For those doing zero carb, I'd like to know why you chose this path.
I first chose this version when I read the diet and testimonial of Lex on the rawpaleodiet Yahoo group. I loved the constant calm energy and clear thinking. That first run didn't last very long. At first I blamed it on purines in the meat. I started getting a rapid heartbeat, unquenchable thirst, felt hot all the time and was getting weak and lightheaded. It took some time before I discovered that it was actually salt but before I narrowed it down to that, I'd started consuming green smoothies and celery juice. My symptoms improved but the food cravings came back as did the ups and downs in energy and before I knew it, I was off the diet - eating SAD once again. I gained back the weight I'd lost and then some.
This time around, after researching salt deficiency and being almost certain that was the cause of my symptoms during the first trial, it's gone very well. I'll never go back to eating overt carbs again.
As for the salt, it takes time for the kidneys to adjust from a high salt intake to a low one. I don't have the symptoms I had the first time. As it's been getting hotter (I do manual outdoor labor) I've been sweating more. I cannot taste any salt in my sweat so my body is definitely getting better at conserving it. I can also tell now when I need a little extra salt because I can really start to taste it in my meat! It makes me want to eat more of it just for the salty taste that most "normal" people probably couldn't even detect. I'll just add a pinch of sea salt - it doesn't take much - and my taste for salt disappears.
I've started rambling but essentially, that's why I do zero carb. I simply feel and run better on fat than on carbs.
Craig
