105: Leg Cramps Despite Proper Electrolytes, Ideal Sodium To Potassium Ratio, Short Of Breath Day After Interval Training, Resting Heart Rate In 40’s Since Keto, High-Fat But Not In Ketosis

If you are interested in the low-carb, moderate protein, high-fat, ketogenic diet, then this is the podcast for you. We zero in exclusively on all the questions people have about how being in a state of nutritional ketosis and the effects it has on your health. There are a lot of myths about keto floating around out there and our two amazing co-hosts are shooting them down one at a time. Keto Talk is co-hosted by 10-year veteran health podcaster and international bestselling author Jimmy Moore from “Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb” and Pittsburgh, PA functional medicine practitioner Dr. Will Cole from DrWillCole.com who thoroughly share from their wealth of experience on the ketogenic lifestyle each and every Thursday. We love hearing from our fabulous Ketonian listeners with new questions–send an email to Jimmy at [email protected]. And if you’re not already subscribed to the podcast on iTunes and listened to the past episodes, then you can do that and leave a review HERE. Listen in today as Jimmy and Will answer your keto questions in Episode 105. HERE’S WHAT JIMMY AND WILL TALKED ABOUT IN EPISODE 105:  HOT TOPICS: 1. Are thyroid numbers supposed to dip below the lab ranges when you go keto? Is this normal? 2. Can the inflammation from a condition like fibromyalgia make it difficult to produce ketones? 3. What impact on your blood sugar and ketone levels does a steam room or infrared sauna have? 4. Does exercising allow me to consume more carbs while still maintaining a state of nutritional ketosis? 5. Why does the body have insulin at higher levels in a fasted state when there is no food around? YOUR NEW KETO DIET ALLY NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: Paid sponsorship – Hemoglobin A1c Targets for Glycemic Control With Pharmacologic Therapy for Nonpregnant Adults With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Guidance Statement Update From the American College of Physicians – Does the keto diet live up to its hype? I tried it to find out – Ketogenic Diet: Which Patients Benefit? – Why am I still experiencing leg cramps from the keto flu when I am seemingly doing all the right things to prevent them? Hey Jimmy and Dr. Will, I have been on a ketogenic diet for the last three years and regularly see blood ketones at 1.5-2.0 as well as blood sugar from 65-70. I use intermittent fasting five days a week sometimes for up to 24 hours at a time. I’ve been experiencing some excruciating leg cramps at night despite what I thought was a foolproof electrolyte balance strategy—400mg chelated magnesium prior to bedtime, bone broth with pink Himalayan sea salt throughout the day, and a half avocado for potassium on days I am eating. I drink half my body weight in ounces of water for proper hydration. Additional, I take essential amino before intense workouts and L-Carnitine 4000mg in the morning five days a week. So why am I still having these cramps on both fasting and feasting days? What am I missing? Thanks for helping me figure this out, Amanda – STUDY: Grain Foods Are Contributors of Nutrient Density for American Adults and Help Close Nutrient Recommendation Gaps: Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2009–2012 – COMMENTARY ON STUDY: Americans Are Cutting Back On Bread Products, But Should They Be? MAKE KETO EASIER WITH FBOMB NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: Paid sponsorship 1. What is the ideal ratio of sodium to potassium for someone who is consuming a ketogenic diet? Hey Jimmy and Will, I need your help determining what the correct sodium:potassium ratio should be on a zero-carb, ketogenic diet. Here’s a little bit about me and my current routine: Info: weightlifter, sprinter, 33 years, 5' 11" male, 70-120 g protein/day, fat to satiety, 1/2 lb raw liver/wk, 2 cloves raw garlic/day, 1.5 g fish oil/day, 600 mg transdermal magnesium/day, 400 mg iodine/day (kelp), 1 g vit C/day (acerola cherry powder), 10 g glycine/day and an occasional scoop of collagen powder. SALT: If I supplement more than about 2 g of sodium a day (usually in 2 L water, Redmond Real Salt) I get nasal congestion and have NO IDEA why (vasodilation or constriction? blood pressure?). Yet in the keto community it is recommended to eat 4 g sodium/day or more. Are the amounts and ratio of sodium and potassium just very understudied and based on the shit standard diet? NOBODY seems