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  #1   ^
Old Thu, Sep-06-18, 07:09
TrinaLC TrinaLC is offline
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Plan: atkins
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Default Leg cramping - after pre-op Gatorade enforced "splurge"

New to this site, but long time low-carber. Have not had a sugary drink (soda, sports drink or otherwise) probably in decades. Well, I will confess to the occasional frozen daiquiri on vacay

Pre-op instructions were to down 2x12 oz SUGARED gatorade the night before surgery. I held my nose and faithfully did this, about half an hour before bed.

Within literally 5 or so minutes of lying down (about half an hour of ingestion) I started to experience pretty extreme cramping, both legs, mostly concentrated in feet and calves. Lasted all night. (Great way to get a good night rest before a stressful event, right?)

As a long time low carber, I have always associated my occasional night time leg cramps (an occasional "charley horse" type event) with being low carb and associated low potassium.

This is obviously the opposite, but I can't help but feel related - suddenly downing 24 oz of highly sugared drink in a quick sitting must have been a shock to this low carber.

I've tried looking on line and only found one other posting that this happened.

Any thoughts? Similar experiences? Postings I should look at?

I have another surgery coming up, and would like to figure out what happened before I experience this again!

TIA
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  #2   ^
Old Thu, Sep-06-18, 07:54
GRB5111's Avatar
GRB5111 GRB5111 is offline
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Posts: 4,036
 
Plan: Very LC, Higher Protein
Stats: 227/186/185 Male 6' 0"
BF:
Progress: 98%
Location: Herndon, VA
Default

Welcome, Trina. I'm sure it was a shock to your system particularly since you've been a long-time low carber and don't consume sugar in drinks and other forms. After being a fellow long-time low carber, I'm appalled at the sports drink ingredients in general, as the electrolytes that are supposed to be healthy in replenishing those lost in long workouts are hidden in a mass of sugar. After raising kids who participated in sports where even a 5 minute swim event is followed by 20 ounces of Gatorade or other sports drink, I'm amazed at the effectiveness of the marketing of these drinks. Why don't you just give the young athlete a 20 ounce bottle of coke after each mini exertion?

For your situation, it very well may have been introducing something that your metabolism hadn't had to deal with for a long time. I likely would have had the same experience but my cardinal rule is to stay away from any product with sugar or other sweetener. Curious why you were instructed to pump your body up with glucose prior to surgery. I would have questioned this looking for an alternative (was it the electrolytes?). You may want to ask the medical team what it is that Gatorade has that makes it important to consume before surgery. If it's something other than the sugar, that can be fixed with other unsweetened substitutes. Let us know if you get an answer.
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  #3   ^
Old Thu, Sep-06-18, 08:05
Ms Arielle's Avatar
Ms Arielle Ms Arielle is offline
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Posts: 19,169
 
Plan: atkins, carnivore 2023
Stats: 200/211/163 Female 5'8"
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Progress: -30%
Location: Massachusetts
Default

Sorry GR, I wont let my " athlete" drink such junk. He gets water and pink salt, and a minute amount of no-salt for the potassium.

Trina-- I would ask WHY this is necessary. I have had a few too many surgeries, including two LONG surgeries, one planned and other emergency, and did not drink gatorade the night before. You know the LC world and metabolism and salt movement--- ask the question as many times of anyone involved in your situation, to get to the bottom of this. Then go with YOUR gut.
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  #4   ^
Old Thu, Sep-06-18, 13:21
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JLx JLx is offline
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Posts: 3,199
 
Plan: High protein, lower fat
Stats: 000/000/145 Female 66
BF:276, 255 hi wts
Progress: 0%
Location: Michigan U.P., USA
Default

When I had chemo, the nurse told me to drink Gatorade or Smart Water to prevent leg pain. Of course, I chose Smart Water and it worked. Perhaps you could ask if you could drink Smart Water instead of Gatorade next time.
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  #5   ^
Old Thu, Sep-06-18, 21:51
mike_d's Avatar
mike_d mike_d is offline
Grease is the word!
Posts: 8,475
 
Plan: PSMF/IF
Stats: 236/181/180 Male 72 inches
BF:disappearing!
Progress: 98%
Location: Alamo city, Texas
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"Smart Water" is good, but expensive so I make my own.
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  #6   ^
Old Thu, Sep-06-18, 22:42
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LCer4Life LCer4Life is offline
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Plan: Atkins
Stats: 155/143/125 Female 63
BF:33.2/28.7%/24%
Progress: 40%
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Mike, I drink Smart Water and agree w/ you that it is expensive. How do you make your own?
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  #7   ^
Old Thu, Sep-06-18, 22:49
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walnut walnut is offline
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Plan: C:12 P:60 F:satiety
Stats: 220/177.6/142 Female 5'5
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Progress: 54%
Location: canada, eh!
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i was supposed to do the carb loading before a recent surgery. i explained to them that if i did that, i would be sick with rebound hypoglycemia. i was given permission to skip the carb loading. the rebound hypoglycemia has also gotten me out of having dextrose in my hydration iv before chemo.

just tell them what happened, that you had a bad reaction to the gatorade, i'm sure they'll understand.

on pubmed there are lots of studies about better results in surgery with this carb loading protocol. also lots of studies about better results in fasted people. i guess you can find a study to prove just about anything.

my preferred method of taking electrolytes right now is salty bone broth. i was making a keto-ade drink but it seems to make me nausous. there are lots of the keto-ade recipes if you look online.
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  #8   ^
Old Fri, Sep-07-18, 04:03
GRB5111's Avatar
GRB5111 GRB5111 is offline
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Posts: 4,036
 
Plan: Very LC, Higher Protein
Stats: 227/186/185 Male 6' 0"
BF:
Progress: 98%
Location: Herndon, VA
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by LCer4Life
Mike, I drink Smart Water and agree w/ you that it is expensive. How do you make your own?

