feeling worried, getting palpitations/heart feels funny since low carbing

[losenotloose]

I started low carbing 3 weeks ago, but bootcamping since yesterday. On one occasion I had bad palpitations, felt like my heart was going to bounce out of my chest. Other times, it just feels funny, hard to describe but almost tight, heavy feeling.

Is this something to worry about? Is there anything I can do about it? Should I stop low carbing? Something to do with potassium?

You might want to buy some "low salt", it has potassium salt. You need to add some salt to your diet, especially at the start of low carb.

Are you normally in good health? Are you taking any medication?

When you started low carbing, what did you do? How different was that from doing Bootcamp?

What are you eating on a daily basis?

Without knowing more, I have to say that it doesn't sound good, and I would recommend that you go and see your GP.

What's low salt? Just drinking some salt water now, vaguely remember john briffa mentioning extra salt needed.

Is this a dangerous side effect, will it pass?

If you're drinking lots of water, as advised by low carb diets, then you should be making sure that you are keeping up all your electrolytes, i.e. sodium, magnesium and potassium.

So avocado, spinach and salmon are all good things to be eating.

Thanks BIWI.

Apart from the food you mentioned, is there any other way I can ensure my electrolyte levels are ok?

see here

Lowsalt (available in all supermarkets) is a mix of normal table salt at potassium salt - a good way to boost your electrolytes. And eat the foods suggested by biwi. Your body will adjust but don't fear salts - they are an essential part of your diet.

Thankyou, I will definitely try low salt.

I just looked at my packet, it's actually "So low", but anyway, in all the supermarkets.

Some people, like me, are hypoglycemic and start to feel ill when attempting low carb , especially if in combination with excercise! Most people's bloodsugar stabilises at a certain level, but for about 10% of the population blood dugar levels keep dropping lower and lower, causing headaches, sweating, fatigue and sometimes vomiting/nausea.

It is not a medical condition as such ( it does not require meds), it just means that a low GI diet might be better ( avoiding sugar and white flour, but eating wholegrain carbs like oats for stable blood sugars).

IMO low carbers can evangelise a bit about their diet, but it does not work for everyone.

I was one one those people! Shaky and sick and feeling like I was going to pass out if I didn't eat.

It's the carbohydrates that cause that! They are the cause, not the cure, honestly!

However I think people who are particularly prone to blood sugar swings (as BS is likely to be rising too high as well as falling too low), might want to cut carb consumption a little more gradually (I did it all at once and felt really quite unwell for a few days), as that may me easier on the body.

Having had the shakes/sick/lightheaded for DECADES if I didn't constantly eat every 2 or 3 hours, now I don't get that - I can go 6 hrs between meal, and even than, I don't get low BS, I just get hungry - no shakes or feeling sick .

I never would have believed it, if I hadn't done it myself tho. And I do have to keep carbs quite low 50-70g most days and much above that, I do get problems.

Going to make an appointment with doctor tomorrow. Might be nothing, but feeling quite scared, occasional palpitations, but an almost constant "heavy" feeling in my chest. I'm only 28!

Parmarella - did you have palpitations? Otherwise I'm not really quite sure about the relevance of your post. Other than to have a dig at low carbers

Hypoglycaemia is a condition caused by low blood sugar. And it is a medical condition. The symptoms are very unpleasant - I have experience them mysself. Usually it comes after having eaten a lot of carbs, and so the body releases a lot of insulin to deal with the carbs - sweeping the sugar out of the blood stream, which then causes a sudden drop in blood sugar. Exercise can also cause this. The best way to deal with it is to eat something - but something like cheese, rather than more carbs.

The best way to deal with hypoglycaemia, if you are susceptible to it, is to keep your blood sugars stable which means keeping your carbs low, so that you aren't constantly making your body produce insulin.

I have had palpitations but I am not sure what caused them, to be fair. Could have been stress or anxiety.

I see the sense of avoiding sugar and sugar spikes (my DS indeed gets the sugar high, then the low (vomiting, nausea, headache, sweats) if he drinks soda's or eats, say, a mars bar. He (and I) are fine however with wholegrain carbs, in fact, they stabilise blood sugars over a period of time.

So porridge, brown bread etc. are good.

I guess as DS and I do not try to lose weight, we keep our blood sugar stable at a higher level than low carbers than you, IYSWIM.

I just posted on here as Low Carbers often don't know that cutting back seriously on carbs does not work for everyone. Ie the 10% whose blood sugar keeps going down (me). For me, GI worked better.

(My GP said it going hypoglyceamic is not a medical condition, unless you have diabetes and recommends having crackers or bread (carbs!) to keep blood sugar stable.)

I would get checked out at GP to rule out anything more worrying.

Sounds a heck of a coincidence to me that it's started since going low carb.

I don't think it's for everyone. It's not an either/or - you can go medium carb. I eat a bit of white rice/white potato/banana/starchy veg at every meal and feel great. I felt bloody horrendous doing low carb and it got worse the longer I stuck with it.

My issue with low carb is that you end up eating high protein and that's a real strain