour fast. I had more leg cramps than the days I took a little. I don’t drink bouillon anymore, it’s just too salty for me (I was never someone to salt food heavily), but 1/4 teaspoon of Real Salt mixed with 1/4 tsp of Potassium chloride keeps the cramps away.
My calibration is that I’ve had them on non-fasting days, too. Always my right leg. Always the rightmost two or three toes.
Like @CFLBob states, I still get them whenever I don’t take extra sodium too. Not always, but at times I do. But for me, it doesn’t have to be whilst Fasting itself. Anytime I incorporate Fasting at all, it tends to happen from time to time, even on meal days. …Like I just started back with Fasting 3 or 4 weeks ago, and have since been getting them here and there now. Actually last night, was a major pain, having a bunch of cramps constantly happening from about 2:30am until I got up at 5am. Few times I had to get up and stand for a few moments to help relieve them. Usually the arch of the foot, and calf area for me. But when I start getting them in the front, along the shin, those can really hurt at times.
Interesting. I’ve also started taking potassium, though I forgot to do so that day.
I’m on lisinopril, which can cause high potassium level. I’ve been on it almost 8 years, though, and have always had “normal” blood potassium level.
I hope to do one 36 hour fast per week, and I will add some electrolytes to that. I also plan to try a 4.5 day fast sometime. Let me get a few 36 hour fasts done first.
I usually do use some each morning whenever Fasting, (twice a day for longer Fast beyond 2 or more days) but I too have not been doing this lately with these smaller Fast and it shows. The cramping does occasionally start working it’s way in after awhile. And as I stated, not always during the Fast itself but days around them too. Mostly afterwards. … For me, I take magnesium citrate, along with Morton’s Lite Salt, which provides both Sodium and Potassium. Even then, I can still get some cramping from time to time, but not as bad, and not always so it seems to help. Just need to pick up some more magnesium citrate, since I’m currently out. One reason I haven’t been taking any.
So, I made it 36 hours and exercised at about 32 hours or so. What I’ve been doing is forcing myself to eat more the night before I start my fast. I usually try to increase the saturated fat, via cacao butter for instance.
I tried taking some salt and potassium each time I got hungry. That might have helped.
I had a large glass of the liquid from my sous vide bags, from beef heart and beef chuck. I had some blue cheese on it. That was my first meal. I packed way more than I ate. This is the first time this has happened. I’ve always eaten way more. Not sure why that is.
I’ll check back in a week.