Well, I figured since today is my 2 month keto anniversary - yay 38 lbs so far - I would finally ask a question here.
I have seen a lot of previously-unmentioned side effects of keto on these forums, but the one on my mind now hasn’t appeared: it is February 10, and I have yet to experience a sleeping leg cramp. Every winter, I have at least one a week… but it’s totally gone. Can anyone else shed light on what is happening?
I’m guessing you have fixed your electrolyte problem that was causing the cramping?
Either that or that old keto magic is working again…
I was having them nightly, from toe cramps to ankle cramps to calf and thigh cramps. I was going through Theraworx like water.
Since I started with Keto, I might have a cramp once in a while. I think I was out of balance in my electrolytes.
For me, the warning to keep salt intake up came from a couple of Dr. Phinney’s lectures that I watched on YouTube before starting keto. I find that keeping salt up helps balance out magnesium, potassium, and calcium, since the mechanisms that regulate them are inter-linked. When my salt is right, not only do I not get leg cramps, I also don’t get migraines or constipation.
Three times in the past five months I was awakened by leg cramps and each time I can recall being a little lax on sodium the day before.
I figured it might be the salt. It’s weird how much I crave it now compared to before. Perhaps all the processed food I was eating already had tons of it, but all the water retention was keeping it locked up. Regardless, it’s definitely a keto bonus that I wasn’t expecting.