Keto Peeing and Cramps


(Gavin) #1

Hello folks!
I am relatively new to the world of keto and I have a question/s for you more experienced people.

I started my keto diet about 3-4 weeks ago and as far as I can tell, i’m doing it well-ish (need more fats).
Anyway… my issue is that I wake up very early absolutely bursting for a pee!
I genuinely wonder how I haven’t pee’d the bed already, it’s that urgent sometimes when I wake.

Last night was worse as I pee’d right before getting into bed at midnight, but then 4 hours (4am) later I woke up because I was bursting again!..and if that wasn’t bad enough, when I woke up at 7:30am (nearly another 4 hours later) bursting for a pee again! I am not even drinking all that much water. If I had to guess, i’d say i’m only drinking 2L per day. Last night I didn’t drink that much (a few mouthfuls) but still had a totally full bladder twice in 8 hours…

Is this normal or what’s going on?

I have noticed that I get a cramp in my calves in the morning too…

I am a 31 year old male, was 273lbs when I started this lifestyle change and am now down to 261 as of 4-5 days ago. I pilled on weight during a tough period in my life about 5 years ago and got up to pretty much 295-300lbs.

Since starting this diet I feel much better!
I am not finding it tough at all… I mean…why would I when I can eat so much nice food! Cheese, bacon, nuts etc…

I eat spinach everyday and also try to get in some broccoli, cauliflower, and avocado.
I’ve bought a good multi vit ( COMPLETE MULTIVITAMIN COMPLEX™ from bulk powders) and I’ve noticed my pee turns kinda greenish. I stopped the vits to make sure it was that and it was confirmed. I am back taking it again as the way I look at it, my body has enough of something in the multi vit and is just expelling the excess.

Anyway, if you need more info from me then i’ll be happy to provide it.

Thanks in advance!

OH!
PS: I have ordered a ketone and glucose monitor (blood) which should be here today or tomorrow.
I want to make sure I am actually in ketosis…Which surely after 3-4 weeks I am.
I aim to have no more than 4g of carbs per meal (I eat 2-3 times per day) and I will fast for 12-16 hours some days (maybe 2 times per week?).


(Gavin) #2

Could this be due to having too much protein?
I don’t actually count my protein… I just try to make sure there’s more fats in each meal than protein.

I am calorie restricted also, so while that doesnt tell you how much protein I eat, it should give you an idea of how much i’m not eating :slight_smile:

Could my body be turning protein in glucose through gluconeogenesis, and that be why I’m peeing so much?
I guess I can answer that one myself when this monitor arrives (if im not in ketosis)


#3

Hi,
this is normal. As your body switches to fat buring you will release a lot of water that is retained during cab burning as a fuel source. The cramping i had was relieved by taking magnesium supplements, or increasing my intake of green leafies. I’m hoping some of the more experience folks in the group will respond. There is such a wealth of experience in this community.
Good luck!!!


(Candy Lind) #4

My guess? Not enough salt and maybe not enough water. Your system tends to flush stuff on this WoE and yours is obviously working on SOMETHING. Also, this early in you SHOULD NOT be calorie-restricting. You should be letting your body re-learn sending satiety signals when you’ve eaten enough. Enjoy the new-found freedom to eat real food and NOT be hungry!

The cramps indicate you need more electrolytes and/or water, & sodium is the first “suspect,” followed by magnesium. Did you know it’s recommended that you get 4-5 grams of salt per day when you’re eating keto? Your body uses a lot more to process the fat you’re eating.

Salt your food, and you might want to try a “keto aide” drink try HERE or HERE (2 recipes in thread) for a recipe.

Anyway - the “usual” rules are these - Low carbs, moderate protein (try 1 g per kg (2.5 lb) lean body mass), fat to satiety. KCKO; give your body time to adapt.


