I went for my yearly physical on Mon. Today the office called me w/my lab results. Down on the bad cholesterol, up w/the good and better tryglycerides. Yeah!! (I started exercising 5x wk in Nov 02), BUT my potassium was high and there is a questionable kidney "thing" going on. (My words, don't remember specifically theirs). I went to WebMD and put in potassium and learned that those two issues can be part of a ketone issue, which we know from Atkins is burning fat for energy instead of glucose.
This is my 7th week on the beach, I've lost a bit over 12 pounds and I do have milk in my lattes (a lot), apples 2-3 x week and yogurt 2-3 x week. I eat lots of zucchini, eggplant, green/red peppers, cabbage and romaine. I am going back on Mon to have the labs redone. Has anyone experienced this? I might not be getting enough carbs, huh? And of course it could be something else entirely. Any words of wisdom?

Thanks, Victoria

Victoria~~High potassium can be the cause of several different things that could be affecting your kidneys. Many things will need to be looked at by your doctor. These will include your diet:are you taking in too much potassium in the foods you eat or from too much salt substitute. Medications can also affect the kidneys. Hypertension can also be a causing factor.

It is just a guess, but I would not think that it would be from a low carb diet if you are eating the foods that you stated. You would have to be in ketosis, with ketones in your urine, for this to happen. You should not be in ketosis if you are following the SB diet as directed.
Please follow up with your doctor and keep us updated on your progress, OK?

I'm no medical professional, but I do know that some people have kidney problems on high-protein diets. That's why they advise diabetics to be careful when they go on Atkins-type diets, because many diabetics tend to have problematic kidneys (or develop them over time).

Hopefully yours is just a temporary glitch due to higher protein and will pass soon.

Thank you ladies

Victoria