Brand Newb, looking for app, anti-cramp and more, any takers?

(Phillip) #1

OK,

Used to be very athletic, even raced endurance / triathlons, etc. Which is where I learned to consume carbs for energy / carb loading, etc. which was what eventually made me fat I guess? In that, one day I just started having knee issues. For the record, I am 6’1” and I raced at 195 lbs. (and I was very lean at that). Anyways, knee issues, almost surgery, pumped full of steroids (the worst kind). So, every time I tried to start training again my knee only got worse as I gained weight blah, blah, blah! Anyways, I had never had any real weight problem my whole life until I turned 40 (which was three years after the knee started).

Fast forward a couple years, injured by back (herniated discs) and that is when I really got fat. Now, I am 55 years old and I weigh 285, so yeah, the problem only got worse. A few months back my doctor discovered that I was pre-diabetic and he put me on metformin, lisinopril, amlodipine and atorvastatin which seems incomprehensible to me (as I have never been sick in my life). All of which is how I landed here, as I have been looking for a way to take my life back, and I think this very well maybe it.
I have only been on keto for a little more than 2.5 weeks and as crazy as this may sound, I feel better already! Maybe it is because this feels so right that it is giving me an incredible boost in stick with it confidence (something I clearly lacked a few weeks back)!

In reading some of the posts here, I guess I am “dirty” in my keto as I have only been following know recipes (bought four books on it so far) and trying to maintain that 20g of carbs goal. Which must be working as my test strips (just got them yesterday) are showing a little bit of pink already. Anyways, not real worried about what I am eating as I feel as though I must be on the right track (using known ingredients / meal plans) and strips show progress. Be that as it may, I have a few questions for you all that hopefully someone can help with? And if this is listed elsewhere, I have not found it yet? Sorry if I am overstepping rules by asking, but these cramps are killing me, so I must ask!

  1. What is the deal with the leg cramps at night? And how do I get rid of them?
  2. I already take a calcium citrate supplement, liver aid (worried about these harsh drugs I am on now harming my liver) and multi vitamin. So, what am I missing here?
  3. Is there an iphone app that I should be using (even though dirty keto)?
  4. I know it sounds weird for a fat boy to say he knows his body, however, I used to train by the seat of the pants feel and never had an issue until my knee injury. So, am I missing something here?

Obviously, something is not right as I woke the whole famn damily last night shrieking out with leg cramps. And our dill pickles are running dry so what now Danielson??

Anyways, this is what it says about what I should be doing, does this sound right? As I have not been counting calories, as I have only worried with my carbs (which have been 20g – not 25g)? So, what does this mean? Sorry about all the questions here folks! But I am excited about my lifestyle change here! Cannot wait to see some real results and get off all the dope (my physician is very aware of my extreme desire to do so and he welcomes the opportunity). Also, just had a full health panel (blood and urinalysis) done and waiting on those results any day now. My info:

Your Personal Results
Here are your personal macros:
1918kcal Daily Calorie Intake
25g Carbs (5%, 100 kcal)
144g Protein (30%, 576 kcal)
138g Fat (65%, 1242 kcal)

Thanks in advance for all your help!!

(Phillip) #2

Who gave me the LSU avatar? And how’d they know?? LOL!

(Laurie) #3

Welcome! I’m glad you’re feeling better already, after just 2 weeks. I hope someone else can help answer your questions. Thanks for telling your story, and good luck getting off the drugs.

Weird that they gave you an LSU avatar out of the blue. Someone was taking a chance…

(Polly) #4

Welcome to this forum.

There seem to be as many ways of doing keto as there are people doing it. For me the golden rules have been eat real food, keep carbs below 20g per day, avoid industrially processed packaged foods, move naturally. Don’t get too hung up on counting anything apart from carbs (unless you really enjoy that aspect of things).

Good luck.

(Not a cow) #5

A lot of us use this formula to create our own version of KetoAide, which will help stop cramping, among other things.

Personally I use a powdered magnesium citrate, but only about 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon as it tends to give me diarrhea when consumed in large quantities, and 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt, (Himalayan pink, or Redmond sea salt), in a 24 oz container. I guess I drink about 2 of those containers a day, in place of my straight water consumption.

Works for me, cause when I quit drinking it, leg cramps are around the corner.

Oh and watch the diabetes drugs don’t play havoc on your blood sugar. Keto should already be helping to reduce your insulin, so maybe have the Dr. reduce the drugs. Surprised that if your just pre-diabetic that you need them at all.

