So here I am wrapping up TWO MONTHS on beef, salt, coffee and water! This week I had my first two legitimately bad days, but thankfully that was due to an unsuccesful attempt at introducing a mixture of herbs to treat a co-infection and not a flare up. I’ll write more about what I was hoping the herbs would treat in another post. I was very excited about these herbs; I waited a long time for them to arrive, but alas they were a disaster.
So what happened? Immediately following one evening dose and one morning dose I became an emotional maelstrom of irritability, anxiety and sadness. I thought I would combust into flames and burst into tears at the same time. I felt completely out of control. This anxious energy contrasted itself with periods of down swing. Remember the driveway litmus test? I could hardly walk up it and sometimes I felt like I couldn’t speak. I’ve gotten over the years adept at being in tune with my body and picking up cues; you have to be because it’s such a giant puzzle. So I deduced from the symptoms that this was definitely not die-off but an allergic reaction. It was entirely no bueno. I continued the herbs for two days to make sure the symptoms were consistent and certainly there was no mistaking the misery. Two days of that and I called it quits on the herbs. That was yesterday. Today is entirely better and I have my life back! I feel like a different person.
After the 6 week mark I reintroduced gentle exercise and sauna. I found that my body still does not repair itself quickly after even yoga and while the benefits of sauna have been noticeable I find that it also depletes my electrolytes. I started thinking that if I balanced my electrolytes I could recover quicker from exercise and it would give me the consistent brain clarity throughout the day. I was really starting to have problems with electrolyte depletion and guessed that if I solved this I would really be doing optimally on this diet. I had already seen that if I took electrolytes consistently throughout a hike that I wouldn’t have any DOMS at all the following day, versus an almost debilating combo of pain, cramps and stiffness. It seemed to be the only missing piece!
I already take some electrolytes I love, Ph Mins from Premier Research Labs, but those favor higher magnesium and lower sodium, a practically negligble amount at 20mg. So I ordered LMNT Recharge electrolytes with 1000mg sodium, 200 mg potassium and 60mg magnesium. I only tried these twice on days where I didn’t do any taxing physical activity or sweating and immediately after drinking my brain became cloudy and my hands felt swollen. Woah! Ok, maybe I’m actually not that deficient in sodium after all. I’m going to still hang on to them for a serious workout and try them again.
I started to rethink the electrolyte thing and began reflecting on how much fuel I was consuming. After days of intense sauna therapy (20 min sauna, 5 min cold shower X 3), hiking, water skiing and yoga I didn’t focus on if I was actually eating enough. I came home from water skiing this week and was ravenous, but got sidetracked helping my dad with a project. It was late by the time I ate. Next day same thing; work and coffee date and finally dinner by 9pm. I think that not eating when you’re hungry has ramifications.
I read a long reddit post by a 9 year Carnivore that many people think electrolyte supplementation is the answer, but the real problem is that people are hungry and need to eat more. I have heard other zero carbers say this, that the body WILL regulate itself, but if you keep tampering with supplementation it remains confused. I thought about this and started listening to my bodily hunger cues. Today I’ve already eaten more than I usually consume in a day and it’s only 2pm. I feel great.
So this is my new path. Every time I’m feeling low and recognize those electrolyte cues I’m just going to eat more and see if I can let my body do its thing. I will still carry my electrolytes with me to the gym because an electrolyte crash is one of the scariest things I’ve experienced and it is difficult to function. I’ll also consider supplementing with electrolytes if I don’t have access to eating right away or if I’m doing an intense hike. If I can figure this piece out I will be soaring!
So that’s the update! Thanks for listening! Good luck all of you and however you stumble forward moving the needle on your health.
Gonna Get Well 