I make an electrolyte drink with 20 ounces of water, 1 tsp of Calm magnesium supplement (original flavor), 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp potassium chloride (Nu-Salt works fine). Very inexpensive and healthy. You can easily make larger batches and keep in the fridge to have available throughout the day. Also, you can adjust the quantities of the ingredients to suit your needs.
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  #9   ^
Old Fri, Sep-07-18, 06:41
TrinaLC TrinaLC is offline
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Plan: atkins
Stats: 155/155/133 Female 5'4"
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Default

As Walnut indicated, the view now (or "a" view) is away from the previous "no drinking/eating after midnight" which resulted in a dehydrated, hungry patient, and instead to pump liquid calories/electrolytes largely in the form of a sports drink before bed, and then again in the morning. I think makes a lot of sense except obviously as I learned in the case of someone who has not imbibed a sugary mess like this in perhaps decades.

There is a newer option specially designed for pre-surgery nutrition called ClearFast Nutrition Drink ("Safely hydrates and nourishes before anesthesia").

Per 12 oz: 200 calories, 50 carbs, 5 sugars. The sugars are Maltodextrin and believe it or not Stevia.

Compares to Gatorade: 85 calories, 21 carbs, 20 sugars. Sugars are, well, sugar.

Those numbers seem a bit weird - Clearfast so high in carbs and calories, so low in sugar. Where are the carbs and calories coming from? I guess I'm not that familiar with Maltodextrin.

Thoughts on Clearfast and L/C? Well reviewed on Amazon, but none addressing L/C.
https://www.amazon.com/ClearFast-2-..._3?pageNumber=3

Last edited by TrinaLC : Fri, Sep-07-18 at 07:06.
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  #10   ^
Old Fri, Sep-07-18, 06:54
Ms Arielle's Avatar
Ms Arielle Ms Arielle is offline
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Posts: 19,169
 
Plan: atkins, carnivore 2023
Stats: 200/211/163 Female 5'8"
BF:
Progress: -30%
Location: Massachusetts
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Im confused too about the source of the 200 calories. Hope someone is familiar with this product and will chime in.
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  #11   ^
Old Fri, Sep-07-18, 08:21
teaser's Avatar
teaser teaser is offline
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Plan: mostly milkfat
Stats: 190/152.4/154 Male 67inches
BF:
Progress: 104%
Location: Ontario
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A "sugar" has one simple sugar molecule, like fructose, glucose, galactose etc., or at most two of these linked together. A complex carbohydrate has three or more simple sugars linked together--the difference can be small enough that there's effectively no difference, except for deceptive labeling purposes.
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  #12   ^
Old Fri, Sep-07-18, 09:35
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thud123 thud123 is offline
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Plan: P:E=>1 (Q3-22)
Stats: 168/100/82 Male 182cm
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Ingredients: filtered water, maltodextrin, l-citrulline, natural flavors, sodium citrate, citric acid, malic acid, monopotassium phosphate, stevia rebaudiana, vitamin a palmitate, zinc sulfate, sodium selenite.
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  #13   ^
Old Fri, Sep-07-18, 10:44
teaser's Avatar
teaser teaser is offline
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Posts: 15,075
 
Plan: mostly milkfat
Stats: 190/152.4/154 Male 67inches
BF:
Progress: 104%
Location: Ontario
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Quote:
Maltodextrin is a polysaccharide that is used as a food additive. It is produced from starch by partial hydrolysis and is usually found as a white hygroscopic spray-dried powder.[1] Maltodextrin is easily digestible, being absorbed as rapidly as glucose and might be either moderately sweet or almost flavorless (depending on the degree of polymerisation).

Maltodextrin consists of D-glucose units connected in chains of variable length. The glucose units are primarily linked with α(1→4) glycosidic bonds. Maltodextrin is typically composed of a mixture of chains that vary from three to 17 glucose units long.


Yeah. Technically a starch, but might as well be a sugar.
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  #14   ^
Old Fri, Sep-07-18, 10:59
TrinaLC TrinaLC is offline
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Plan: atkins
Stats: 155/155/133 Female 5'4"
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Progress:
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by teaser
Yeah. Technically a starch, but might as well be a sugar.


Well, yes, but that is the point of this pre-op drink - hydration + calories, in the form of slightly more complex carbs v simple sugars (gatorade). I don't see it as deceptively labelling given its intended purpose as a pre-op drink.
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  #15   ^
Old Fri, Sep-07-18, 11:09
teaser's Avatar
teaser teaser is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 15,075
 
Plan: mostly milkfat
Stats: 190/152.4/154 Male 67inches
BF:
Progress: 104%
Location: Ontario
Default

Okay, we're a bit off track from your original post, talking about Clearfast. From the Clearfast site itself, they list "complex carbs" as a benefit

Quote:
Complex Carbs
Research shows that drinking complex carbs nourishes patients before surgery


Everything technically true, but Complex Carbs used in this context--other than being able to list low sugar content on the label, what's the point?

From the faq's:

https://drinkclearfast.com/faq/

Quote:
ClearFast PreOp is specifically formulated for surgical patients and is the only clear liquid containing a significant volume of the complex carbohydrates, Vitamin A, minerals and L-citrulline that will improve recovery after surgery. Sports drinks typically contain simple carbs, sugars and coloring dyes. None of this is good.


These guys really want to stress that fairly meaningless in this context complex carbohydrate content.

Last edited by teaser : Fri, Sep-07-18 at 11:14.
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