(Scott) #6

It takes time to work but I increased my salt intake and add some magnesium citrate to my hydro flask of water along with vitamin D each morning. I did keto for a year and a half before going carnivore. 6’1" and 59 here down to 180. Get some weight off and your knee/ back will thank you. In fact, with low carb WOE I will bet you can fix everything and lose the meds. But it takes time.

#7

Cramps always signal magnesium deficiency for me (I take a pill and that’s it, no cramps) but it may be some other electrolyte as I’ve read numerous times.

25g net carbs may work or not, it’s individual. I went into ketosis with 40g but I had very little benefits with this much (okay, fat adaptation was awesome), lower is better for me - now. 40g was hard enough in the beginning. Figure out what works best for you.

It’s not crazy. As soon as I drop my carbs, I immediately feel better. Sometimes I need a few days to feel really well, carbs may have some lingering effect (but noticeable weakened) but the first day is usually much better already. But this is very individual too.

(Phillip) #8

Thank you so much for this! I am puzzled as to how it happened though? In that, I haven’t had leg cramps like this since high school football (back when salt pills were the only answer). As I hadn’t done anything overly strenuous. Although, I had just started a walking regimen. However, I’m a real estate appraiser and I typically walk more than I had the morning before (the evening) that this all started anyways. So, I was kind of baffled by this little side adventure! LOL!

And does anyone know how long dill pickles keep in the fridge (minus their juice)?? By the way folks, I was the class clown all through grade school and even in college. So, please forgive any of my dry witted humor, as it just leaks out my pores no matter what I tend to do!

(Phillip) #9

I totally agree and this whole episode freaked me out so bad, until it took me a while to wrap my head around the fact that I could even be close to be honest. In that, I’m not an unhealthy individual. Or at least I did not think that I was anyways!

However, I really like and trust this doctor, as he’s a younger guy and he is very proactive. So, he sat me down, told me that I could fix all of this on my own through diet and exercise and that was his preferred venue. However, since I was borderline, he wanted to start working me back down. To which I agreed, but, told him that I would research this and figure out a path (that did not include the local pharmacia)! And he was okay with that and he even encouraged it.

Either way though, I met enough unhealthy measuring sticks for him to put me on all of that stuff (some of which I still cannot even pronounce)! So, this is my way of taking my life back and restoring my health back to the good old days when I could run 5-6 miles a day with little effort at all.

(Phillip) #10

Thanks and oddly enough I am an LSU Alum. However, the website didn’t ask me for any of that. So, I was puzzled as to how / who figured it out? I’m not bothered by it, just thought it was odd, as I don’t see anyone else with their Alma Matter logo on here? LOL!!!

(Phillip) #11

Thanks and I agree whole heartedly!

(Phillip) #12

Thanks so much! So, salt, magnesium citrate and Vitamin D? And great job by the way, it sounds as though you and I are similar in stature. I am certainly hoping that getting rid of the weight will restore my health to the point that I can exercise as I once did. As I would love to be an endorphin junkie once again! And yes, med free is the goal.

(Phillip) #13

So, what pill do you take to eliminate the cramps?

And better still, why am I having them?? I find this very bazaar. I mean, I get that my body must heal first. And I am all about giving it time to do that, as it took years of abuse to get me here. So, I do not expect over night results. However, the cramps have me afraid to continue with adding a walking regimen. In that, the first two days of walking lead to leg cramps, the likes of which I have not seen since high school. So, I’ve put that on hold and drained every pickle jar in the house looking for a way to avoid the cramps. Poor pickles! LOL!!

(Doug) #14

Welcome to the forum, Phillip. :slightly_smiling_face:

That ‘LSU’ picture is a Gravatar image. “A Gravatar is a Globally Recognized Avatar . You upload it and create your profile just once, and then when you participate in any Gravatar-enabled site, your Gravatar image will automatically follow you there.”

So, somewhere back in time your e-mail address got associated with the ‘LSU.’ This is ‘Discourse’ forum software here, and it is enabled for Gravatar images.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #15

Cramps mean a lack of magnesium. Keep your salt intake in the range of 10-15 grams/day (2-3 U.S. teaspoons), including salt already present in food, and your magnesium will stay better balanced. You may or may not still have to supplement, but keeping salt in the right range will help. The same feedback loops that regulate sodium levels in the body are involved with maintaining levels of magnesium, potassium, and calcium. Also, stay hydrated by drinking to thirst (ignore the excessive liquid intakes recommended by the sports drink manufacturers).

