Muscle Cramping and Fatigue on Carnivore? Try This! 

Welcome back! Im glad the video was helpful :)

Your experience completely mirrors my own; down to the falling off the wagon when we had company in town! Very timely video, indeed! Cranking up the magnesium and potassium...already feeling better. Excited that this will alleviate the restless legs/cramping and lethargy.

Eat a healthy well formulated diet low in red meat and animal products high in natural foods like healthy vegetables, small portions of nuts, seeds and some portions of fruits. Small portions of food is the real answer to achieving your goals. Walk every day with a goal of 8,000 to 10,000 steps. I allow myself some plain yogurt with a mixture of fruit for dessert before I stop eating for the day usually around 6-7:00 PM. The key takeaway is to eat small portions. It is working great for me and I don't feel deprived. No leg or muscle cramps eating this way. Good luck!

​@@hikedayley9309You're on the wrong channel

@@CTX50they sure are on the wrong channel bahahahahahaha 🤣 😂

Hopefully some of the tips in this video will give you some relief :)

Holy moley, that is a lot of Vitamin D!

​@@JennyMitich30000 is like 15 minutes in the sun, 50000 is not as much as you think

Youre very welcome! I hope this solution works for you :)

Hello! It takes some time for the magnesium stores to build back up, I have been supplementing now for about 5 weeks and the cramping is 99% gone. I still have a tiny bit from time to time, hoping that will be resolve soon :)

Oh no! Im glad you figured it out :)

@@WFPBFORLIFE yea? Are you sure?

Nice! Yea, I think the D supplementation is the key, within the context of a carnivore diet. You're not getting as much magnesium from your diet when you are strict carnivore, which is fine if youre not supplementing with really high levels of D. I dont think you would have the same effect if you got the D from the sun.

Thank you.

Over 60k shuts down kidneys? I know people who take 100k iu/day to battle a type of candida (fungal infection transmitted by the bloodstream) and they're fine. I think you can waste VitD by taking too much, as it just gets peed out and not used, but I don't believe you can truly OD on it.

Someone lied to you! 60,000 is like being 60 minutes in the sun - have you been out in the sun over an hour before? Did your kidneys shut down? Doctors are LIARS!

Welcome!

Hello! I disagree. There are plenty of reasons to supplement. For example, if you have a CIRS diagnosis, you will need to supplement regardless of your dietary philosophy. Hashimotos, anyone that has had bariatric surgery, etc. If you want to supplement, do so. Now, for me, the muscle cramping was due to high doses of vitamin D without magnesium supplementation. I take D because i live in northern latitudes and we don't get a ton of sun.

⁠​⁠@@JennyMitichfrom the outset let me just say I’m on blood pressure meds with diuretic. Understanding that may be an issue I use two packets of electrolytes per day. 500 mg Magnesium Glycinate, fully chelated, high absorption, one tablet before bed, potassium 200mg, b complex, vitaE. The leg pain and Charlie horses are getting horrible the past week. I started the carnivore diet 4 weeks ago with the first 3 doing very well. All leg pains disappeared but now they’re back with a vengeance. What am I missing? Any ideas?

@martinsvensson6884 You are wrong. I FEEL BETTER AND SLEEP BETTER. You do you and I will do me. I ate Dr Westmans protocol phase 1 and 2 for 5 years. It works and didn't have all of the issues that everyone keeps asking about on Carnivore. It is great for an elimination diet and to heal somethings but not everyone needs to stay on it long term.

I also stopped carnivore today after 2 yrs for carnivore. I had some organic blueberries, dark chocolate, and broccoli with Rib eye and feel much better today .

That's great! Im glad its working for you :)

@Panji2000 I am glad you feel better too. I plan to stick with 20g carbs for the next three months to get some extra weight off and then move up to 40g and let the last bit come off slowly hoping to see where my carb threshold is to maintain.

@@lindamccue4820 I will do the same. Will increase the carb around 20-30 grams a day . Thank you !

True, it's also a vaso constrictor. it restricts blood flow in your veins so of course to all your organs and can cause mini clots in the fine capillaries of the brain.....all for a buzz....sheeeesh! (Not to mention the fact thats its such an addictive drug, that alone should be a red flag to any clear thinker!)

Youre very welcome! Im glad it was helpful :)

Check out Dr. Eric Berg’s electrolyte powder, it has a good amount of potassium. Plus I like to mix in Thorne’s Magnesium Bisglycinate.

