I’ve been getting into fasting for 48 to 72 hours at a time and its been working out well for me. My GF is interested in doing it with me but is afraid it will mess with her IBS. Does anybody have any info or experience with this I could share with her?
Well it depends, IBS has several different sources, and fasting could actually help depending on what triggers her IBS. If it is triggered by food where after eating she gets gas, bloating, or even diarrhea, fasting could actually help. That is, provided that she doesn’t over indulge after a fast. If the IBS is from other sources it may not help at all.
Honestly there is only one way to find out.
I was having IBS symptoms for ages, never a solid poo, and I would even be getting horrible referred pain in my back and hips due to gas. It lasted for years and I had multiple X rays and saw multiple doctors who diagnosed everything from slipped discs to another condition called femoro-acetabular impingement. I tried low-FODMAP diets and to this day still avoid garlic and onions.
I finally realised it might all be in my guts when I would rub on my belly just below my navel and it would HURT but also make these bubbling sounds, and then the pain would magically go away for 5-10 minutes before coming back. But then I did a 40 hour fast and then about a month later I did a 60 hour fast. Guess what - no more pain!! It seems that whatever it was that was causing the build up of gas got fixed by just… giving my guts a break?!
I still don’t have solid poos but the fact that I can go from lying down to standing up without keeling over in back pain made it all totally worth it.