Can anyone tell me why all of the sudden lately im getting charlie horses ~ night and they HURT ...

Any reason? Am i laking something?

Going LC is very diuretic at first you probably depleated potassium.
Add Lite salt (Potassium)
Jag

you mean i need salt in my diet?

Lite salt (blue bottle) is a good source of potassium. Are you eating any salt? If you are not eating any salt is there a medical reason?
TIA
Jag

You need a certain amount of regular salt; there's a reason it was such a valuable commodity historically.

You also probably need potassium, and the easiest way to get that is with one of the "lite" salts that replaces sodium with potassium. You may also take potassium pills, but they don't provide very much potassium per pill.

Reread what Atkins says about vitamins and make sure you're getting everything else you need--magnesium plays a role in cramps, too.

i usually dont put salt on foods. I can eat salt. If its IN THE FOOD then i eat it.

Do you think the easiest is to just use a multi-vitamin instead??? If so which one do you recommend?

Thanks in advance.

Sounds like you might want to supp Potasium a couple of days.
Potassium is cheap. Try three days or so, no need to take it daily.
It can mess with your heart if you take too much.
Jag

There may be a little potassium in a multi--you have to check the label. It's not enough for my life.

You should be taking a multi- anyway, though.

hmmm, im not taking a multi....I only take ooo. Know of any good multi for me?

you can also try eating more foods that are rich in potassium

Strawberries have 244 mg per cup
Asparagus has 29 mg a spear
broccoli has 401 mg a cup
cabbage has 277 mg a cup
celery has 171 mg per stalk
green pepper 213 mg per large pepper
Lettuce (both iceburg and romaine are rich in potassium)
Romaine has 264 mg and Iceburg 175mg
Tomato has 366mg per medium tomato
Spinach, onion, pumpkin, yogurt, peanuts or natural peanut butter, brazil nuts, eggs and canned salmon are more good LC sources of potassium.

Try increasing those foods in your diet and see if it helps.

good luck!

MJ

I get those terrible cramps in my calves and/or my feet if I forget to take my calcium citrate capsules. Note that I said "capsules" not tablets. I accidentally bought tablets a few months ago, and the cramps resumed until I went back to taking capsules. I assume it's because the calcium is more easily absorbed in capsule form.

Karen D.

Don't take a "multi" vitaman, take a MEGA vitamin. Atkins gives specific minimums in his book... Remember that the "minimum daily requirements" were based on a Govt study years ago on what soldiers needed daily to "survive" not what was optimal.

...and you probably won't find much potassium in a vitamin. You may be interested in a similar thread I posted which got a fair amount of response.

http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=182295

GOOD LUCK!!

at night until I started taking Potassium and a Magnesium pill every day.
I stopped taking them in February when I had surgery and figured I wouldn't be doing my morning gym routine for a couple of weeks so I wouldn't need the supplements.
The cramps came back immediately. The day after the first cramps I started the two supplements again and have not had a cramp since.
I took a multi-vitamin, Vitamin C, flaxseed oil, Calcium, and some other stuff routinely every day even after the surgery.............It was just the Magnesium and Potassium that I didn't take so the deficiiciency had to be one of those two.
Since they don't cost very much, I plan on taking both the rest of my life come hell or high water because I sure don't like waking up with one leg killing me.