I have been SO thirsty today and yesterday! And yes, I've been drinking water like it's going out of style. By all accounts, I shouldn't be dehydrated. And the weather is moderate-- in the upper '70's-- so that's not the problem. I'm almost at the end of my two week induction. I mysteriously gained four pounds in a day, so it has to be water. I do take a vitamin supplement for low-carbers. I do tend to eat saltier foods, but still, I always have. (BP is no problem.) It's about four days away from the TOM--and NO PMS! Yeah! The thirst is almost worth that.

So anyway, anybody have any suggestions for me?

The weight gain is almost certainly from the TOM that's coming. The best way to minimize it is to drink as much water as you want.

It is said that when a person begins LCing, they regain their Natural Thirst. When we substitute sweet tasting or caffeinated or alcoholic drinks for the water we need, we actually become less thirsty. Eating carbs also leads us to interpret those body signals as hunger when they are really thirst. Most of us spend half our lives in chronic dehydration without knowing it.

Now that you have been LCing a while, your body is getting back to its real feelings. And you are properly feeling thirsty. So raise a large glass of wonderful water and 'down the hatch'.

The water will soon flow away........... But it still might be an idea to limit the salty foods.

I used to brag that I was like a camel...hardly ever needed to drink...once I started low carbing and got all the nasty sugar and carbs out of my system, I realized how great water tasted and now I don't even really want anything else but water to drink.

The other thing that has caused me to be thirsty was being diabetic and not knowing it. That's what got me into the doctor's office, so if you are thirsty and haven't been checked, it might not be a bad idea.

hth

jbee

I'm the same way. I've always drank water, but mostly because I read it was "good for me". Not because I liked it. I now find myself craving water.

Tofi is right about getting your natural thirst back. I also believe you get your natural "taste" back. I used to have to sprinkle salt on everything. I don't think I've used the salt shaker in over a month. You're just finishing up induction, but I believe you too will find you need less and less salt. The other day, I was eating steak and eggs and realized I didn't have any seasonings on it at all and it tasted great. I don't remember ever being able to eat meats or eggs without salt or seasonings. I've even started buying low-sodium bacon, something that was unheard of just a couple months ago.

salt will naturally bring your thirst level to bare, but as jbee said, it is also a sign of diabetes. IT was the thing that got me into the doctors office. I dont want to scare you, but people who are overweight and are thirsty , I mean obviously thirsty all the time..
are potential problems. Two reasons to have it checked are if you dont have full blow diabetes you can reverse your potential for risk. There are four stages of diabetes .. the first three are reversable.. one you have diabetes you can not reverse it.. Secondly , if you have it... you need to know this... burying your head will not make it go away.. So please see the doc.
Congrats on the weight loss... keep up the good work..
Bill ( E-T )

Thanks for all the advice. I had my fasting blood sugar checked not too long ago, and it was absolutely normal. Plus, the reason you get thirsty when you're diabetic is because your body is trying to flush out the glucose it can't use. Since I'm hardly eating any carbs, that can't be the reason for me, right now.

pittypat:
Fasting blood sugar is not the test to take.. If I fast my blood sugar is low.. and it also looks normal,, right now my blood sugar is normal but I am a diabetic..normal blood sugar is between 80 and 126.. anything over that and you are a diabetic... right now my blood sugar runs between 80 and 115.. If I was to drink a quart of orange juice.. my blood sugar would be 250.. and I am just a minimal diabetic.. what you need to do is an A1C test or a glocose test where you drink a quart of orange juice.. or a sugar solution and see if your sugar is still normal..a non diabetic will never get above 126 even if they drink 16 oz of sugar water..
Pat: My post is not to frighten you..You do not want to get diabetes...Please follow through on this.. an A1C test showed your sugar level over the last 6 to eight weeks..
Ive pushed the limits of being friendly so I wont mention this again..my intent was and is not to alarm you...

Relax! I know all about GTT's and A1C's-- I'm a lab tech! I had and passed a GTT. (I also have PCOS, which puts me at a higher risk of diabetes anyway.) Since I've passed my GTT, the fasting blood sugar is just an easy check to make sure nothing had changed. And the whole thirst thing came on very quickly. I am not fatigued, either, in fact I have had more energy the last two weeks than the two months before that! Thirst AND fatigue are symptoms of the onset of diabetes. My endocrinologist is a jerk, but I've talked about this to my wonderful family doctor at length. I'm thinking it's just my natural thirst coming on with a vengance. I DO appreciate your concern for me. THANKS!!! Diabetes is NOTHING to mess around with. I need to get my weight under control, or I'm a sitting duck for it in a few (or not so few...) years.

Thanks Pittypat:
Trying to save someone from diabetes is a mission of mine...Im so happy you didnt see me as a Boo Bird.... I am happy you understand the seriousness... Good luck with this ppprogram.,,, life style...
Bill ( E-T )

Hi Pittipat,
The same thing happened with me. Low-carbing just causes incredible thirst in some. Dr Atkins says the diet is dieuretic, so maybe our bodies are trying to make up for all the fluid we're losing. I think it's normal.

Nancy

Thanks, Nancy! It has gotten better the last couple of days. I'm still drinking a lot of water, but my thirst "thermostat" seems to have mellowed out. Pat