Micki Sue-- I wonder if you are thinking of the post here on this site that "explains" whooshes....that as fat leaves the fat cells, they fill with water, and after a while the fat cells give up and release the water, leaving the fat cells deflated. We lose after a long stall.

It makes a satisfying explanation (like an origin story) but I've never really seen the phenomenon described/verified in a scientific abstract. Maybe it's true, maybe it's not. If it is true, I suppose salt would be part of the mix of "water" that enters the fat cells.

I believe that I've read that potassium should be 2 to 1 with salt. Without added potassium, I go down...literally
Magnesium is a must for me too.

Liz, nope. I read about sugar/salt being carried by insulin long before I read about water in fat cells.

My guess, if I were to guess, is that all of that information came from studies that are relatively obscure, d/t the publishing bias of the science press in favor of Ancel Keys' disciples.

As for headaches: I had a head injury over two years ago. Prior to that, I had, maybe, two headaches a year. Since then, a day hasn't gone by when I have NO headache. At this point, I can usually ignore them. But they're there.

If headaches continue, see someone. Track them while you're waiting for your appointment. See what you are doing when they show up. Mine are made worse by quickly turning my head, because my vision was affected by the accident. It's no wonder, then, that they were starting as I ran around the kitchen every morning!

If you can be aware of a pattern of circumstances that seems to lead to the headache, you have a better chance of figuring out whether they're caused by something external, or something else.

Even dust, if it's not removed regularly, can cause headaches in those with allergies to it.

Now I'm confused, not at all sure I'm following you. My understanding is that insulin affects fluid levels. High insulin can be a contributor to high blood pressure, high water retention. But insulin carries salt and sugar? Are you saying insulin goes into the fat cells taking sugar and salt with it? My understanding (without the biochemistry knowledge that you have) is that insulin is a KEY to allow fat in and out of fat cells, but I've never read that insulin actually goes into the fat cells. Perhaps I misunderstand what you are saying. Please set me straight if I am not understanding you correctly.

Like Nancy, I don't want to be annoying, just not sure how to assimilate this new (to me) information.

Liz, what I'm saying, ever so awkwardly, is that when there are high levels of carbs in the bloodstream, the insulin carries BOTH it and the sodium to their storage places.

If you think about, say, a bunch of fries from Mc Donalds, they are extremely high in carbs, as well as salt. Eat them, and you may well wake up the next morning with a lot of edema: water/salt trapped in the interstitial spaces.

Eat a handful of salt all by itself, and you'll think you're dying of thirst, drink a quart of water, and pee for the next three hours.

You won't shove that salt away, because insulin levels don't rise in response to high sodium levels, alone.

But IF the sodium is accompanied by carbs, the insulin will get it out of the bloodstream at the same time.

AND. As I write this, I realize that I was conflating the storage of carbs (as trigs) with the storage of sodium in the interstitial spaces.

Holy moly. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing, isn't it?

That's why I wanted to make sure I wanted to understand what you are saying - based on what I've read, I agree with everything you say above. I know my biochem foundation is shaky (non existent?), so am inclined to question, question, question, till I'm sure I understand what is being said. Thanks for taking the time to give such a thorough explanation.

I am having the same problem, started around the end of the second month and it is with me from the time I awake until I go to bed. No one seems to know why. I just went to the eye doctor and that is not it.