Peeing ALOT

(Kelly Mullen) #1

Hi! I have been going fasting with low ish carbs. This month I decided to try keto. I’m not yet in full keto. I’m working my way there. Here is my question…I am peeing a lot a lot. Also my calves have this pulsing felling in them. I think it has to do with electrolytes being low. Is peeing a lot normal on a keto diet? Should I increase my salt intake? Any thoughts? Thanks

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #2

Definitely increase salt. Five grams a day is a good level. The “evidence” linking salt to high blood pressure is about as solid as the “evidence” linking saturated fat in the diet to heart disease. And drink when you’re thirsty, and stop when you aren’t any longer.

Carbohydrate in the diet promotes water retention, so the kidneys retain salt to maintain the proper osmotic pressure. When you stop eating carbs, most of that water gets excreted (that’s the big initial weight loss), and the kidneys go back to excreting salt.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #3

P.S.–I’ve also seen a lot of posts on these forums about supplementing potassium and magnesium, so consider that as well.

#4

Hi, Kelly!

I am not exactly aware of your personal situation (health etc.), but based on my own experience I can tell that peeing A LOT during the first phase when your body is transitioning to ketosis is totally normal (now I do not have diabetes or any other medical condition).

Odds are, that thanks to eating low carb, you are lowering your insulin resistance, thus lowering your insulin levels. Insulin at the other hand causes water retention.

This is also one of the reasons why one may feel very thirsty during ketosis and should definitely drink a lot of water.

Hope this helps

(Kelly Mullen) #5

Thank you all. A bit about me…I am 5’4" and 150lbs. I have weight to loss. Maybe 15-20lbs. I’m not so concerned about weight as much as my Adrenal Fatigue, hormone imbalance and lack of sleep. I have been doing 16/8 IF for about 2 years and then in may or June I started Fasting with Megan Ramos. I now have energy, my hormones are level and I’m sleeping. I lost about 4 lbs and then stalled. I believe that was cause I was fasting with low ish carbs. This week I started tracking macronutrients on MyFitnessPal and I found out I eat more carbs then I thought. Megan and I agreed to 30g of carbs, 100-120 grams of fat and 60 grams of protein. My protein and fat intake are lower and my carb intake are higher. As i eat the food in my house (I’m not throwing stuff out) I am getting closer to the right percentages and I’m peeing a lot. I take 1200mg of magnesium and 99mg of potassium per day. I am struggling with the salt on the tongue thing. I doing about 1/4 teaspoons twice a day. I feel good but don’t enjoy the taste of the salt. I drink a lot water. Like 4 liters a day. 15-20lbs isn’t a lot but I know it will help me with my hypoglycemia which I have only when I eat sugar now. I’ve been hypoglycemic since like maybe 10 years old. Ok I think that is enough info. Thank you for your kind help :slight_smile:

#6

You may also want to consider supplementing calcium, not sure why but I was told that when complaining of leg cramps

(Kelly Mullen) #7

Oh ok! I’ll look into calcium, thank you