Charlie horse

I've been getting horrible cramps in my calves since 3 months post op. I talked with my pharmacist about taking a supplement such as magnesium, but he was very reluctant to suggest anything without blood work being done. He said that for many people, muscle cramps are caused by dehydration. I'm usually low on my fluid intake, so I'm working on drinking more fluids as my first remedy.  You didn't mention how you're doing on fluid intake, but it may be worth considering. Oh, and a professional massage helped, too. 

Good luck!

I like the sound of a professional massage!  My fluid intake is not the best.  I am still trying to improve when it comes to that.  Getting the protein in seems to be a lot easier for me than getting in the 64oz of fluid.  Thanks for your reply!

I used to get lots of leg cramps, both pre and post surgery.  I started eating a chunk of banana with my breakfast every morning (my hubby eats the rest.)  This has basically fixed the problem for me.

best of luck,

Carol

I am willing to give it a try! Thanks for the reply!

Excluding blood clots, leg cramps on a low carb diet are often caused by a lack of minerals (potassium, magnesium, calcium).  The diet is diuretic by nature.  I get horrible inner thigh cramps from being in ketosis which wake me up if my calcium is low.  Calcium is a big cause of muscle cramps that often gets overlooked.  Calcium and potassium in particular are necessary for nerve conduction.

Thank you for your response.  I pray it's not a blood clot but some other culprit.  But I contacted my doc so hopefully I will hear back soon.

Woops, I didn't mean to repost some of what Hala said...that is what I get for posting too fast!

If you need potassium, lite salt is like 50% potassium.  I use that instead of regular salt.  Just be careful to not overdose.  Sadly, we can't eat huge quantities of many high potassium foods on a low carb diet.