Wonderful!

Youre very welcome :)

Youre very welcome!

Youre very welcome! Make sure you are drinking enough water in general, that can be a common cause of muscle cramping too :)

There is a pattern in the comments… lots of people high dosing the vit d3. My calf cramps have hit as Autumn comes and I switched from sunshine to 4000iu +k2. I’m to drop to 1000 for a bit and see what happens. Was already taking lots of sodium, potassium and various good types of magnesium.

You are so welcome!

You are so welcome!

Take a look at Dr. Eric Berg's Electrolyte Powder and Thorne's Magnesium Briglycerate, together they helped eliminate by leg cramps.

@@lpg12338 thank you! I will.😊

What salt would you suggest?

@@asmamushtaq9901 I use black salt

Drinking lots of water flushes all your electrolytes out of your body completely you're so wrong and making the problem worse actually.

Youre very welcome :)

Maybe!

Hello! I think that could be possible.

Thank you for sharing! Sometimes it takes a bit of tweaking and experimentation to figure out what works best for you.

Hello! I'm glad it was helpful :)

Great tip!

Youre very welcome, glad it was helpful :)

Yep! That is keto flu or carbohydrate withdrawal in action. The minute you eat some carbs, the symptoms improve :)

"All these supplements" you mean two? Magnesium and potassium 😂 maybe you should do some research before starting an actual diet then you'd know where you're going wrong because it's clearly obvious you dont have a clue what you're doing, I can guarantee you're under eating and not drinking enough water.

That is a great question. I know for me, I didn't have full power at the gym until about a year into carnivore. But I also had very young twins, so maybe part of that was pure exhaustion LOL. I think those effects would fade pretty quickly after you introduced the carbs though, so there might be something else at play. I would say try meat and fruit diet, that may help.

Supplements arent bad. But if you want to do this through food, just take a tablespoon of mustard, that stops muscle cramping instantly. Otherwise, just get D from the sun and magnesium from food sources.

Thank you :)

Smart! Thanks for the tips :) I also do methylated vitamins

Sometimes

Hello! Thank you so much! I think I linked it in this video, but I use Naturewise, I was taking 10000 ius per day, but now I do 5000 ius per day, plus K2, plus magnesium.

It worked I actually stopped taking them for like a month because I forgot about it and still no more Charlie horses

Glad it was helpful!

Hello! That is strange, I can't say that I have heard that one before. I would up the electrolytes and water for sure. And I would also up the fat to up the calories. 1200-1500 is not enough food. Also, fat is the fuel so you need to make sure you are eating enough of it. You could also try incorporating some vegetables, just to see if that improves your symptoms.

​@@JennyMitich Thank you so much for taking the time to respond! I hope I find someone that has experienced this. It's kind of scary. Your advice is good, and I certainly appreciate it. I'm afraid to add in vegetables because I don't want the digestive issues to come back. But I will do my best to eat a little more and implement the other things you said. Thank you, again! 🙏🏼🙏🏼

@@SoGrateful4You you’re very welcome! The reason I suggest some carbs is I’m curious if it’s still some keto flu/sugar withdrawal. If it is, some carbs would clear it up quickly. Otherwise, if you’re eating really lean meats, upping the fat should help. You need the fat 👍🏻

@@JennyMitich I see. Thank you. I'm wondering if you can still have keto flu even if you were on low-to-no sugar and low-to-no highly processed foods for years before starting carnivore?🤔 The only sugars I really consumed came through a few fruits and vegetables. My main fruits were blue berries and strawberries. Veggies were cucumbers, celery, broccoli... Thanks again for your thoughts and ideas. I will try to add more fat and calories. I definitely need to get to the bottom of this. It's such a weird and troubling feeling...

@@SoGrateful4You the only other thing I could think of is if you were eating a lot of high oxalate fruits and vegetables, you may be detoxing from that. You could read Toxic Superfoods from Sally Norton, that could be helpful. Otherwise, perhaps it has nothing to do with the diet at all, and it could be some other root cause issue that is coming to the surface now that you’ve cleared out everything except for the meat and animal products.

Hello! Thank you for sharing your experience!

Thats great! Im glad you found what works for you :)

I am with you. I don't find all of these symptoms to be very healthy. Whole foods and variety will be my focus foe the future

Am heading back to that after severe gout and leg cramps and not able to eat enough.

