I have heard many people talk about muscle cramps while in the beginning phases of a LC program. I know I overdid it with the excersise a few days ago. I am experiencing some pretty significant muscle soreness. However - I am also have painful muscle cramps similar to charleyhorses which last for 10-15 seconds each and are located mostly in my thighs and calves. I am not dehydrated (urine is clear and pale). Is this a symptom of a nutrient deficency ?

TIA.

not sure, maybe u can try to supplement calcium and magnesium as they're used in muscle contractions, i've used them b4 when i'd workout really hard to help recovery and IIRC, it helped with soreness...... also try Vit D (gel capsules), it also helps with soreness......

HTH

I get them and it usually means a potassium deficiancy.

yeah cramping is often a sign of potassium deficiency, LC'ing or not.

What is the best/safest way to treat a potassium imbalance ? I am going to have to take some codeine at bedtime cause I know the cramps will keep me awake otherwise. Anyone with any before bed suggestions ?

TIA.

Check with your doctor or pharmacist before adding potassium if you are taking blood pressure medications or diuretics, but otherwise you can add up to 400 mg per day in the form of tablets or you can also use a salt substitute that contains potassium chloride.
For women especially, it's also a good idea to add a calcium/magnesium supplement. When I check my fitday report on daily nutrition, those are the two that I am consistently not meeting, so I supplement daily. I've also heard that if you take these at bedtime, they help you sleep better.

If you read this before bed, try half an avocado, some spinach and cucumber. Lots of natural potassium which should help you sleep a bit easier.

Keep in mind that magnesium transports potassium into the cells. So, you can go hog wild on the potassium, but without enough magnesium, it's not doing you much good.

With that in mind, boost your eating of high-magnesium foods. You can use the USDA's Nutrient List web page to rank foods by mineral content. Spinach is a big hitter (157mg/cup), as are pumpkin seed kernels (151 mg/oz (142 seeds)), white beans (134 mg./cup), and halibut (85 mg./5 oz.). Go easy on the halibut, though, if you're thinking of having kids; samples tested by the USDA contained a fair amount methylmercury. If you can work coconut milk (41 mg./oz) into some recipes (like a protein powder shake), you can up your magnesium some more (not to mention healthy saturated fats).

Once you're chowing down on these foods (or taking chelated magnesium supplements), you can gulp some potassium broth. At 750 mg/cup, that's not shabby. Just in case it freaks you out to think of taking that much potassium in one sitting, don't worry. Michael Murray's Encyclopedia of Nutritional Supplements says that although potassium salts can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and ulcers when given in pill form at high doses, these effects do not occur "when potassium levels are increased through diet alone (emphasis mine)...Therefore, the best course is to use foods or food-based potassium supplements to meet the human body's high potassium requirements."(1)

(1) Murray, Michael, N.D. Encyclopedia of Nutritional Supplements. Rocklin; Prima Publishing, 1996; p. 179.

Am heading out to buy some cucumber and potssium salt substitute stuff. I already have a good cal-mag suuplement which I haven't been taking regularily.

I have only been here a few days, but am finding so much helpful information!

I've been waking in the night with the beginnings of charlie horses. Usually, if I awaken quickly enough, I can concentrate on tensing the muscles in my upper thighs as much as I can, and that will stop the charlie horse in it's tracks.

I worked out on our Nordic Track ski machine about a week ago, then I worked out again the past two days. I've had the charlie horses for several nights, but had just assumed they began as a result of my first workout. Obviously, I can see after reading this thread, there is probably more to it that that. Especially considering that I was suffering from them days after my first workout, but before my recent workouts.

I will look into eating more potassium rich foods. I am taking a calcium/magnesium supplement already.

I have found that using Morton's Lite Salt gives me the potassium I need to keep my legs from cramping. I used to get terrible toe and ankle cramps! Go figure.......

Magnesium and pottasium seem to control my cramps.

Note also that it's most beneficial to take a split dosage. I take my cal/mag 3 x per day. We're losing so much water that you need to keep replenishing these minerals.

K.

Potassium is magic for me...

...when I first started LCing, I would get awful leg cramps. As soon as I added potassium to my daily supplements the cramps ceased.

Good luck all!

Donald