The FastDay Forum

Psyllium really swells up. Psyllium and similar ingrediants are common in 'colon cleansers', they can pretty much make a cast of your insides

try it in a jug, you'll see how little bulk is created from the recommended dose. It's very underwhelming compared to the inflated claims of vendors.

Hi,

I saw this thread on psyllium and thought I'd respond.

I took psyllium for many, many months because I have high cholesterol, and I read a study that psyllium can help lower cholesterol. I have to say, it made me very regular but it did nothing to help with weight loss like some claim. What it did do was make me very bloated and feel sluggish and uncomfortably tired. And I drank a LOT of water with it, like the instructions say. I do feel the bloating maybe contributed to weight gain. I just finally had to stop taking it.

Now I'm taking glucomannan with good results. Here in the States it is a very popular fiber. It helps me feel full without getting bloated, which I know will help me on fast days. I am starting off slowly, taking one serving a day, then working myself up to 3 servings a day (in capsule form), because many folks get stomach aches if they take too much too quickly.

I'm all for fiber to keep us regular on fast days, but I think you have to experiment. Psyllium IS bloating. Some fibers, like glucomannan have been proven with weight loss. I'm a big believer in fiber, but not if it makes you feel bloated and sluggish like psyllium did with me. Why not experiment with another type of fiber?

tealeaf,

Thanks so much for your post. I do in fact feel sluggish today. I am going to stop taking the psyllium. I may try glucomannan or simply skip it all together.

Hhhmmmmmmmm methinks that my plan for psyllium should be suspended...

Psyllium only has soluble fibre, you need both kinds (insoluble & soluble) - eat green leafy veg. & whole grains/pulses instead.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psyllium_seed_husks

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietary_fiber

Hi, have you ever thought that you may have a food intolerance ? I used to suffer with back pain for over 6 years and bloating, and lots of gas, both ends...and water retention. I finally tried cutting out wheat, it's hard because its hidden in so many things. No more pain, hardly any bloating and much less wind., still get water retention as I'm on medication that has this as a side effect but its worth considering that you may have an intolerance to something, wheat is very common. My doc prescribed me isphagula husk, fibogel, and now I go every day and have found that also helps. I have been trying for over a year to loose weight and just lost three pounds, can't believe it's working, hope this keeps up and I hope you have better luck soon. Just a thought, are you quite careful about what you eat on non fast days? I try to eat as healthy as possible with just the odd treat, good luck don't give up.

Just an update -- since Monday, I have lost 3.2 pounds. That's 3.2 pounds in 48 hours. Apparently, the added weight was mostly water, and like I thought, the psyllium was retaining a lot of water.

Charlikat1 -- No, I do not have a food allergy. My weight gain was from carbs, psyllium husks, and a lot of food and water sitting around in my gut. This diet plays head games with the ups and downs on the scale.

YOU ARE THE BOSS, GIRL!!! Well done!!!

Okay, I hate to be the guy citing anecdotal evidence as proof, but psyllium husk is DEFINITELY EVIL! Um, well maybe not evil but it seems to have an effect on weight loss. If you check out my weight loss chart link (which I thoughtfully edited to have a higher goal weight because otherwise if you squinted at it, it looked like a straight across horizontal line) you'll see that between 1st march and 5th April there's no change. That's the period I was using psyllium pretty much every day and there was no, zero, weight loss for around a month.

The first week I stopped using it I lost a pound and a half, once it was out of my system the week before last I dropped 3 pounds and this last week I lost another pound and a half. To put my last weigh-in into context, I remember drunkenly shouting up the stairs to my friends that this wouldn't do my diet any good as I handed over twenty five quid to the Dominos guy.

There were no friends.

Well well, like TML I have chronique constipation & have had all of my life, I remember as a little girl being regularly taken to the doctors because my bowel movements were only about every 10 days (yes TEN) - this has not changed with age. A natural healer recently had a bit of a session on me & proclaimed that I have an exceptionally long bowel. Is he right? I don't know because I ain't about to ask my Doctor as under no circumstances would I want an operation for that !!

Anyhow, since being on 5:2 I have found that I am more regular. I frequently have a small bowel movement after fast 1 & invariably a good bowel movement after fast 2. Not being satisfied with that I decided to try pysillium husks but have found NO difference, either good or bad, so I'm stopping them as I can't see the point in taking something (even natural) that doesn't help.

I am now wondering about wheat intolerance, does that cause constipation? Honestly, if that's the case, imagining my life without bread or pasta is akin to giving up smoking & although I gave up smoking 6 years ago (preens) I think one super-human effort is enough in life. I think I might just think myself SERIOUSLY lucky to have found 5:2 & given my body that cleansing twice a week