Congratulations, you've just discovered that the only thing that's driving fat loss is energy balance. Energy absorbed vs energy used by your body. There's no magic to any diet, you can eat whatever you want , and if you are able to use more energy than you absorb from your foods, you are going to lose fat. Always. Until you die.

That is beautiful that you are able to eat some if everything and in an intuitive way - the dream! I wish I could eat carbs in moderation, but I have found that I am definitely addicted to the sugars… once I have any - I end up getting of control and in no time sick from it. For me zero carbs is the only way I feel consistently healthy. I have to treat it like alcohol addiction. You are very blessed to be able to dabble 💕

Hmm, that is weird! I dont know why that would happen

Look up piriformus (sp?) muscle. It is possible some of your leg cramps irritated the nerves that go to this muscle, (or another muscle). I am not a doctor, but have had referred pain due to similar problems. I suppose it could also be the same type of thing and be related to the sciatica nerve, but, again I am not a doctor and I am not sure what all nerves/muscles are connected and which ones might cause pain where. At leasted it is a place to start your research. Might want to get some blood tests done as well and while you are there, you can show your doctor what is going on where... Good luck!

@@tbacon2784 great tip!

That does help, I need to get to a sunny place in the winter

Typically a magnesium supplement is 400mg and the potassium is 595mg

@@JennyMitichto pump the cells, the body requires 4,700 mg of potassium and about 1/2 that in proper sodium.

Try increasing your hydration in general, that can help. Then I would focus on electrolytes, and then perhaps supplementation.

Hello! So far, I just found the D3. But if I find more drains on magnesium I will be sure to let everyone know :)

@@JennyMitich I have the same question. I don't take supplements except for an electrolyte mix. I had wondered what would tap my magnesium resources to cause the cramps and dry mouth/eyes. From what Prof. Bart Kay and other Carni Drs. say about being in ketosis, if you don't cycle out often, it will tax your electrolyte stores from your kidneys. Have you heard of this? Sounds like important information!

@@katiwisdom6038 interesting! Yes, that is important info for sure!

Hello! It took about 3 weeks to fully go away. It has come back a couple times since, but it was when I hadnt drank enough water. I made sure to hydrate better the next day and it was good again :)

You're so welcome!

Yep, 9 months in and no matter what i have tried, added, removed etc around diet, coffee, supplements etc I am still rolling around on the floor 2, 3 times a night dealing with cramps. Then when doing nothing differnt I don't cramp and get lulled into thinking my issues resolved and then BANG!! 2am calf muscle trying to reach the sky.

@@greenygg3498 that sucks😭what’s worked for me is increasing electrolytes and hydration, taking a potassium in the day, and a magnesium at night

@JennyMitich hey thanks for quick reply! I have potassium chloride powder and citrate tablets. I might try and be a bit more strategic about the timings to see if that helps. Glad I found your channel, thanks :)

@@JennyMitich I’ve been doing the potassium you recommended and got some magnesium citrate (hadn’t tried that one yet… just glycinate and malate). But I’m still cramping. I over salt all my food and drink electrolytes. Like greenygg said, during this journey they’ll go away and come back out of no where. Always in waves. 😞

Hello! Maybe! That could help, its worth a shot

Hello! It goes back and forth. I havent been doing magnesium at night lately. But I like magnesium glycinate

Hello! Drink more water for sure, and be sure to keep up with your electrolytes becaue that can help

Hello! I discuss in this video that my high level of vitamin D supplementation is what caused the drain on my magnesium stores. It had nothing to do with my diet.

Hello! You can take one or the other for the magnesiums, those are just both highly absorbable forms of magnesium. I took 2 magnesium citrates at night and 1 potassium in the morning for a couple days. Then I did 1 mag at night and 1 potassium in the morning. Now that my charlie horses and fatigue have gone away Im taking a lower dose of mag to go to sleep and I take the potassium every other day in the morning.

Agreed!

Throughout these comments the theme is everyone high dosing vit d!! I can’t help thinking that this is the camping link!

@@5piral0ut yes, exactly the point of this video👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Hello! Maybe stop the Vitamin D and just do the Magnesium and Potassium. Also, it could be something else entirely. What's your average protein intake for the day?

