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Help! Nightly Charlie Horses on Keto!

Luecke3262

Luecke3262

“I am the Grail Razor Hunter”
Hobbyist
Hi guys, I’ve been living the Keto lifestyle for a hair over a month now. I get Charlie Horses in my calves quite often while I sleep. In the last week I’ve had 4 of them. Two of them I remember waking up to, the other two, I woke up with a red circle on the back of my hand from biting myself through the pain and a sore calf.
Here’s what I’m doing. I take Dr. Berg’s Electrolyte powder(with an extra 1/4 teaspoon Himalayan salt), I drink between 100-120oz of water a day, i drink Dr. Berg’s Organic raw wheatgrass juice powder, 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar with the mother(one in the morning and one at night) in 12 oz of water. Also a cup of coffee and maybe a tea in the evening. I feel like I heavily salt my foods(well not like crazy, but I can taste it.
I’m also getting periodic, minor cramping in my calves and glutes when walking and bending over during daily activities
Any thoughts guys? I hate Charlie horses and they make it hard to do daily walks and other exercises.
@BarberDave @Spider @dangerousdon

Any help would be great! Thanks!!
 
When I first read the title, I was like... been there, done that, you need to drink electrolytes! But it looks like you are, so maybe drink more electrolytes?

When I first started Keto I had nightly Charlie horses. My solution is to just drink pickle juice. I try to drink a shot of pickle juice prior to bed. And if I wake up with cramps I'll take a shot or two right then. Aside from salting my food, pickle juice is my only extra source of electrolytes.

After restarting keto I don't get so many leg cramps, but I'm getting more side cramps now.
 
Matt
A few things, more water , more electrolytes i like keto power by zhou , salt and as KJ mentioned one of the best electrolytes out there is dill pickle juice There’s only one commercial electrolyte that I would recommend and that’s that one by Dr. Burke I think he has a cherry and then also a orange and lemon lime I think. Also make sure that you’re drinking at least a couple of capfuls of apple cider vinegar before you go to bed and then start your morning off with two 8 ounce glasses of water before you do anything else that’ll get everything kick started especially if you’re fasting and you can actually put some apple cider vinegar in that water as well
 
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Hydration is usually the cause alright, and carbs help pull water into muscle, so it's that much tougher to stay hydrated on a Keto diet, you'll probably be making a lot of trips to the shave den.
 
The only other thing that I would really recommend is getting more magnesium. There are a bunch of different ways to do this. But for night cramps what I would do (and I am talking about me...you need to decide if it is what you want to do or not) is maybe an hour before bed or there about...use a powdered magnesium supplement. There is a brand called "Calm" and is really good. Not the cheapest in the world...but it lasts a while. Sometimes you can catch on sale at different places. There are some other brands but I can't vouch for them.

The other thing is a nightly soak in Epsom salt. A lot of people don't realize this, but Epsom salt is made of magnesium sulfate and it does work.

Other than that...yeah...more electrolytes and maybe a stretch before bed.
 
Great advice guys, I'm going to try pickle juice, and look into Calm. I feel like drinking more water now, at 100-120oz a day, would wash out more nutrients than I'd keep. Thoughts?
 
Luecke3262 said:
Great advice guys, I'm going to try pickle juice, and look into Calm. I feel like drinking more water now, at 100-120oz a day, would wash out more nutrients than I'd keep. Thoughts?
Click to expand...
That's the thing. We all say hydrate, hydrate, hydrate...but there is such a thing as too much water. Too hydration can change the ph of your blood. More water flushes out minerals. So you need to increase some things.
 
I was prescribed exercises by a doctor when I was a junior in college (a couple years ago :oops:). I do some form of them everyday, and it has helped with calf soreness. Photos are from Stretching, 30th Anniversary Edition by Bob Anderson (c2010).

calf1.jpg

calf2.jpg

Hope this helps!!
 
Luecke3262 said:
Great advice guys, I'm going to try pickle juice, and look into Calm. I feel like drinking more water now, at 100-120oz a day, would wash out more nutrients than I'd keep. Thoughts?
Click to expand...

3 liters is a decent amount of water for sure. Idk, if this helps, could be electrolytes.

www.dietdoctor.com

Do You Need Electrolyte Supplementation on a Keto Diet? — Diet Doctor

It’s becoming more and more widely accepted that keto diets can be healthy and also nutritionally complete. Meat, fish, eggs, dairy, nuts and vegetables are rich in key nutrients that your body needs on a daily basis. In some cases, however, supplementing with minerals known as electrolytes may...
www.dietdoctor.com www.dietdoctor.com
 
My eldest son used to get cramps often, though not due to keto...I think that was a period where we were trying to totally detox his system from gluten (to which he’s allergic). Eating a banana (doctor recommended) a day helped him until he got past that stage. 🤷‍♂️
 
global_dev said:
wouldnt the banana kill his keto state?

Tobys link says Potassium chloride is the right K not citrate for many people.

matt, whats your electrolytes have? According to bergs electrolye product website it may be

Potassium (from potassium Citrate)1000mg30%
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Yes, Bananas won't be on the table. I increased the Berg electrolytes to 2 servings and reduced my water intake by about 20oz(Total 105oz not including coffee, electrolytes or greens powder) yesterday. No Charlie Horse last night. I'm going to start with changing one variable at at time.
 