(Candy Lind) #5

Just curious - how many calories are you eating? (I’ve a strong hunch it will make me cringe)


(Ashley) #6

Don’t calorie restrict! And up your electrolytes. My body has settled itself after about 5 weeks of eating. I noticed I eat about 1450 and I am Female, and short. At first I was eating around 1800. MY body finally adapted and tells me when it’s hungry. Some days I get slightly less or slightly more calories depending on my body.


(Ashley) #7

Also me letting my body decide for itself how much to eat and not counting calories has actually broke my stall I was on and allowed me to begin losing weight again!


(Jay AM) #8

Let’s not forget potassium for the trifecta.


(Candy Lind) #9

It’s much easier to get enough K from food sources, though - especially since, if you’re ingesting enough sodium, your cells will STORE potassium. It’s very easy to get too much K as opposed to too little.


(Jay AM) #10

It’s worth a look at though. I’m one who gets too little from food sources apparently. If someone is logging food they’d probably see any of the three being low.


(Leslie) #11

I would not be the least bit surprised if this a normal response( hyper-urination) to the decrease in insulin you are influencing your body to produce.
As your kidneys are responding to that change you are going through a natural detox, so to speak. It may be inconvenient, but it’s not unusual.

The cramps are usually caused by electrolyte/mineral imbalances. While supplements may correct this for you, I prefer to get my minerals from natural sources.
I added roasted, salted sea weed and spirulina to my diet as well as Kombucha.
My cramps have been completely resolved since then. I do take a magnesium supplement and I eat a lot of pink Himalayan salt on my food.

I hope this was helpful
Keep calm and keto on


(Jay AM) #12

Do you make your own or have you found a low carb source?


(Ashley) #13

I actually get too little because I don’t really eat veggies, I eat mostly meats and cheeses. I’m working on spinach which is actually nice in butter! But I do agree some can get too much, I only know I need to supplement due to leg cramp that told me I wasn’t getting enough!


#14

I’ve noticed the multivitamins turn wee green too! I was going loads the first couple of weeks, it’s back to normal now. I’m still getting cramps despite lots of green veggies, more salt, magnesium & potassium supplements, I guess I just need to find the right balance! I’m sure things will settle for you soon!


(Leslie) #15

GTS Kombucha.
Multi green is the one I drink. I only have a third of the bottle everyday because the entire bottle is 9g of carb and I already eat a lot of vegetables and nuts and cheese.


(Gavin) #16

Thank you all for the input!
I’m not going to quote you all, because I’ll be here all day :slight_smile:

In response,
I actually got a sodium/magnesium/potassium supplement with the multi vits and was taking it until my pee turned greenish. I thought it was likely the vitamins but I stopped both at the same time because I am not working out yet and thought I might not need the extra electrolytes until I am exerting myself more (ie. sweating). Instead of taking the multi vit 3 times per day, I now only take it twice (in response to the green pee). I am eating spinach mainly but also a little avocado, cauliflower and broccoli. On top of that I am eating almonds, walnuts and hazelnuts…1 mixed portion…maybe a little more than that sometimes because I find it hard to stop munching on them :smile:

My point being, shouldn’t all those be going a LONG way to getting the correct amount of magnesium and potassium? As for the salt, I knew it was common for keto folk to fall short here, so I significantly increased my salt intake. I never measured it but i’d throw in a pinch to my eggs in the morning or what ever I eat later on in the day. Also, I was eating bacon at least every other day, a a few times I ate it on consecutive days. I’d cut up some chorizo/pepperoni/salami and chuck it into my scrambled eggs (3 of em). In the last 2 weeks I have been slicing a little salted butter into my eggs…so really, I thought I might be eating too much salt. Which played a role in the dropping of the electrolytes. I will add them back in a see how it goes.

Before I started this diet I was doing a little bit of intermittent fasting. In the 2 weeks prior to I probably did 2 x 24hr fasts and then maybe 3 x 16hr fasts. I was aware of the effects of fat on digestion and hunger so I increased my fat intake then.

