I've been doing this for 9 weeks now. Have lost 16 lbs so far. Seems SLOW, but I think my slip of having an Atkins shake after dinner was the problem and have quit that, as well as keeping my net carbs around 15. But I've recently started to drag through the day. Some nights I can barely haul my bum up the stairs to drop in bed.

I'd read about upping your salt intake. When I started, I never got the "Atkins Flu", and salt my food liberally, so I thought I was doing well.

Now the exhaustion and constipation is knocking me flat. After re-reading the book and scanning the forum, I'm using Physillum and taking a senior vitamin (no iron) and supplementing with Magnesium. I'd read about Potassium and checked several stores, but only found 99mg or 3% of daily. Hardly seemed worth it. Yet, how much is too much??

I'd not been getting muscle cramps, but just last night had two charlie horses during the night. Uh oh.

I have always had heart palpitations on and off, and was diagnosed with Hashimoto's so salt scares me especially with the iodine. I've seen recommendations of pink salt, and tablets - and adding pinches throughout the day. I just tried Teaser's recommendation of salting my morning coffee. Interesting flavor!

I read through the huge salt thread, but am soo confused. How much is enough? How much is too much?? Will salt help with the constipation?

Salting your food isn't really enough. Have a cup or two of salty broth or bouillon and see if that doesn't make you feel better.

5g (5000mg) of sodium per day is what is recommended by Phinney and Volek. I think that is 2tsp. I said what it is in that thread and I don't remember right now.

There are plenty of options for salt without iodine added.

I had horrible palpitations during my first year of menopause. Found out they're a common symptom.

If you don't want iodine, and don't want to pay the price for the pink, brown, & black etc. salts, get pickling salt. It's usually in the supermarket on the same shelf as regular "free-flow" salt. Or, if not, you'll find it near the canning supplies. A box is 4 lbs, I think, and quite cheap. Just plain salt, as the additives and/or minerals tend to make the pickles cloudy.

Walmart now has the Himalayan pink salt, along with all sorts of goodies like grass-fed beef, hormone-free chicken, chia seeds and almond flour -- so yeah for those of us on a budget.

And I also have Hashimoto's, and I understand small amounts of iodine and soy are fine -- it's just not a good idea to excessively supplement.

Hi. I'd grab some NoSalt/NuSalt or whatever it's called near you. It should be non-iodized; double check the ingredients for 'iodate' or something like that, but I'm 99% it's not iodized. 99 mg pills for potassium are a waste of money.

I struggle to get enough sodium and potassium in summer because I just don't care for salty food. Winter is easy; I do like salty bouillon, and I drink a lot of coffee (surprise, it's a decent source of potassium.) Not in summer. I find myself with killer leg and foot cramps in the night, and I'm stumbling down the stairs to grab a shot of NuSalt water at 3:00 am. (You'd think I'd learn and just take it before bed. )

The average person's potassium needs are something like 1500-2000 mg per day. 1/4 tsp of NuSalt only provides about 650 mg of potassium, and I find that disgustingly salty. I don't think anyone needs to worry about overdoing it unless they really have an impaired sense of saltiness or something.

Kristine, so Nu-Salt whatever has potassium in it?

Kosher salt doesn't have iodine - it's what I use on food for the taste. I also use Morton's Lite Salt for the extra minerals - don't know if they make a version without iodine. I don't like to over salt my food, so I follow the example of my donkeys - I lick the salt out of my hand.

Putting salt in coffee was something I learned about years ago - it "sweetens" industrial-strength restaurant coffee.

Oh my, did not know about the grass fed beef, or the hormone free chicken, do you know the brand of chicken?

Bonnie - I have donkeys too!

They, and the horses have one of those big ol' red mineral blocks in their run-in. I've often wondered if I should chip off a hunk to lick throughout the day. :-)

It's funny how much I know, and worry about their health and care, and know so little for my own!

No, I don't remember -- but if you go to the meat section, there's a small section dedicated to this type of meat -- kind of in the middle of the case between the beef and the chicken.

I have 2 Mediterranean donkeys. Technically minis, but I've seen minis a heck of a lot smaller than they are. What kind are yours?

Also, are you getting enough fat? You don't have to "force the fat" or add butter to your coffee, but you should be getting enough energy from foods with natural fat, olive oil on veggies, etc. Without carbs for energy, your energy comes from stored body and dietary fat.

Yes - the potassium is the substitute for sodium in table salt. The product is usually aimed at people with high blood pressure that's worsened by sodium intake, but it happens to be pretty much the easiest and most cost-effective way to boost your potassium if you're not getting enough from diet and/or losing it quickly (ie sweating a lot in summer). It's potassium chloride instead of sodium chloride.

Yep, Bonnie, the same! Two lovely, hip high ladies.

Ah, heck.. It's a good thing I found this forum. Maybe I'm also not eating enough fat. Here's a typical day:

French vanilla coffee; 2 oz. HnH, squirt Splenda zero
1-2 eggs, fried in a pat of butter, T onions, T red pepper, 2-3 oz cheddar (0 carb)
3 links Brown N Serve links

4 oz. sirloin, 2 cups salad (romain/onion/pepper) 2 oz. Bacon Ranch (1 carb), 5 cherry tomatoes

1 oz salted almonds/3 Greek olives

4-6 ozs chicken, 1 cup broccoli with T butter

1 was having a 2 NC Atkins shake after dinner, but think that's what's keeping my weight loss slow

I drink sparkling water: at least 2 - 44 oz cups (reusing an old Super Big Gulp Cup) a day

Thoughts?

Funny thing - the only time I'm hungry is the middle of the night. Most of the time, I have to remember to eat during the day. I'm thinking the slow pipes might be part of that.

In addition to the Magnesium, I started taking a pro-biotic at night.. That seems to help "moving" in the morning.

I've also had the worst gut aches. I've had that before when my bowels are slow. It was the reason I ended up quitting this WOE 5 years ago, it got to the point where it hurt up my back. My doctor was "Stop eating that way!"

But I'm bound and determined to fix it all this time! The magnesium and pro-biotic have really helped. I'm moving and the gut pain is going away. Whew.