Hi everyone – for 4 weeks I’ve been easing my way in to the BSD. Not doing 800 calories, or even counting, but cutting out all dense carbs/sugar and following broad med diet. I’m doing the diet to lose a little weight (56 and crept up over the past 10 years to 10 st 9) but mostly because I’ve become very craving for food, want to eat even when I know I’m not hungry, find it very hard to lose any weight, and have bad blood pressure and cholesterol readings, which are getting steadily worse. My GP says its genetic on the cholesterol front but I have severe ME and am very reluctant to take statins as side effects are very usual for me and health already a constant issue. As far as I know blood sugar has always been ok. I’ve lost 10 lb or so which is unheard of for me in this time frame, but have started to get worse and worse cramps and muscle pain in the past week and sleep, which is always bad due to illness, has got worse. My fatigue levels have also increased and brain a bit shot. I’ve done 5;2 on and off over the past 2 years and, after initial probs, been fine with fast days and, usually, felt weller. I really like this regime, cravings have completely stopped and I don’t feel hungry. Anyone any idea what to do re cramps/ muscle pain/ sleep and brain fog?! I’ve searched for cramp on here and tried more water and late night snacks but no joy. I feel like my body is really not liking something.I can do very little exercise due to health issues. My GP no help on this. He has no clue about anything dietary beyond basic NHS health diet advice.

Hello tutu,

Well done on your 10lb loss so far – that’s fab! I think salt might be your friend here to help mitigate the cramps. If you are drinking lots and therefore flushing out lots, you may have depleted your salt levels at little. Others on these forums are far more knowledgeable about this than I am but it’s the advice I’ve been given. Maybe try a miso or broth/bouillon drink (also low cal – yay!) or perhaps adding some extra salt to something like a boiled egg. I hope this helps! I also suffer from terrible cramps in my legs and this does seem to minimise that a bit.

Hi tutu, Flash21 is spot on with the salt. Just to give you some hope, I have always had high cholesterol and doctor says it is probably familial, which would assume I could do nothing about it but take the tablets. Since being on this diet my cholesterol has gone from 4.8 to 3.4 and I eat more oils and fats and eggs. I have also seen a big reduction in my triglycerides which indicates an improvement in liver function. Don’t go on statins unless you are really forced to, even my doctor has tried to get me off them (before this diet) without success but has reduced my dosage by half because they cause muscle cramps at night and I mean jumping out of bed screaming cramps. I am hoping he will cut my dose even further with the improvements I have seen.

The sleep problems and brain fog are symptoms of carb withdrawal. 4 weeks in you should be seeing this go but as you have not been on the full 800 Fast for all that time it will ease over time. Try some relaxation for the sleep problems or a glass of milk before bed, there are lots of remedies on this site, just type in the search engine.

Hello tutu
I totally agree with Flash21 who has made some very helpful suggestions for upping your salt intake – for me it is the salt and it may be for you. The more water I drink the more I get horrendous muscle cramps – so although I do put salt on food I have to take a few grams of salt before I go to bed – if I don’t the muscle cramps in my thigh muscles are so painful.
I keep a tub of salt by my bed so if the cramps strike my OH puts some in a glass of water (I am usually in so much pain I can’t) and I drink it – the cramps go in a minute or so then I walk a few steps and I am ok for the rest of the night. This has been an issue all my adult life and salt has always worked.
I also get brain fog and a shaky feeling until I have more salt. I use celtic sea salt which has other minerals as well as sodium – although if I use regular white salt which is pure sodium it works faster.

Hi all, thanks v much for salt suggestions. i’ve been cutting back on salt over the past few months as blood pressure has become high this year so, obviously, a bit reluctant to increase too much due to BP but will try a little more and see. re cholesterol, sunshine-girl, very encouraging to hear! have you any idea how quickly your levels of chol. and trigylcerides started to fall and at what rate? many thanks.

TUTU i feel for you as i have ME too..i am past the severe stage, I wd say moderately unwell now after 20 years. Trying 5:2 fasting and BSD have been two examples of my many attempts to get better.

5:2/BSD hasnt helped my ME symptoms but i do think has made me overall healthier and of course,slimmer! Reflexology helped in the long term..i.e., an hourly session per week for two years. Also a graded exercise programme offered by the hospital was a big help..it was very gentle and built up slowly

I agree re salt..i’m using Himalayan pink salt..not sure if its any better but ive heard good things!

Only other thing i wd say is be cautious if you are severely ill ..yr body is under quite a lot of stress anyway and yr cortisol and adrenaline levels are probably high..BSD must put yr body under some further stress from what ive read even tho it also brings benefits,so you need to be careful. Are you under a consultant or part of any ME group such as ME Association? They may be able to advise you whats best at this stage of yr illness
I think youve been very sensible taking it slowly like you have xx

tutu, small amounts of salt on your food are not the problem, the problem is processed food which can contain masses of the stuff.

As for my cholesterol, I had been on the diet for 6 weeks when I had the test done in August. My doctor normally does it every 6 months so the previous one was February. I don’t think it started to come down before this diet as it had been high for years and years and I struggled to get it down. My triglycerides have always been way too high, so much so that alcohol always came into the question with my doctor. I convinced him it was not alcohol when I stopped drinking for 18 months and there was only a little improvement. I don’t understand the number for triglycerides except the acceptable range is below 1,70but in Feb they were 2,13 with a red star next to them, in August they were 1,38, so not just down, well below the danger level. My next test is due at the end of November but he is not doing cholesterol or triglycerides because he is more than happy with my results. So just HBA1c which had gone from 11.1 to 8.3 just by reducing carbs then on my last test 6 weeks into this diet from 8.3 to 6.7. Hopefully lower in November. Hope that helps, but basically I had been on this diet for 6 weeks at the time I started to see improvements. Gosh I do go on a bit.

