Hi all...

I started low carbing (Dr. R Bernstein/Atkins) about a week ago. My main motivation was to regulate my high blood sugars (Type 2 Diabetic). Whilst my BGL's are dropping nicely, I have had some rather unpleasant other side effects I would like some advice on.

I did a weekly weigh in this morning and learned that I have gained 6 pounds. I know this is fluid retention because my feet and hands are very swollen. I have NOT been eating salt, or salty foods. It is Summer here in Australia, but not particularly hot yet. I am very concerned about the swelling and worry it may be from the increased protein in my diet.

Does anyone have any advice or experience on this?

Thanks
Sweetie

Hi Sweetie!

I'm not sure what to tell you. It isn't about time for your period, is it? Have you been drinking plenty of water? I know it sounds crazy, but one of the best things for water retention is to increase your water intake. You could also try some Taurine or some Asparagus extract tablets; both are good for relieving water retention.
It's fairly unlikely that the protein you've been eating is causing this unless you have some underlying medical condition that you were unaware of before you started. Low carb is more about high fat intake than it is about high protein intake even though the protein amounts aren't limited.
If you're very concerned about it or it doesn't start to clear up in a few days, a trip to the doctor may be in order.
Let us know how you're doing.

Sweetie

I agree with Lisa. Did your doc run any of the kidney function tests when you were diagnosed? If s/he did and they were normal, it's probably nothing...but if it persisits or worsens, contact your doc! Unless you have kidney damage, low carb and high protein shouldn't be a problem.

And do please keep us updated!

Cindy

Hi there...

I did have some kidney function tests which showed some protein in my urine (albuminuria) ... he said a sign of the beginning of diabetic nephropathy.

I specially asked him if I should reduce consumption of protein, and he said it was not necessary. I even mentioned that I would try low carbing and he said that was fine initially so as to assist in weight loss. So now I am confused. I am scheduled to have another test done in January to confirm the accuracy of the first test.

He has put me onto a blood pressure medication which assists in slowing or preventing further deterioration.

Also, he said the most important thing was to get my BGL normal. Eating carbs did not work ... so I guess if the protein in this diet is causing me problems, my only other option is to eat carbs and go onto insulin?? (I don't want to do that).

I have only been following this plan for 9 days. Its seems hard to believe that the swelling could be caused by my kidneys after such a short period of time. Also, I'm not sure I am eating more protein now than I was before I started this plan. My BGL's have been consistently under 10 for 2 days now and are still dropping (still high I know, but better than consistently 14 which is where they were before.

I REALLY don't want to start insulin injections.

Very depressed now....

Sweetie...

It would help if you could post some daily menus so that we can take a look and perhaps spot something that is causing the trouble. It might be as simple as a sensitivity to something that you are eating or your body adjusting to low carb and lower blood sugars. Since you're not really eating any more protein than before, I'd really be hesistant to say that it's the protein that's causing the problem. Sometimes my ankles swell for no apparent reason at all and it usually clears up in a few days as long as I keep up with my water intake. I'm sorry that you're feeling so distressed. Hang in there!

Wow! I JUST talked to my doctor about this today. I told him that urine tests had been finding small amounts of protein in my urine since I was 12. Was that a sign of kidney problems? Was it a reason to lower protein?

He said that, if I'd had this problem all my life, it was most likely "just me." In other words, I had something happen as a kid that caused a small amount of damage to my kidneys - enough to put a small amount of protein in my urine for life - but I've lived with the problem for 30-some years SINCE it first registered. Ergo, whatever the problem was, it hasn't seriously impacted my health and isn't a reason to worry NOW.

He's going to do a baseline protein test at some point in the future (after my TOM) which will test a 24-hour collection - not to see if there's a problem now, so much as to have a total which can be compared with future readings. If, years down the road, my protein starts increasing, we'll know that the diabetes is causing kidney damage. (All tests of my kidneys up till now have shown them to be healthy and strong.)

Anyway, if you're concerned about kidney damage, maybe you could arrange for this 24-hour collection test, too.

sweet...since a lot of docs think that low carb means high protein, and your doc said not to worry, it probably is nothing to worry about. maybe s/he only found just trace amounts. Or something you've been showing for a long time. Ask what your BUN and creatinine are? If those are normal, you're fine.

