Up and Down with Salt

#1

Hi,

Newbie here on Atkins. Have been doing diet for several weeks and noticed great results with fat loss and inflammation however having a bit of a yo yo ride with salt.

Initially I didn’t supplement with extra salt and felt absolutely lousy- low energy, weak, light headed, pressure in my head (interpreted as brain swelling in absence of salt to balance fluid in cells). I thus moved on to having a drink of salty water each morning- 3g per day.

Supplementing with extra salt has reduced these symptoms greatly, however I now experience water retention, raised blood pressure (after it had initially dropped), puffy face. This is particularly frustrating as I was finding my improved appearance very motivating- which has now dissipated given that salt causes so much water retention. Also it is very demoralising to have high blood pressure as I was hoping to improve my health greatly when doing the Atkins diet.

Any tips from anyone out there? As I am feeling a bit stuck between a rock and a hard place. Is it only initially when transitioning that one needs to supplement with extra salt? Is it the case that once your body gets used to ketosis you don’t need salt any more?

Any words of advice or encouragement would be most appreciated, feeling very fed up :frowning:

#2

Yes it is an odd feeling. You definitely want enough salt but not too much. Same with water and other electrolytes like magnesium and potassium (avocado and spinach are good for these). I too have had a hard time adjusting to playing sports. My stamina seems to have gone down significantly. Maybe someone else will chime in with more info.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #3

The level of daily salt intake where people experience the greatest health is 2.5 teaspoons (12.5 g) a day, including salt already present in the food. Too much more than that is not good; neither is too much less. If you have high blood pressure or congestive heart failure, especially beware getting too much salt.

Try to have a cup of broth about half an hour before beginning an athletic event. This may help with poor performance resulting from low sodiuim. Of course, your performance will also take a hit during the induction phase, but once you are fat-adapted, you should notice a distinct improvement. People generally return to their old level of performance, or even better.

#4

Interesting: so it is reasonable to assume that extra salt supplementation is only necessary in the initial transitory phases ? Hopefully my body will adjust soon…is this other people’s experience?

I have not found that taking salt works within half an hour. It normally takes a couple of days of consistent supplementing before it ‘kicks in’ by which point I’m already puffy, retaining water, and blood pressure has shot up