Hello everyone,

I am on Atkins for 5 weeks now and I have a constant ache in my joints ..mainly knees and elbows.
Those Vits I am taking

1 Centrum Forte 29 Essention Vitamins and Minerals
1 Vitamin C 1000 mg Time Release
1 Vitamin E 400 UI
1 Potassium 100 mg Time release (upped this to 4 pills since a few days now)
1 GTF Chromium 200 mcg
1 Magnesium 50 mg

Can anyone give me suggestions please what I am missing to get rid of my Joint ache?

Thanks

Mischa

hi Mischa,

Muscle weakness and general fatigue and headaches may be due to low potassium, but you seem to be getting enough of that. Muscular aches and cramps can be caused by low magnesium levels ... you might consider upping that to the RDA, which is 450mg. Magnesium works with calcium, and I don't see calcium on your list. It would be a good idea to take that ... 1000 to 1500mg per day. Avoid calcium carbonate though ... it's the least expensive but unfortunately is very poorly absorbed. Look for a chelated form, such as gluconate, maleate, citrate .. or a blend. Fortunately, Cal and Mag usually come combined together in one pill, 333mg cal and 167mg mag. Take 3 tablets, spread through the day, with the last tablet before bed time (it'll help your sleep )

However ... your problem isn't muscles .. it's your joints that are aching. I can't think of a nutritional basis for this. So I sneaked a peek at your journal. Aha! I see that you're exercising like a fiend on a stationary bike and an elliptical trainer which also works the upper body. The E.T. is relatively new right? Methinks you might be doing too much or too strenuously. You may need to back off a bit, or even take a few days off to give your knees and elbows a break. Try some ibuprofen (Motrin or Advil, etc) and a cold pack to those sore joints. Some people find relief by alternating hot and cold packs.

You might also consider alternating your workouts with some other exercises that won't stress the joints, such as swimming or aquafit classes, or using a rebounder (mini trampoline).

If the pain persists, you'd best see your doctor to make sure you don't have some inflammation going on there, like bursitis. Don't ignore it, because inflammation can damage the lining of the joint.

Doreen

Hi Mischa,

I went through this, too. It was especially difficult to walk down the stairs and get up in the morning- very painful.

I actually saw the Drs. that wrote the book "Protein Power" in Boulder, CO for another reason, but I did mention this to them. Since I'm too young to be arthritic, they told me that some people are sensitive to too much arachadonic acid, which is found in red meat and egg yolks. I quit eating so much red meat and egg yolks and felt a difference right away.

Also, they told me to take fish oil (cod liver oil) every day- I take Carlson's lemon flavored -1 Tbs., and it doesn't taste fishy at all. This has been a miracle! Once I ran out of the fish oil for a week and felt the achy joints starting again, so I know it has definitely helped me.

-Hope this helps

Thanks so much for the advise...I already got the Calcium Pills Doreen was suggesting and I will also get some cod-liver oil. Somebody else told me to take it and I completely forgot.
I appreciate the input

Thanks so much

Mischa

I'm experiencing the joint aches off/on. Today they are worse than usual and is in my knees and elbows.

All my life I have had these occurences which have been just occassional and usually when I'm tired/run down and it is raining. Arthritis runs in my family and I'm sure when I'm much OLDER I'll prob. have this, but right now I do think it's due to my diet b/c of something I'm lacking.

It is raining today, but I got a good nights sleep and the exercise I'm doing is norm for me and I'm actually doing lighter impact than I used to do years back so I really don't feel it's been too much of a strain as I don't even have sore muscles from this activity.

The supplements I take are:

Daily Pre-Natal Vitamin (includes everything), Vit E, Potassium, Biotin and I ran out of Vit C but usually take that too.

What am I missing? I use Potassium for joint aches and also drink an Atkins Shake Daily which includes a wide variety of nutrients including potassium.

I WAS eating a lot of meat but lately have started having more fats and salad.

Sometimes I worry b/c I'm not eating any fruits at this point.

Could someone take a look at my journal and tell me what they think I may be lacking? I have full menu details posted. Thanks.