If you are concerned....is your doc a diabetes specialist? Maybe you should ask for a referral? or a referral to a kidney specialist? I think it's something that I would just monitor for a while. But certainly, if you are concerned, ask for a referral! Worry and stress is not good for you!

Hope this helps

Cindy

Thanks to you all for you replies.

My doc is endocronologist, and quite well regarded. He is not opposed to low carb (his words were that "I think that there is still a lot of misconceptions in the medical community generally, and I cannot provide a good response to why it is better for you to eat carbohydrates as a diabetic". He said that eating low carbohydrate for a while would ultimately be beneficial in terms of stabilising my BGL and losing weight.

I have an appointment with him for follow up tests (I already did the 24 hour urine collection, and am doing it a 2nd time (6 months later) to confirm the result).

I am being absolutely careful to drink at least 2 litres of water a day (8 big glasses) and avoid salt in any foods. I bought a herbal diuretic today and will see how it goes. It is suddenly quite hot in Sydney, so I will give it another couple of days to see if it gets better. I am also keeping my protein intake at around .7 grams per lean body pound (recommended amount) - that's about 100 grams protein per day.

Currently I am eating:

Breakfast:
flax seed meal and protein powder mix hot cereal for breakfast (about 1/2 cup). I estimate this is around 4 grams ECC
2 cups coffee with cream

Lunch:
Salad with tuna, ham, chicken, or lamb (whatever protein is available (about 200grams), 1/2 avocado, 1 oz cheese. Dressing is flax oil and red wine vinegar.

Dinner:
Allowed veges or salad with steak/lamb/pork.

some sugar free jello and thick cream for desert.

Occassionally (very occassionally) I might have 15-20 macadamia nuts, or olives.

Sweetie...

another possibility just occurred to me while I was reading another post. If you eat red meat and eggs, it could be a sensitivity to arachidonic acid that is causing your fluid retention. Arachidonic acid is highest in red meat and egg yolks. If you've been eating these, it might be worth trying to cut them out for a few weeks and see what happens. Just another thought...

Hi all,

Thanks for that tip Lisa.... I may have been eating more RED meat than normal lately??? That's a good tip and I will keep an eye on that and get back to more seafood.

Good news is that the swelling has gone today. Not sure if its because of the herbal diuretics I bought, or just body adjusting. Anyway, its a relief.

I just wanted to mention that a similar thing happened to me. Instead of having a big whoosh when I started Atkins, I started retaining water instead.

I still haven't figured out what the cause but I suspect it an increase in arachidonic acid since the only change in my diet has been the drastic increase in animal fats. I'm thinking of doing a low animal fat atkins program to see if it helps.

Actually arachdonic acid isn't as big a danger as originally thought--I posed this question to Dr. Michael Eades a couple of years ago since he'd mentioned it in the original "Protein Power" and he said that further research showed that it wasn't that big a deal. Just FYI.

You also started a new medication.


Even if it were a problem, he gave a marinating recipe that reduces it dramatically. Probably any marinating would reduce it.

Hi Sweetie and thanks for posting.

Prior to low-carbing I used to take a diuretic regularly due to water retention. It relates to a heart issue that I have. In the 4 months that I have been on a low carb diet, I haven't had to pop one Lasix (furosemide) which amazes me. Apparently, I have had the opposite effect but am very pleased not to be taking the diuretic because it drained me of energy.

My diet is not particularly high in protein, but not low either. I mainly subsist on fats (predominantly, saturated and mono-unsaturated) and still maintain a very low carb intake as I want to continue the progress toward my weight goal.

Therefore, I am afraid I can't offer you much help except to give you my own personal experience in the matter...

... and btw, your endo seems to be quite enlightened regarding carb intake. He sounds like "a keeper".

Kind regards,
/smile

P.S. I just noticed the new bp medication he has put you on. I have been on a beta blocker (Coreg or carvedilol, I could not tolerate Toprol at all) and an ace inhibitor (Altace or ramipril). Both help the heart efficiency and lower the BP, and the ace also helps kidney efficiency.

If you happen to have congestive heart failure or such tendencies, it is important that you minimize fluid retention... therefore, you may need a diuretic. If not, please ignore this comment. Low carbing miraculously took care of the problem for me.

/smile

PS i just noticed the date of the initial post... is this a bumped almost 6 year old post??? LOL