I’m interested in doing a seven-day water-only fast. I did one last year and remember getting severely constipated. Does anyone else get constipated during extended fasts? If not, how have you avoided it? What are your secrets? Is it avoidable?
I am currently on keto and doing 18:6 IF. I take 3 psyllium husk 500gm capsules in the a.m. and eat veggies and salads almost every day to keep things flowing so much better than last year, but I can’t do that on a fast.
It’s normal to become constipated on a water fast as you’re not consuming any food matter to expel. You might continue to have very small bowel movements infrequently after day 3, but it is completely normal for bowel movements to slow to almost nothing after that point.
I’m just doing intermittent fasting, not extended fasting. But I am chronically dealing with constipation. Milk of magnesia has worked for me. Not magnesium citrate or glycenate. That does nothing for me. The recommended dose is 30-60 ml. That’s too much. I take about 15 ml each day and still have not figured out the best dose. A little too much and you’ll be rushing to the toilet. So take it slow.
I did a 28 day water fast (with electrolytes), followed by 2 days of broth- YES. I was so concerned when I would poop again, I was worried my colon could get backed up, but around day 4-5 things got moving again.
I’ve never had issues during IF or shorter fasts though. I also take psyllium- some say it helps some say it can have the opposite effect but I think it is a good thing !