to have a good grasp on this. POTASSIUM: Ideal potassium falls in the 2 - 4 g/day range. The fact that sodium helps retain potassium complicates this further. Also, I can't supplement with NoSalt (potassium chloride) because it's said to be dangerous (I take 500mg anyways and haven't noticed anything bad such as heart palps.) But, if I were to take 2 - 4 g would it be dangerous? I can't get this from vegetables because I'm zero carb, and how on earth did our ancestors get it? It makes zero sense to me that you would need to eat inordinate amounts of spinach and chard just to reach this questionable potassium goal. I feel like I really have this diet bolted down, but the lack of specificity with electrolytes in the community is majorly frustrating. Please drop a knowledge bomb on me. Thanks for your help, Alex THE PERFECT KETO SUPPLEMENT USE COUPON CODE LLVLC FOR 15% OFF NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: Paid sponsorship 2. Why am I short of breath the day after interval training since I shifted over from carb-loading to a ketogenic diet? Hey Jimmy and Dr. Cole, I have been a carb-loading cyclist for many years and switched over to the low-carb/high-fat diet about 5 months ago. My problem is that I can go out for an hour of interval training on my bike and the very next day I am short of breath when going up a flight of stairs. I am 67 years old, 5' 10”, and weigh 163 pounds. I do not have any of the old cycling problems of blood sugar swings and can go for many hours before getting hungry in the morning. So why the shortness of breath? Thanks for your insights. Bob 3. Does a resting heart rate in the 40’s/50’s after adopting a ketogenic diet mean something bad is happening to my health? Dear Jimmy and Will, I have been eating keto for the past year and have seen incredible effects on my weight and health markers. However, I noticed my blood pressure and resting heart rate have come way down since adopting this way of eating. My BP has always been on the lower end, but my resting heart rate is regularly down in the 50’s and sometimes even the 40’s now. My cardiologist said it’s because of my weight loss and exercise routine, but this seems to have happened suddenly over the past three months. I’ve read various reports online stating how a low-carb, ketogenic diet will make your heart rate drop to dangerous levels and I’m now concerned. Should I be? Best regards, Jan BECOME A NUTRITIONAL THERAPY PRACTITIONER Sign up by February 2018 for the 9-month program NOTICE OF DISCLOSURE: Paid sponsorship KETO TALK MAILBOX – If you consume a higher amount of fat in your diet but aren’t in a state of ketosis, then are you in any danger of developing chronic disease? Hi guys, If someone is eating low-carb, but not keto (between 50-100g net carbs/day), is it still safe for them to be eating the same volume of dietary fat as someone restricting their carbohydrates below the suggested 20-50g/day on a well-formulated ketogenic diet? In other words, is a high-fat diet that is not putting you in a state of nutritional ketosis causing more harm than good? Thanks for the clarification. Jeff Apple Podcasts reviews:   LINKS MENTIONED IN EPISODE 104 – SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR: Register now for Ketofest at ketofest.com – SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR: Staying in ketosis just got easier – Your new keto-diet ally (Enter MOORE15 at checkout for fifteen percent off your first order.) – SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR: Drop an FBOMB for the freshest, high-quality fats from JimmyLovesFBomb.com (Get 10% off your first food order with coupon code “JIMMYLOVESFBOMB”) – SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR: Jump start your ketogenic diet with PerfectKeto.com/Jimmy (USE PROMO CODE LLVLC FOR 15% OFF) – SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR: Become A Nutritional Therapy Practitioner – SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR: The perfect keto-friendly snack with 85% FAT (Use coupon code JIMMY to get 15% off your order of Gra-POW!) – A dietitian weighs in on the Ketogenic diet for weight loss – The drastic measure Instagram model took after ‘letting down’ followers  – Revisiting My Big Fat Diet: How a Métis doctor lost weight with a traditional Indigenous diet – STUDY: Is Ketogenic Diet Superior to Standard American Diet for Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Weight Loss? – Jimmy Moore from “Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb” – DR. Will Cole D.C. from DrWillCole.com