Daughter has severe water dia. Please help

(Peggy Saar) #1

Hi! My daughter started keto for the last 10 days. On day 6 and on day 9 she had severe water diarrhea. She’s actually gained some weight and is ready to give up. She is 40 weighs 200 pounds and had a very unhealthy diet before starting keto. Are there any suggestions anyone can give her? Thanks so much.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #2

What has she been eating? Is she experiencing nausea? Is there any possibility that she is sick? How much salt is she getting? While the diarrhea could be keto-related, it could also be food poisoning or some other illness.

In any case, if it doesn’t stop within the next 12 hours, she should see a doctor as soon as possible.

(The amazing autoimmune 🦄) #3

My husband had this happen several times during his first 2 weeks. I would guess it is because she has changed her diet so drastically that her body has to recalibrate.

It can also be because she is reacting to a fake sweetener. Lots of people have reactions to fake sweeteners.

I would suggest not eating her next meal and cutting out sweeteners. Also make sure she is getting enough electrolytes.

(Peggy Saar) #4

Thank you. Yes it’s been a pretty drastic change for her and she has a lot of gut issues to begin with. She also has recently added monk fruit sweeter because her cravings have been so bad. I’ll have her stop that and maybe slow down a little to see if that helps.

#5

Sometimes, some people who eat too much food with xylitol in it can experience diarrhea.

(Peggy Saar) #6

Hi Paul, she’s been pretty much following keto as directed. She is using a lot of coconut oil, butter, olive oil cream cheese and cabbage soup with ground beef. Water and black tea with mink fruit. She sneaks a couple sugar free werthers candy’s at night…lol. she’s not nauseous just pure water dia.

I would say regular salt consumption.

(Peggy Saar) #7

Thank you, I’m going to have her stop the monk fruit sweeter for a few days to see if that’s the culprit.

(Peggy Saar) #8

Also, what would explain weight gain?

(MelissaH) #9

Sometimes electrolyte imbalances can causes the runs too. Is she supplementing? And getting enough sodium?
ETA- diarrhea pulls extra fluid into the intestines and can cause bloating

(Peggy Saar) #10

Thank you! I’m not sure about electrolytes. Is there a guide or recommendation of how much you should take?

(Consensus is Politics) #11

Sugar free Werther’s. Google the side effects of its sweetener. When I was diagnosed with Type Two Diabetes, I would stop in the candy aisle eveytime I was in the store looking for sugar free candies. The Werther’s sugar free caramel (hard candy) gave me really bad diarrhea. That was about the time I began googline ingredients. It was also near the time I discovered sugar free Metamucil, marketed as “safe for diabetics” is worse than having it with sugar. Maltodextrose, has twice the glycemic index of sugar.

You would benefit from looking up hidden sugars on this site. Its covered pretty well.

(Consensus is Politics) #12

Look up ketoade. Or google Dr Ken Berry electrolyte or ketoade. He and his wife have a very nice blend they made. Easy to make. Tastey too.

(Peggy Saar) #13

Oh wow! Thank you so much

(Peggy Saar) #14

Sounds great, will do. Thank you so much!

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #15

The latest studies indicate that we are healthiest when getting 10-15 grams of table salt (NaCl) a day, including what’s naturally present in food. Most dietary recommendations for salt are woefully inadequate.

You might also see if your daughter can cut back on the oils. Olive and coconut are healthy, but the quantity may just be overwhelming her system. More butter/tallow/bacon grease/lard might be the way to go, at least for the moment. If she’s chugging oil to get her fat intake up, she can stop doing that. Better to cook with fats and to eat fatty foods. The fat is just there for a source of calories, in any case; it’s not magical keto food. We advise it as an energy source, because it has a minimal effect on insulin secretion—practically a non-existent effect, when compared with the effect of carbohydrate on insulin!

(Consensus is Politics) #16

[EDIT: changed the amount of potassium. Im using 1/8 not 1/4.]

Personally I take about three times the recommended amount of SALT. Its at that point I stopped getting night cramps. I also use NoSalt brand potassium. I use 1/8th teaspoon of it every day. I figure that with my avocados should keep my potassium levels good. Per my last lab work, I was perecrly balanced :cowboy_hat_face:

(Karim Wassef) #17

My niece had the same.

When you’ve been living off carbs and sugars for decades, you gut bacteria population is incredibly unhealthy and biased. There’s few good guys left and as the bad guys die, they create problems.

First, I recommend avoiding all sweeteners first. Get back to nature and only eat real foods. I also went heavier on apple cider vinegar ro increase acidity. This is really important because many carb consumers eat low fat and their bile concentration is insufficient to digest fat… undigested fat causes problems. ACV causes the bile to concentrate and allows improved fat metabolism.

Second, up the fat and fiber and keep the focus on salt (pink sea salt). This basically feeds the good guys and creates an environment that helps them thrive.

Third, get pre and pro biotics to recreate healthy flora.

Fourth, avoid any potential sources of inflammation. This is different for different people… for me it was dairy.

Hope that helps

(Peggy Saar) #18

Thank you Paul. I absolutely love this site. It’s saving me hours of googling and then still not sure if info is correct or can be trusted. Thanks again for all you do on here. :slight_smile:

(Peggy Saar) #19

Thank you! I’ve been totally unaware of how important salt intake is while on keto.

(Peggy Saar) #20

Thank you so much. Such great and helpful information. Daughter and I doing this together. I have faith we can do it. :slight_smile: