Intermittent fasting and digestion

[Sara]

It feels awkward to talk about this, but I´ll do anyway; usually, I need to eat breakfast in order to go to the bathroom in the mroning. Without having eaten something it will not work; coffee doesn´t do the job. Now I would like to give reducing my eating window to 16 hours a try which means, in my case, skipping breakfast. But I am terribly afraid of not being able to use the bathroom before leaving the house and the awful feeling in my stomach…Can anyone relate and offer a creative idea?

[Anna]

First of all, why are you so terribly afraid of not having a bowel movement in the morning? It’s not necessary, especially when you’re about to fast. Less food in the system means less output, simple logic. Daily bowel movements are not necessarily a marker of perfect health. Also, keep in mind that hydration is key. There’s no need for excess hydration, but make sure you drink more on fasting days, because you get less fluids from your food.

A couple of ideas:
– fast from breakfast to breakfast instead of dinner to dinner
– drink a soluble fiber supplement (such as psyllium husk, konnyak root) with lots of water

But again, there is no reason to forcefully induce a bowel movement. Nothing bad is going to happen if you don’t have one every day or if it’s delayed into the afternoon. Most people don’t have a digestion that functions like a clockwork and that’s absolutely fine. So in your place, I would find out why you are so afraid, what exactly are you so afraid of and what is it based on. It’s probably based on false information someone gave you in the past.

[Cheryl]

Well, my first thought too was that your window did not meet to necessarily be from a point that would include breakfast. It could be whenever u want it. My gut and i have had to become friends over the years because unlike u i am not a regular kinda girl. LOL. I tried EVERYTHING to force my body into a “schedule”. It is just not her way. So yeah people differ and patterns can change. I do find as Anna said that hydration is important especially when fasting and even on lowere cal days.

[helen]

I used to be quite regular when I ate a lot more, but since cuitting calories and changing what I ate (I have to avoid all grains and legumes because they shoot my blood sugar up), my bowel movements are not even a daily thing. I take a bowel cleansing product in the mornings when I know I’m going to be home (it works really well) and then I take magnesium capsules in the evening as well. I feel just fine, not constipated at all. I do drink plenty of water, especially when fasting.

[Julie]

Agreed with what others have already said here. BM schedules tend to be a matter of individual habit like sleep patterns. Just to clarify things I NEVER eat breakfast and I always have a BM at the same time early in the morning prior to even drinking coffee. So the idea that you must eat something to have a morning BM at least for me is a busted myth. Due to individual differences your mileage may vary. You can experiment with different fasting times to see if it helps.

The notion that you must have a BM everyday is a myth. If you are not eating a lot the volume will be much lower and some people just don’t move that often. The things that have been mentioned like taking in enough water, eating sufficient fiber or adding a good fiber supplement are important.

The other thing that might help your digestion is a good probiotic supplement. I’m not a big believer in too many supplements- most of them are BS but there is a lot of research on probiotics and finding a good one should not be too hard. If you like fermented foods or yogurt that is a good source of gut friendly bacteria. Goes without saying, but avoid foolishness like colon “cleanings” or colonics etc. The bacteria in your gut can be your friends not something to be cleansed.

Here is some other info that may help in retraining or making peace with your bowels:

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003971.htm

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/02/science/02brod.html?pagewanted=all

[Anna]

x2 on the magnesium, foods nowadays are lower in magnesium than they used to be, diets don’t contain that much magnesium dense foods anymore and it makes sense to add some. If you get diarrhea though, it can be a sign that you’re taking too much. But IMHO, magnesium is one of the very few supplements that make sense.

[Eva]

If you have trouble with BMs, the magnesium does work wonders. I take it mostly every night. I have what is called a sluggish colon (according to GI doc) so Miralax and Magnesium/Calcium supp every night (I take Country Life Nerve/Osteo support) really helps. I try to take a about 5-7 day break each month to allow me not to be come too dependent on the M/C.

Another form magnesium that works really well is Natural Calm. It is in powered form and when I choose to do that I mix with warm water and drink like a tea. Just be sure to use a large mug with small amount of water because, when mixed with water it bubbles up and can spill over the top. It then calms back down but can be messy if not prepared. I usually add more water after the bubbles have died down.

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