Tutu,

I had ME/CFS in the past (I suspect that multiple issues are put under the same label as all not understood) never as severe as many but enough to limit life, and though mostly better now am aware of a ‘short battery life’.

As far as following this or any plan – listen to your body, adapt and adjust.

Re Blood pressure – I was on the higher dose of BP meds for 2 years (even though only 41, my depression meds had high BP as side effect but once up it stayed up even when problem meds changed) but losing a stone on this diet (was 100kg or 15 1/2 stone; 5ft 10) I am now off BP meds completely. I have at least 2 st more to lose but already BP helped.

The idea that actively adding salt at this point is a good thing is important – compared to the high hidden salt ready meals and other junk I was eating, the prepare from fresh meals on this plan are a massive drop, so a bit of intentional adding still only gives a small amount compared to before. It is just that when we are the ones with the salt cellar we are aware, rather than when others in factory add it.

Hi All, thanks once again for all the kind replies. I was wondering why the BSD would mean you need more salt? Is it just, as some of you have said, that many people eat a diet that includes a lot of ready meals and processed food which contain a lot of salt before going on it? Because of severe health issues my diet was, anyway, very healthy! Very little processed food , so salt was really only that which I added. I made my own bread and most food cooked from fresh and then frozen in batches. Does the diet itself cause the body to need more salt in some way? My BP used to be very low when I was bed bound for a long time and I had to eat more salt at that point. It then became my habit and taste, so I”ve had to cut back what I add now that my BP is going the other way. But I wasn’t adding huge amounts in the first place!

Good to hear, Avila, that your BP went down with the weight loss. Here’s hoping. When I did 5;2 my BP was always higher on fast days as it undoubtedly acts as a stressor for my system, even though I often felt fairly well. One of the reasons why I decided to ease into this, rather than go for the full 800 a day to start with.

tutu, it is because you are eating less salt, yes but mainly because you are drinking lots of water and flushing salts out. Also, when you are on a diet and it is working the fat leaves the body via urine so, if the diet is working you will find you are peeing more. Some have lots of problems with having to get up during the night, don’t worry if this happens, it doesn’t last.

There are certain foods that have been shown to fight joint pain. Adding those foods to your diet will help ease the symptoms of the disease. If you experience conditions that share joint pain and inflammation, then it may be due to arthritis. So it will be best to include anti-inflammatory foods in your diet and limit the foods that may trigger joint pain. Overall, you should aim for a diet that’s high in fruits, vegetables, fish, nuts, legumes, and olive oil. Limit or avoid red meat, dairy, saturated fats, and sugar to help prevent the pain. Find out the foods which are to be avoided and the ones which should be consumed to stay pain free. Take a look at this blog- http://www.coloncleansetoronto.ca/blog/general-category/2150/ . Hope this helps. All I say is embrace a healthy diet and exercise as much as you can.

Magnesium is a good supplement for cramps etc, so you might like to consider that as an option and turmeric (curcumin) is helpful for joint pain too.

Good luck.

Great advice!

I have read these posts and while you all recommend salt for the cramps, I can’t find anything about the muscle pain. I’m 2 weeks in and have terrible pains in my leg muscles. No cramps, but can hardly walk from the pain. Can anyone fill me in?

Hi Jan, that sounds awful and don’t know if my two cents worth will help but magnesium tablets with your evening meal definitely and (lots if internet info on this one ), a bar of soap in the bed, near your legs. Even those little tablets of hotel soap. Jusr regular soap, not deodorant soap though.
This is mainly for those that suffer leg cramps but give it a go, it’s meant to be very effective and you never know! I think there gave been a few posts about it , but this is just off the top of my head.. good luck, it’s very possibly just your body reacting and adapting and there are some great suggestions to follow x

Massage
You can also take a massage to get rid of leg cramps fast. As massaging can helps in improving circulation in the tissue, which provides a rush of new fluid to relax the tense muscle.

First, you need to take coconut oil and make it warm.
Apply this warm coconut oil to the affected area and massage your cramped muscles.
After a massage, cover the area with a warm towel for 2-3 hours.
Repeat this home remedies for leg cramps as needed.

Hot Water Compress
You can also follow hot water bag as a treatment for leg cramps. Hot water will give instant relief from pain by loosening up the tighten muscles. While using hot water bag or electric heating pad massage the affected area with few amount of VapoRub. To achieve a better result and get relief from leg cramps repeat this remedies several times.

for more information you can check out my site
http://www.crazyhealthplan.com/home-remedies-for-leg-cramps/

for leg cramps put a small piece of soap in your bed, works a treat.

Oh my gosh, here I was over in Western Australia complaining to my GP about my severe leg cramps and if I’d just checked the forum, I could have got this great advice! I’m already on magnesium and doc suggested having it with Vit C as well, so now I will try the salt and the soap. Having to get up 3 – 4 times per night to sort out the cramped up legs and I hadn’t twigged that this problem started at the same time I started the BSD. Today is Week 7, Day 7… ! I’ve just about made it 🙂 Thanks all