Great tip! Yea, there are lots of vitamins and minerals in fish

I stick to one kind at a time

Hello! Its worth a shot. You could also increase electrolytes in general, make sure youre getting enough protein and fat

Hello! I listed out the ones I talk about in this video in the description :)

Great questions. Daily magnesium needs are 400mg, so maybe increase that. Perhaps potassium? You could also just stop supplementing the D for awhile and see if that helps. Also, what time are you taking your supplements? Are you taking them together?

@@JennyMitich Hi Jenny, thanks for the reply. I take them all together around supper time each night.

@@KimT-kr8metry taking the D3 and the magnesium at different times, that can help😀I do D3 in the am and magnesium at night

@@JennyMitich Thanks very much Jenny! I’ll give it a try.

Totally normal! Fatigue was my first and most annoying keto flu symptom.

Bowel movements are smaller because you're absorbing more of the nutrients.

Look into Butcher’s Broom and Horse Chestnut extracts.

Hello! Yes, high D3 intake can deplete magnesium. I was doing 10000 IUs, which is really high. Pair that with carnivore, where you aren't getting a large amount of magnesium, and that can drain your magnesium stores. Its not a problem if you are getting D from the sun, only with high levels of supplementation :)

Thank you :)

The unflavored does not. All the flavored ones do have stevia.

@@kathleensaeva2649 my comment was to the channel. The product she held up is flavored. Most people will NOT drink unflavored. But my point is that since she has pinned high Vit D intake for not absorbing magnesium, there are other issues in what she is doing that could account for her low magnesium. If she was or is taking this brand of electrolytes, her effort to get sufficient magnesium could be thwarted or reversed by stevia. Additionally there is no balance in the unflavored (same as flavored) option: 1k mg sodium, 200 mg potassium, 60 mg magnesium. 1. How does this help the sodium/potassium pump which is a 1 to 2 ratio? 2. How is a strict carnivore going to correct the RDA from too little magnesium? The recommended two packets equals close to RDA sodium and still only 120 mg of magnesium, 2/3 deficient. Suggesting LMNT to resolve or even augment the magnesium issue is a dead end. It’s basically an expensive salt product. The company advertises paleo and keto by the way but Redmond’s and dietary potassium and magnesium is a workable option for all diets while LMNT is not. Potassium, I predict, will be the next in line for nutrient concerns. If the cell pump isn’t optimal, it doesn’t matter the diet, waste sits in an acidic state, and nothing can get repaired and regenerated. This is all readily available information. Too many seek answers from influencers which all too often is insufficient and thus wrong. Get potassium and magnesium in your diet folks. Be sure it balances with sodium intake and water, too much water is not going to be beneficial. Determine the proper ratio. And as a caveat, tap water is dead water. Water in plastic leaches plastic particles. Drinking water must be sourced from a healthy aquifer and in glass. Once upon a time, water had plenty of potassium, magnesium, sodium by the way. The levels are much lower, so get your electrolytes additionally. You’re welcome. 😉

@@ToddDouglasFox I realize your comment was to the channel. At 1:58 the LMNT packet she shows is the raw unflavored. I didn't know if you knew that one doesn't have stevia. Personally, my gut can't handle stevia and the raw unflavored LMNT made me tired. It's just not a product that works for me. I do hear you about the other things you mentioned though.

@@kathleensaeva2649 It looked to me like one of the flavors (there are many) but I’ll take your word for it that it is the one out of all of them that doesn’t have stevia. Hopefully she’s not getting any stevia. It’s good that you can’t do stevia as it affects memory as well as many other cognitive processes. We have taken hundreds of people off stevia who thought they were into dementia but after 3-6 months off stevia, their memory and overall cognition was normal again.

⁠@@kathleensaeva2649I did go back to read the momentary flash at 1:58 and saw “unflavored” on the packet when I blew it up. Good eyes you have, you must be younger than me. 👍

are you sure these ingredients would make an enzyme? seems like a decent electrolyte to me, though.

Maybe!

Interesting! I will have to check that out, thanks for the tip!

You're welcome!

Nice!

