i am taking a vit/supp w/80mg potassium & 100 mg of magnesium. my question is, how much potassium & mag can i take in one day. all pot. supp are 99mg, is that okay to take with my vit/supp??

i was still having weakness in my legs...i uped my pot intake over weekend (through foods), took my supp and feel a little better. but i want to know if 80mg & 99 mg of potasssium is too much?

i don't want to quit this low carb...

TIA

pastafool

That shouldn't be too much, considering that a banana has about 500 mg of potassium and a potato has something like 750.

Don't go taking 7 potassium pills, though.

One thing that can deplete your potassium is going crazy on the water. Yes, you have to drink a fair bit when you're low carbing, but don't go overboard. Don't force yourself. Enough is good, more-than-enough isn't.

Too much sodium won't help, either. Try to minimize the prepackaged meats and stuff like that.

Try to cook your vegetables by steaming or microwaving, instead of boiling.

Just throwing out some suggestions.

...for the input...just to be on the safe side i will get the potassium 99mg along with the vit/supp. and hopefully i will feel 100% again, i'm at 80% now.

as always, thanks for the info...

pastafool

Hi Pastafool-

I usually take 2 potassium a day. In PPLP, they recommend taking more when you first start b/c of all the water loss. I started on 4 for 2 weeks, then went to 3 for 1, and now I stay at 2. Hope this helps a little.
~Michelle

Hi there Pastafool,

Yes, Michelle has the potassium about right. I believe the Eades (Protein Power) suggest 400mg/day at first, later lowering to 100mg.

The other thing you can do is switch to potassium salt - No Salt or Nu Salt. Much cheaper than the tablets! I just sprinkle it on my food instead of ordinary salt.
The pack will tell you how much potassium per teaspoon. I use a ¼ teaspoon measure so I have an idea how much I am getting.

Now you also asked about magnesium . Weakness in your legs suggests you also need mag. Magnesium is best taken in a 2:1 ratio with calcium. That's 2cal:1mag. You should be aiming at 1000mg cal and 500mg mag. A total of 600mg mag (including your multivite) is fine.

All the best to you, matey.

Rosebud

They also sell calcium/magnesium/zinc combination supplements. I take 3 of those a day too!
(Hi Rosebud! )

~Michelle

A food scientist at one of my suppliers recommended to me that I take Cal-Mag supplements at bedtime rather than with everythng else in the morning. She said that minerals are more likely to be well utilized when you sleep.

She also said that cal/mag may also help you fall asleep.

Does anybody have some inormation to confirm this. I do seem to sleep better when I take the supplement at night, but I think that easily could be power of suggestion.

Ferrando

Hi Ferrando,

Many folk here have the same experience as you. This site mentions a study which backs up the theory.

I think to get the full benefit of the cal/mag, you should probably divide the dose - taking the last dose before bed.

Cheers!

Rosebud

really appreciate all your input...everyone is a wealth of info...i will be purchasing the cal/mag and potassium...not my favorite thing to do is pop pills (even aspirin), but i want to stick with this and with everyone's help i will.

i must confess, i intentionally got off the LC on the weekend, not too crazy but i just wanted to feel better...so i did have some 'bad' carbs not much, just to take the edge off. i am back on it as of monday. i understand, i kinda have to start all over but i don't quit easy.

thanks again

pastafool