Lately I have noticed symptoms of potassium deficiency.....occasional leg cramps and RHB, and overall just feel very jittery.

Been LCing for 6 months, been taking 4 GNC's Pot. Plus 99 a day all along (each pill contains 99 mg. Pot, 100 mg. Mag, 250 mg. Cal). If I skip just one pill, I have had these symptoms, but lately, I have been faithfully taking four and STILL have these symptoms.

I live in the desert southwest, where summer temps reach 115-120. I sunbathe for an hour every day (the coolest part of the day, around 104 degrees), and exercise indoors with the AC -- 40 min. cardio/20 min. floor exercise/stretches five days a week.

Consistant with our heat wave, every morning I wake up and feel like I am on a sugar high -- it DOES subside when I take my supplement, only to return later, usually after I have done something to make myself sweat. I'm drinking plenty of water.

I am thinking I need to up my supplement dosage, at least until our weather breaks....but I am afraid to take more than 4 supplements! Wouldn't that be too much???

I don't consume any caffiene or artificial sweeteners. My salt intake is probably pretty average...I don't over or underdo.

Thanks for any advice.....

Potassium sups are really quite low. An easy way to supplment potassium at a much higher level is with Light Salt or No-Salt. The Morton Lite Salt I use contains 340mg potassium in 1/4 tsp. I use it liberally on anything I would normally salt.

Maybe you are having trouble absorbing the potassium in supplement form? Natural peanut butter is relatively low in carbs and high in potassium. I eat so few bananas yet don't have the symptoms of low potassium -- I think peanut better is doing the trick for me. Good luck, MeBLady.

The RDA for potassium is 3,500 mg

http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/flg-7a.html

that is like 35 of your tablets every day!

As the other CindyG said -- salt substitute -- available at most grocery stores is the best source. Just sprinkle it on your food like salt. It takes some getting use to -- just like salt and pepper do.

The more you sweat -- the more potassium your body loses. So your exercise and laying out in the sun are raising your requirements.

For travelers there are small salt substitute packets that are the size of sugar packets.

http://www.vitacost.com/science/hn/...ium&SearchBy=HL

http://www.vitacost.com/science/med...ium&SearchBy=HL

http://www.vitacost.com/science/hn/...ium&SearchBy=HL

http://www.worldhealth.net/p/aadr-potassium.html

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/m...potassium&op=mm

Thanks all for your replies :-)

I figured it was my exercising/sunbathing with my hot weather causing me to be low, but confused cause I thought I was taking plenty!

Definitely will pick up the no salt substitute, which is consistant with my PP plan....the supplements were doing their job up until recently, and I've never been one that needed a salt shaker on my table.

Geo, thanks for the tip on the peanut butter -- I'd much rather get what I need from actual "food" rather than rely on supplements if I can, but I want to avoid the sodium along with it.

But are you drinking too much water? Electrolytes like potassium are flushed out of the body by water. Drinking too much can upset the balance.

Well, I'm drinking about 3/4 gallon to a gallon a day....not enough to make me "float", but just a little over what my thirst requires.

Thanks this gives me a good reason to have a dab of peanut butter. But, only under strict measures because I love it!

Avocados have about twice the potassium to carbohydrate ratio as does peanut butter. Bananas are about half of what peanut butter is.

Hi,
I bought a salt substitute called Alsosalt that has only 2 ingredients in it, and it tastes pretty good. I found it at Krogers. Avocadoes are great also.


Annie

Just posting an update that I bought Morton's "no salt" substitute, and it worked :-)

I'm still taking two pot./mag/cal. supplements a day, and sprinkling 1/8 t of the salt sub. on my veggies looks to have covered the rest of what I needed.

I would feel less guilty eating an avacado and know I would be able to stop. I suffered a major peanut butter cravings post pardom with my depression.

Thus, saying peanut butter is good and somewhat low carb makes me smile and say I can have it. But, having one tbs. and stopping may be hard. Dr. Atkins also pointed out this problem in Atkins Diet Revolution. He said that nuts are good but knowing when to stop can be troublesome.


Count Down to Age 28! = 3 days

also beef has a good amount of potassium in it! (although i used to mash up half an avacado with my tuna every time I ate it too)

a 12 oz NY Strip Steak has 1116mg of potassium :wow:

might be why so many people claim to experience a good loss the day after they eat beef..

with a Potassium deficiency are we talking bad cramps like a charley horse or just a weird ache like feeling in a body part? I've been having these moving weird aches lately. kinda like a growth spurt feeling when we were kids. Could this be about Potassium do you think? Anyone else feel that ?

No a regular cramp.