Hi Ruth,

Yep, you may feel unwell for a few days. Most of us do, and most of us feel better within another day or two. So hang in there!

1. Potassium would have to be very low indeed (or high) to cause heart problems. I rather doubt that low carbing alone could do it.
Starting a low carb eating plan causes a natural diuresis - that is we lose a lot of water. It's just the nature of the beast. And we lose extra electrolytes, especially potassium with the water. So most of us feel a lot better once we begin to supplement potassium. Low potassium can cause a weak, dizzy feeling.
To supplement potassium, you can either take tablets or use a potassium salt such as No Salt - available in supermarkets with the ordinary salt. You should be taking about 400mg potassium daily.

It is important to drink plenty of water while taking extra potassium. And if you choose to take the tablets, always have them with food, or they can irritate the stomach.

It's also important for anyone who takes fluid tablets or blood pressure tablets to check with their pharmacist or doctor before taking potassium supplements.

Just another thing on potassium - as long as your kidney function is normal, if you take in more potassium than is needed, it is simply excreted by the kidneys.

2. We have a CAD forum here with many successful members. Here is a link: http://forum.lowcarber.org/forumdisplay.php?f=100

3. As for ketosis, I think Atkins is one of the very few plans to advocate being in ketosis. We have many people here who are living proof that you can indeed lose weight without necessarily being in ketosis. Yes, the weight loss may be slower, but the rate of loss depends on many factors.

HTH Feel free to keep asking questions.

Rosebud