GearNoir said:
My eldest son used to get cramps often, though not due to keto...I think that was a period where we were trying to totally detox his system from gluten (to which he’s allergic). Eating a banana (doctor recommended) a day helped him until he got past that stage. 🤷‍♂️
Click to expand...
Too bad Bananas are a big no no on Keto. Though their total potassium is very low.

Thanks!
 
@dangerousdon and I think along the same lines. When you describe the amount of water you are drinking and that you are consciously making an effort to increase electrolytes using a commercial product (I presume you get a colored urine as a result?) I think of Magnesium and Calcium as elements that might be out of balance. Most electrolyte products are very good at the sodium and potassium part but they lack in the Magnesium and Calcium. I know the Keto stuff makes a point to be more balanced BUT bear in mind, Magnesium Citrate in a higher amount makes a WONDERFUL saline laxative. Magnesium is important for sure but getting it wrong can be uncomfortable or dangerous so I imagine commercial products error on the conservative side. Its hard to get it wrong when you are EATING your minerals so if you want to ensure you are getting more Mg (and Calcium, because having an Mg/Ca imbalance can cause cramps too) eat dark leafy greens, Avocado, Seeds (chia), Cashews/nuts/ & eggs and CHOCOLATE.

As a general rule you don't want to drink so much your urine is consistently clear/transparent. IF you are drinking too much you will flush out those wonderful store bought electrolytes just as quickly as you drink them.
 
CBLindsay said:
@dangerousdon and I think along the same lines. When you describe the amount of water you are drinking and that you are consciously making an effort to increase electrolytes using a commercial product (I presume you get a colored urine as a result?) I think of Magnesium and Calcium as elements that might be out of balance. Most electrolyte products are very good at the sodium and potassium part but they lack in the Magnesium and Calcium. I know the Keto stuff makes a point to be more balanced BUT bear in mind, Magnesium Citrate in a higher amount makes a WONDERFUL saline laxative. Magnesium is important for sure but getting it wrong can be uncomfortable or dangerous so I imagine commercial products error on the conservative side. Its hard to get it wrong when you are EATING your minerals so if you want to ensure you are getting more Mg (and Calcium, because having an Mg/Ca imbalance can cause cramps too) eat dark leafy greens, Avocado, Seeds (chia), Cashews/nuts/ & eggs and CHOCOLATE.

As a general rule you don't want to drink so much your urine is consistently clear/transparent. IF you are drinking too much you will flush out those wonderful store bought electrolytes just as quickly as you drink them.
Click to expand...
Thanks Chris! I am eating about 6-10 cups of leafy green vegetables, eating chocolate peanut butter fat bombs, eggs and Avocado on a near daily basis. Though, I think the number one culprit here is drinking too much water. I think I do this to satiate my stomach as I fast 22 & 2 almost daily. My urine is most often clear or near clear. I’ve backed off about 20oz of water the last day and I’m about 40oz behind where I was on Tuesday, today. I think 80-100oz is where I want to be. I am seriously considering picking up some CALM as previously mentioned in the thread, as a magnesium supplement.

To the electrolyte point made earlier. The Dr. Berg’s Electrolyte powder has 120mg (30% DV) per serving and I have upped my consumption to two servings per day. This may correct the imbalance, but I’m going to wait and see, now that I have adjusted two variables(water and amount of electrolytes). I will keep you guys up to date as to my progress with this issue.

Thanks!
 
Luecke3262 said:
I am seriously considering picking up some CALM as previously mentioned in the thread, as a magnesium supplement.
Click to expand...
I use this each day. I usually just have one serving (two teaspoons) but split it up having a teaspoon twice a day. That would mitigate any digestion issues. Though having it at night is supposed to be relaxing. If you want to go the pill/capsule rout I suggest Magnesium Glycinate as it absorbs slowly. I do not recommend Magnesium Oxide at all...the body absorbs very little of it. As a matter of rule I stay away from any supplement that has oxide in it for that very reason.

As far as the Calm product goes, I think you can get a small container at walmart for $10. But even a small container lasts a while. Get the small container and then see if it works for you.

Generally speaking, Men don't get enough magnesium in their diet...and it is really important for heart health.
 
dangerousdon said:
I use this each day. I usually just have one serving (two teaspoons) but split it up having a teaspoon twice a day. That would mitigate any digestion issues. Though having it at night is supposed to be relaxing. If you want to go the pill/capsule rout I suggest Magnesium Glycinate as it absorbs slowly. I do not recommend Magnesium Oxide at all...the body absorbs very little of it. As a matter of rule I stay away from any supplement that has oxide in it for that very reason.

As far as the Calm product goes, I think you can get a small container at walmart for $10. But even a small container lasts a while. Get the small container and then see if it works for you.

Generally speaking, Men don't get enough magnesium in their diet...and it is really important for heart health.
Click to expand...
Thank you Don!
 
Three week update:

I’ve reduced my water intake to roughly 72oz a day and have upped my consumption of Dr. Berg’s electrolyte powder to 2-3 servings per day.
I have had only one Charlie horse, about two weeks ago, on a day where I took in too little water and only one serving of electrolytes. I have been working out for 30 minutes to and hour, daily and have added an extra serving of electrolytes, as a post workout.
This is working for me, I think I’ll try to keep to this. Thanks for all the advice guys.

Matt


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