Magnesium: deficiency during weight loss is common and symptoms (fatigue, muscle cramps) are nonspecific. Supplementation is inexpensive and low-risk if needed.
Sodium, potassium and magnesium when intake drops posts 61–79
This is a continuation of a long topic, addressed by post number rather than by page. Start at post 1 · go to the accepted answer.
Post #60 answers the question as asked. The question underneath it is different.
Sodium intake often falls sharply when processed food intake falls, and that transition is abrupt rather than gradual for many people.
That is what I would do. It may not be what is correct.
Sodium has a well-known answer and a correct answer, and the interesting work is establishing that they are the same. Nobody has done that here yet.
Helpful, and easy to find again, which is half of what a good reply is.
Narrowing post #64, because the general version has more than one answer.
Supplementing without measuring is the default approach described here and it carries its own risks, particularly for potassium.
That has been true for the cases I have seen and I have not seen many.
Everything in post #67 holds. The case it does not cover is the one I have.
Orthostatic symptoms: dizziness on standing after lying down can indicate dehydration or electrolyte depletion. Increasing fluids, salt, and potassium usually resolves it.
I have changed my mind on this once already, so take it as current rather than settled.
Post #68 is the version of this I will quote in future. One addition.
Sodium: losing weight involves losing some sodium. Electrolyte drinks or salty foods help maintain sodium balance. Very low sodium intake on these compounds raises orthostatic symptoms risk.
Written from notes rather than memory, which is why the numbers are specific.
Where I part company with post #67, and it is a narrow parting.
Magnesium supplementation is widely recommended in this space with very little supporting evidence for the indications it is recommended for.
A modest claim, modestly supported.
Reduced intake reduces electrolyte intake alongside everything else, which is the mechanism behind most of what gets attributed to the compound here.
Fluid intake: baseline needs increase with gastrointestinal effects and exercise. Thirst is not a reliable guide during appetite suppression. Drinking regularly (not just when thirsty) is prudent.
What I would want before treating sodium as settled: the method, the sample, and whether anyone tried to find the opposite result. Two of the three are usually missing.
Reading back through the sodium threads from last year, the same three questions come up every time and only one of them has ever been answered properly. That seems like a documentation gap rather than a knowledge gap.
Answering the question post #74 raises rather than the one it answers.
Fluid intake and electrolyte intake are separate questions and drinking more water alone can make a dilutional problem worse.
The general case is well covered; this is the awkward specific one.
The arithmetic in post #77 is right; the assumption feeding it is the part to check.
Baseline measurements before a substantial change in intake give you something to compare against, and almost nobody has them.
That is the shape of it. The detail is where I would expect to be corrected.
Coming back to post #77, because the follow-up matters more than the original answer.
Potassium: similar to sodium; losing weight involves some potassium loss. Bananas, sweet potatoes, and other potassium-rich foods help. Severe depletion is rare but symptomatic (weakness, palpitations).
Not a strong opinion, just a consistent one.
This topic was referenced in
- The headache that turns out to be dehydrationNutrition & Training › Hydration & electrolytes · 158 replies
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