"Lily" wrote in message
. 167...
Recently, mostly while swimming but sometimes while at work, I have
started
to get the WORST foot cramps. I had been mowing before I went swimming
for
about 3 hours, and i had plenty of water while doing this (not sure if its
related but it seems to be since I do not seem to get them as often if I
dont walk or mow first). They are sort of like a charley horse because the
more I try to stretch out my arch the worse they get and then my calf will
start up as well. I had to get out of the pool the other night after only
22 of my 35 laps completed because I was pretty much incapacitated by it.
My friends magic answer was "Eat a banana or drink some gatorade before
you
swim you probably need potassium" but neither is low carb and I already
take a vitamin and extra calcuim daily. What might be another solution
that IS lower carb?

Oh! I feel for you. My first month low-carb I had some SEVERE muscle
cramps in my legs and feet. Worse than ever before. Somebody told me to
try taking a Magnesium supplement.
I looked at my multivitamin bottle and it only had like 15% of the daily
value Magnesium.
Anyhow, I added a magnesium supplement to my daily pills and after a week of
it kicking in, I have not had a single cramp since. Good to know, because
even before low-carb, I used to get an occassional calf cramp, and couldn't
go more than 2 weeks without a toe cramping. On low carb, the cramps became
worse, and that charley-horse type cramp you describe woke me up from
sleeping. So that is my suggestion.


--
Spring
LC since 1/1/04
260/215/170