Electrolytes.. and gallbladder

(Cris) #1

Hi all, this is my 2nd topic, please don’t ignore my first, I just didn’t want to put too much into that one to not be overwhelmed.

I am wondering two thing. I’ve noticed a lot of people talking about electrolytes. I have since read a bunch on where they come from, even why we need them and how to get them, but I just don’t get the reason why it’s related to keto and how you may be in trouble?

Are there symptoms? So far after 2 weeks I feel great, and I went pretty deep into it.

Secondly however, I recently had my gallbladder removed, and it was that experience that made me really want to lose weight fast, the doctor couldn’t even remove the whole thing cuz of all the fat around the organ, he was worried. Now, I know the liver is connected to keto in the way that it has to work harder or something, is that anything I should worry about since I don’t have a functioning gallbladder anymore? Just wondering.

(Carl Keller) #2

When we restrict carbs, our kidneys excrete sodium at much greater rates than we are used to and failing to adequately replace this sodium leads to symptoms that most would describe as “keto flu”.

Sodium deficiency symptoms:

  • weakness .
  • fatigue or low energy.
  • headache .
  • nausea .
  • vomiting .
  • muscle cramps or spasms .
  • confusion .
  • irritability .

For me, the first signs of low sodium are light-headedness and muscle cramps in my legs and it’s completely avoidable if I am getting at least 2+ teaspoons of sodium per day.

As far as the other electrolytes go, I believe sodium is the most important and if you get that one right, it helps regulate the others. I will note that magnesium has shown a greater importance to me of late. After six months of keto, I noticed my heart rate was much faster than normal and it stayed that way for days… so I started taking 250mg of magnesium and the problem went away. Aside from sodium and magnesium, I do not supplement.

I can’t answer your gallbladder question. I hope someone comes along who can.

#3

I can chime in on the gallbladder. I don’t have one and I haven’t noticed any issues with keto except I do have to avoid FODMAP foods… staying almost zero carb and very close to carnivore (my homemade chocolate and monk fruit sweetener prevents me from saying “I’m carnivore” :slight_smile: So anyway you should be ok. Without a gallbladder, your bile going into your intestines is unregulated, so you might find out certain foods here and there don’t agree with you.

(Bryan Maynard) #4

Depending on what your keto food choices are(if you are very diverse you may not have as many challenges), it it very easy to overlook each of the electrolytes. As mentioned above, sodium is excreted as your body dumps its water from the carb bloat. Potassium is most common in potatoes and bananas which we can’t eat. Magnesium is also not prevalent in many keto foods. I have to supplement all three to some extent. Not necessarily through pill / capsule form, but I make sure to keep lite salt (essentially half potassium/ half sodium), soy sauce, and a daily glass of natural calm.

Crampy legs and/or brain numbing headaches will tell you when you are getting out of whack.

(Cris) #5

Thank you both… I haven’t had any negative effects yet, and I’m enjoying all the food so far, it’s like my taste returned or something, especially for fat.

I don’t have any foods that interfere with my lack of gallbladder either, but maybe that’s temporary I don’t now… I would like to know about supplements? Is there a reason to stay away from vitamins? I used to take omega 3 or fish oil supplements, vitamin c, vitamin b100 (all the bs), and marine coral calcium with magnesium. Any reason why I should continue or stop doing this?

(Bunny) #6

Here are some good reads (videos) specific to your questions:

  1. What is the deal with palpitations?
  1. What You MUST Know If You Don’t Have a Gallbladder
  1. Can I do a Ketogenic Diet Without a Gallbladder?
(Cris) #7

Hah! Just started that video, and already the guy is making sense. The surgeon could not remove my whole gallbladder because of all the fat around and because, in his words “I had a very angry gallbladder” I felt like I was going to die, it was by far the worst physical experience of my life, by far. I definitely understand people who say things like “I’d rather die than feel that pain”.

Thanks for the info.