Hello! That is a great question. Sunlight is the most efficient way to make vitamin D, when we supplement we have to take a lot because only a portion of it is being absorbed. I dont think sunlight derived vitamin D has the same draining effect on our magnesium because it is being manufactured by our bodies. For me, I dont really use supplemental vitamin D in the summer because I dont need it, I am out in the sun everyday :)

Hello! Great question. Like I said in the video, I supplement with D in the winter because I want to keep my levels high. Because of the D supplementation, my magnesium stores became depleted, which in turn depleted my potassium. Now that it is spring, I have stopped D supplementation and have been able to lower the amount of potassium and magnesium as well. Once its summer, I doubt I will need those either.

@@JennyMitich is there any supplementation given to the Inuits where they live mostly on Ice,mostly winter?where fish was the only food they ate,and they're great..hmmm,something smells fishy...

@@ronescalona I probably don’t need to take the vitamin D supplementation, but that’s a personal choice. Also, I don’t think that taking supplements is a bad thing. This video is meant to be educational.

​@@JennyMitich As to why Inuit don't take D supplements. Inuit eat a lot of cold water fish which is high in D. Another commenter mentioned sardines... a good choice for D. Also our food sourcing often does not contain all the nutrients available in paleo times and we do not eat nose to tail(especially liver). A varied animal diet is a good idea. MANY factors can affect cramping and I would advise starting with more water and then perhaps try one additional supplement gradually at a time. Too much of one supplement can throw off balance in multiple others. Stress is a non dietary factor in many imbalances that is quite pervasive for us, so mind/body needs balance too. Supplements can be advantageous in the case of diseases/conditions developed over the years that need targeting. Like thyroid, where iodine can help accelerate healing and is lacking in food sources due to soil depletion which affects both plant and animal agriculture. Thyroid issues are often an issue with fatigue and iodine(often deleted in our food sources) can help the thyroid... but as is often the case with supplementing only one vitamin, it will need increases in selenium and salt as well. One commenter mentioned almonds which provide a LOT of selenium(which can easily become too much), helpful if supplementing with iodine. Low selenium can also have cramps and fatigue as symptoms. BUT be aware almonds also contain very high levels of oxalate... not a good idea. If you are not low in a particular vitamin/nutrient then supplementing one, just as insurance, can lead to a cascade of imbalances. Small, cautious steps. on balance, in my opinion, carnivore is a far simpler and more health advantageous way of eating than any other.

Your body depletes electrolytes when you aren’t eating carbs. Carbs make you retain water which is where the minerals are. You can get a lot from meat only but most need a little more because there’s only so much you can eat. We don’t need to eat vitamins. We get it all in our diet. Minerals are different.

That actually does work! My grandma shared that tip with me years ago :)

How do you take it? Do you swallow it or rub it on the Charlie horse area that bothers you?

@@Kayer22 swallow it

@Kayer22 its very convenient to rip open packet and squeeze into mouth. But approx tablespoon does the trick Every time. So far

@JennyMitich been on carnivore for 9 months so far, wish id of done it sooner.

Its so painful and weird! I hate cramps :(

Hello! The cramping has nothing to do with the diet. It has to due with the vitamin D supplementation.

Hello! I didnt want to do 4-5 packets of electrolytes, way too much salt for my tastes. Supplementing worked better for me.

Right? LOL

Hello! I cant stand the taste of liver. But I have recently started taken beef organ supplements, and those are great

Youre very welcome :)

Nice!

Interesting, thanks for sharing. 🤔👍

True!

Great tip!

Huh?

@@JennyMitich Thanks, just the same!..😊

Youre very welcome :)

Nice! Great tip, thank you!

Smart! You could also reduce the D, I am no longer taking any because Im getting it from the sun now

For sure! Try increasing your electrolytes, that can be helpful. How much protein are you eating?

@@JennyMitich Honestly I have such little appetite all I ate today was three slices of bacon and two egg yokes. At 4 pm I had about 6 Slices of corned beef…the thought of eating more makes me nauseous.

Most days I’ll have short ribs, or chuck roast. Maybe a couple of hamburgers also.

@@M.Sforza do you like fish at all? Lots of great vitamins and minerals in seafood. Also though, have you considered adding back in some vegetables or fruit? Carnivore isn’t for everyone, perhaps keto or just whole food low carb would be better for you. Why are you doing carnivore specifically?

@@JennyMitich I bought a small watermelon yesterday and raw honey. If this fatigue persists I will do a ketovore instead. I have to be honest and say, weight loss is a major goal but so is feeling better with chronic joint pain. I want to lose 35-40 lbs, and not an ounce has come off.