Week 3 of keto. Getting severe leg cramps at night, every night, bad enough to wake me up. I've been taking magnesium glycinate 400mg and using LMNT electrolyte packets every day. The cramps are not improving. What am I doing wrong?
If cramps persist despite magnesium and general electrolytes, the likely culprit is potassium specifically. Let's check your numbers:
LMNT has 200mg potassium per packet. The recommended intake on keto is 3,000-4,700mg per day. One LMNT packet gets you 200mg of that — which is 4-7% of your daily target. You're probably severely potassium-deficient even with the LMNT.
Fix: add No-Salt (potassium chloride) from the grocery store. 1/4 teaspoon contains about 650mg potassium. Do this 2-3 times per day in water or food. That gets you 1,300-1,950mg additional potassium on top of what's in your food and LMNT. Cramps often resolve within 24-48 hours of adequate potassium.
Also check: are you drinking enough water? Dehydration concentrates electrolytes unevenly and can cause cramps even when you're supplementing. Aim for 2-3 liters of water per day on keto — more than you'd normally drink because keto is diuretic.
I had the same issue and it was potassium exactly as KetoScientist describes. No-Salt from the grocery store ($4 for a big container) fixed it within 48 hours. I now use it as a standard part of my electrolyte routine and haven't had a cramp in 2 years.
One more thing: sodium and potassium need to be in balance. If you're getting lots of sodium (salt, salty foods) but low potassium, the imbalance itself causes cramps. The No-Salt adds potassium to balance the sodium. This ratio is actually more important than the absolute numbers.
Ordered No-Salt immediately. This makes complete sense — LMNT is very sodium-heavy and I eat salty food generally, but I've been neglecting potassium specifically. Will report back in a few days.
UPDATE: 48 hours later, zero cramps last night. First full night's sleep in 3 weeks. Potassium was the answer. Thank you KetoScientist.