I dont actually know how many calories I am eating to be honest. If I had to guess… 1,500?? Less some days, more other days. I am not struggling with this diet change at all! This is going to sound a bit pathetic, but I spent 2 hours just wandering around the supermarket the other day just picking everything up and reading the back of it. I actually loved it! :blush: I would often aim for around 400 calories per meal (3 per day) but I’m pretty sure that i frequently get in about 600 calories per meal.

I have a feeling that I my protein is too high per meal… or at least I know the ratio is not quite 2 to 1… more like 2 to 1.5. Sometimes edging dangerously close to 1 to 1.
I need to eat more of this Mascarpone that I bought! It’s not bad or anything…it’s just that eating so much fat is so counterintuitive to how I was raised and what I was taught. Cutting the carbs was fine…tricky, but fine. It the natural draw toward protein to fill the void that I’m struggling with. Plus, the more fat in a meal, the less bulk to the meal and I love eating! My blood monitor for ketones and blood glucose should arrive tomorrow. So, I’ll be able to see how far into ketosis I am. If even.

I think it is all coming on and that I just need to give it more time. If I eat half an avacado for 2 meals then that would certainly help on the fat front… and maybe a bit of mascarpone for 1 meal. Plus…when I do a 9-12 hr fast every few days, my body is probably running on a far better fat to protein ratio (bodyfat).

It’s just he excessive peeing that was frustrating me. The cramps have only happened 2-3 time in the last 4 weeks but I am conscious that I don’t really get cramps (I only really drink water) unless I have grossly neglected my water that day…to which I normally turn into a bit of a diva. On saying that, it’s just clicked with me that I was actually waking up in the morning dehydrated months before I started the keto. I also had another episode 3 weeks ago where I saw stars in my vision. It almost immediately blocked my direct focus vision. Basically I couldn’t see the text I was looking on the screen, but could see the surrounding letters in my peripheral. I was finishing off an email and I had to keep moving my eyes back and forth while I was typing so that I could ensure I wasn’t making a typo. Odd… This actually happened once maybe a year or more ago. Same situation…the stars drifted off to the side of to my peripheral and then away. Took about 20mins or so…

BUT… Since I started this keto diet, I feel much better. My body and mind feel sharper. And of course my weight is dropping too which is great for my self-esteem.

Perhaps I should add that I have hypothyroidism (150mcg every day- 100 in the am and 50 in the pm) and I also developed a DVT in my right leg after 2 long haul flights in 30 days and due to my extreme sedentary state for the 3-4 years prior.

I just moved from Ireland to the UK 2 weeks ago and am after checking in with a doc to get to the bottom of this DVT (I think a protein S deficiency test is needed since my sister had it). Since I’m new and I told them about the laughable health system in Ireland, they are giving the full blood works, so my thyroid is being checked too. I am hoping that it kicks back into gear again because it just started slacking 5 or so years ago. Maybe the keto, or the autophagy as a result of the intermittent fasting might fix it…wishful thinking perhaps…

Wow… this post really went on eh!


(Jay AM) #17

So, in more seemingly rare situations, some people find that calcium and zinc end up being their electrolyte answer when the others aren’t enough. If you search calcium here there are posts on people who have found this. Also to note that excess potassium can cause cramping too. I’m not sure about magnesium.


(Gavin) #18

Here is the nutritional info of my multi vits.
PS: They are seemingly the top end of the bioavailability scale…


(icky) #19

Hey Gavin,

I’m just researching electrolytes because I’ve been having a too high heart rate, which can be due to too much electrolytes (potassium, salt) or too little.

I’ve been peeing lots too and have assumed it was due to the “keto flushing things out of your system” thing too => hence the logic that supplementing electrolytes is a good idea, due to the loss of water.

BUT - if you are eating too much salt or supplementing too much electrolytes, peeing lots is actually the body’s method of getting rid of excess salt and electrolytes. So if you then supplement more cos of the “water loss” your body will just want to pee even more.

So it might be worth working out which is which :smile:

The medical term for “peeing too much” seems to be “polyuric” in case that’s any help.


(Robert Kuhar) #20

Exactly what i was going to say. Salt everything! gray salt, sea salt… something with minerals