You may wish, and be able, to cut back or eliminate the drugs you are taking, after you’ve been keto for a while. Blood pressure will come down, so if you start feeling light-headed or dizzy, cut back on that and consult with your physician. You can safely continue to take metformin. I have grave concerns about how statins mess up the body (side effects such as impotence, low testosterone, muscle pain, brain fog, increased risk of diabetes, etc.), but the standard of care requires your physician to prescribe them. On the other hand, you are not required to take them. Moreover, there is grave doubt about the benefits of lowering cholesterol, in any case; new evidence is showing that it might do more harm than good. Your cholesterol should improve on keto, and while LDL may go up, triglycerides will go down and HDL will go up, and the ratio of triglycerides to HDL is the important number to watch, as far as cardiovascular risk is concerned.

You can use an app if you like that sort of thing, but many of us don’t. To eat a ketogenic diet, keep your carbohydrate intake low (we recommend less than 20 g/day), your protein moderate, and eat enough fat to satisfy your hunger. Don’t eat by the clock, but eat when hungry, stop when no longer hungry, and don’t eat again till hungry again. Let your body dictate your caloric intake. Trying to restrict calories can backfire, because it may slow down your metabolism, which makes fat loss more difficult.

Your knee may or may not improve. Certainly losing some of that fat will help reduce the burden on it. If you have arthritis, keto will probably help, since it tends to lower all forms of inflammation. Other damage may or may not heal to your satisfaction, it’s hard to say.

(Phillip) #16

Thank you sir! Not offended nor freaked out about it at all, as i knew it had to be something like that. Still its odd that no one else seems to have one! LOL!!

(Doug) #17

I don’t remember it ever coming up before… Despite being from Ohio at the time, I always liked LSU. Used to be, football up there was “three yards and a pile of dust.” Meanwhile - this is back in the 1970s - LSU was throwing the bomb.

(Phillip) #18

Thank you so much for this! And yes, it is my sincere hope to get off all of the drugs. As I grave concerns about most all of the stuff that I am on. And while I may have grown a beer belly (even though I hardly ever drink), however, I am still vain and hope to live a long time. And I just don’t see that happening going down the drug corridor! However, my physician is very aware of the steps that I am taking and his nurse is awesome. So, the second I think I may need to adjust something then I will be on the phone with her and Superwoman will fix it all for me!

Thanks for the info on the app and I kind of figured that!

My knee is a whole other story. As I recall the first guy I saw wanted to go in and clean up under the knee cap itself. And I had been an avid runner long enough to know what that could mean. So, I found what was supposed to be the premier sports medicine doctor around (he was one of the physicians who worked with the LSU Football team at the time). Anyways, iirc it was like bursitis I believe?

The strange thing is I thought it would go away with time and I could get back. However, I am guessing that my progressively increasing weight which wasn’t all that noticeable at first, was the key factor in what kept me from being able to get back. And yet, I went out and bought a crazy expensive tread mill to help absorb some additional shock, which didn’t seem to help either. Again, my thought is that my weight was the issue.

The problem was that I had never been inactive like that before. In that, if I ever needed to drop a few pounds then I just added a few miles each week until I was where I needed to be. And I fed my body like it was carb machine really from high school football on, and as I had said that didn’t stop until age 37.

At this point if I can’t run when I get the weight off, then I may as well pursue surgery. I mean, before I ended up having happen the very thing that I was worried about happening in the first place. Which was being sidelined by my knee.

Thanks for the info on eating too. What has blown me away in all of this, is how easy it is to follow. In that, I just try to eat whole / unprocessed foods as much as possible and I keep my fat and protein high while cutting carbs to almost nothing. And I know it’s working because I’m not hungry. And when I am hungry it’s different than before whenever, I get full. As I’ve never felt full like this kind of full, I can’t really put it in words exactly. However, I don’t know why the whole country isn’t doing this, as it does not feel like any “Diet Regimen” that I have ever had to follow. It’s crazy!

(Phillip) #19

Doug every LSU fan in the world loves them so O-H-I-O, can I tell you? Not sure how much was raised for the Zanesville Ohio Charity after Joe’s speech. Yes sir, Little Joey Burreaux will forever be cemented (quite literally soon) into the hearts and minds of LSU fans everywhere!

And I too remember the days of Bert Jones and later on the Gun Sling Steve Ensminger (today’s OC). Ohio State has had more than their fair share of em too though. I just love college football as a whole. My all time favorite sport. Well, that and golf but they don’t make a bag big enough to hold all of the balls that I know I am not coming back with! LOL!!

(Not a cow) #20

I never had leg cramps until I started the Keto diet. Lack of salt really makes a difference, and I was never a big salt eater, so it wasn’t a problem pre-Keto. You got some good answers here.