BP question, hydration and weight gain

(Jo) #1

I started KETO on April 1. I went off lisinopril over the weekend. So far so good, but I have been gaining about 3 to 4 lbs of weight, following last week of 5 lbs loss due to an adverse reaction to Xylitol, that resulted in nausea for about 4 days and very low caloric intake because of that.

Couple of questions:

  1. Can going off ACE inhibitor BP meds cause weight gain because of less water being driven out of the body. Strange thing though is that the scale says I do not have significantly more water weight than before going off the Lisinopril.
  2. Can eating more salt (as per the “Salt Fix” book) make you gain fat?
  3. Or is my body just adjusting to the changes (going off Lisinopril, still working on getting fat adapted, taking more salt and potassium) and holding onto fat, and maybe adding to it?
  4. Are water weight numbers from a scale to be trusted? Do I actually have more water weight now than before but the scale is interpreting it as fat?

Any insights would be appreciated. I know I’m not in a stall per se, it’s been only a few days of gains, but still I need some reassurance that I am doing the right things. I do seem to have a problem getting to the amount of calories that my nutritionist thinks I need, and I do not want to shut down my metabolism because I am eating too few calories, but I am having trouble getting above 1400 a day. Some stats:

  1. I am 5’2" and weigh 176, I need to go down to about 150.
  2. I am not diabetic (that I know of).
  3. My bloodglucose is fairly stable throughout the day between 5.1-5.7 mmol/l
  4. ketone levels are anywhere between .5 and 3.5 mmol/l

Any help/advise would be appreciated. I need a bit of hand holding here.
Thanks
Jo

(Leslie) #2

Just some basic research for you. ACE inhibitors do cause sodium loss and therefore water loss. This does mean that when you stop using the drug, sodium levels increase and so does retained water.
Sodium does not make a person fat, but it can make a person retain body fluid. This may, I repeat, may be what’s going on.

Why did you decide to stop taking the medication?

Also, at 5’2’’ and 175lbs, is your waist circumference above 35 inches? If so, you are very likely to be insulin resistant which is type 2 diabetes. BG measurements are not an adequate diagnostic tool for type 2. Insulin levels are, however.
That’s not meant to correct your thinking, it’s just friendly information.
Do you have a blood pressure monitor at home? I would be very interested in knowing how much of an increase you’ve experienced.

I hope you find this helpful
Keep calm and keto on

(Jo) #3

Hi Leslie, Thanks for your answer. I changed doctors and my new dr. suggested that I ditch the Lisinopril. I take my BP at home twice a day. My BP is going down gradually, about 2-5 points over the last 4 days after stopping the meds. I think that is because of the increased salt intake as per the Salt FIx. I don’t think the meds did anything for me. I was taking only a rather low dose.

Yes my waist is 36" but I don’t think I am diabetic, but I have just done a lab test this morning which will give us a definitive answer about that next week. I do think I am insulin resistant without being totally into the diabetes column. I may be pre-diabetic and I may have been in that category for a long time.

I lost 12 lbs since April 1 as of Friday last week, but now I am up 4 so I guess I only lost 8 lbs. I hope this is just my body adjusting. I am female, 58 and in menopause, if that makes any difference.

(Leslie) #4

Oh, that’s excellent information. You really do have a great handle on it.
Congratulations on your hard work and your knowledge.
I hope you have continued success.
It’s true that many people go through adjustments and those can be reflected on the scale. I personally hate the scale. It’s just not a good marker for me. My weight loss journey continues to this day. The last time I stepped on the scale I was down 30 pounds from the beginning of my keto life in December. I really prefer the non scale victories: buying new clothes, even bras! for one, sleeping eight straight hours every night for the first time in decades, saving hundreds of dollars every month on groceries, increased energy, increased mental clarity. The list goes on and on.

I look forward to seeing your future posts and your success with keto

(back and doublin' down) #5

I agree with Leslie - KCKO. I’m five weeks in and last week had a weight increase. Had I been on a regular scale, I would have felt defeated. (I was down in fat, up in lean mass/muscle). The folks around here and reading their info is helping me absorb that keto is a process. just some of the explanations I’ve read

  • your weight gain could be fat cells now full of water and waiting to be flushed out
  • gain in muscle mass, which is heavier than fat
  • variation in water (moon phase where you are??)

Keep Calm and Keto On :slight_smile:

(Jo) #6

Thanks for the support. I am glad to hear that I am not the only one experiencing this. This morning I was down 2 lbs, so we’ll chalk it up to any of the reasons you mention. I think you’re right on all counts!

KCKO!

Jo