The FastDay Forum

I did notice that I went less often after I started on 5:2, but I didn't have any discomfort generally. I find 2 things help, the first is taking a bit of time to drink water and walk around a bit before having breakfast, and the second is chia seeds, they are fantastic for constipation. You can add them into porridge/cakes/biscuits etc, or even add a teaspoon to water and drink it (beware they will get all jelly like, some people hate it but I like it!), or make a healthy chia pudding for breakfast/dessert.

Kathy, Q10 doesn't help with constipation. It does work miracles though if you lack of energy.

DON'T add lactulose to yoghurt or to anything. You need to take it on its own with a glass of water. It is very important that you do it right in order for it to help you. Lactulose will travel through your digestive system and head straight to your bowel where it will draw water and make the poop soft.
You might need to start with more (I took 3X2 TS on day one, 3X1 TS on day two, 2X1 TS on day 3 and I'm taking one TS daily since) in order for it to start working properly. Don't worry because it doesn't cause any diarrhoea, there is a chance that it will make you a tad gassy but only on the first day you take it.

TML13 - Maybe I'm wrong and it isn't lactulose as it looks a bit like fine muesli. Will check the H+B website as I am away from home at the moment. The packet of whatever I bought said to take it with yoghurt which makes me think I am taking something else entirely. The Linwoods Q10 (which i didn't buy) has Brazil nuts etc in it. Sorry, new to all this as I have never had a problem in this area before! But whatever I did yesterday seems to have worked and after I weighed myself and had lost a pound. So am feeling better in many ways . . .

Lactulose is a thick sweetish liquid. In fact its so thick you have to resist the urge to chew it. We have bottles of it here as hubby needs it because he takes mega doses of painkillers and anti inflammatories. If I need any its available. He finds a powder called Laxido to be gentler, I mix it in orange juice for him.

Indeed, lactulose is a syrup. It's like glucose, only it doesn't get absorbed until it reaches the bowel and then it absorbs water (hence the need of extra water when we take it).

Not sure about Linwoods Q10, I buy mine from Boots or Superdrug and it's in the form of capsules.

Right I've checked. It is linseed that I bought to sprinkle in my yoghurt and apologise for getting mixed up. I am not sure I could manage to drink lactulose as even the small milk drinks make me want to heave I'm afraid. But the prune juice seems to be helping.

I have tried a lot of things over the months; but my favorite is milled flax seed. It is WAY cheaper than Metamucil, psyllium, Benefiber, fiber chewables, etc. I add it to everything from brownies and muffins (weekends only) to ground turkey or soups on a fast day.My kids never even noticed and they are picky eaters.

This prevents almost all issues, though I usually still don't have a BM on the day after a fast. I have some herbal tea remedies and/or hot water with lemon and honey on hand; but never really have to resort to that anymore.

Kathy, lactulose is not milk or similar to milk. It's like caramel syrup.

The natural things like flax and prune juice are good I find but Metamucil is stronger good in reducing cholesterol. What is in lactulose TML can you tell us.

Also I am a firm believer too in enabling your bowel to not get lazy so fluids and some fibre like fruit and vegetables by far the first line of attack. You can make your bowel unnecessarily dependent when you actually want it doing what it is designed to do if you have adequate fluids . Then when you have to have too then bring in th bigger guns. Rant over:)

Ok just to combine two threads on bodily functions I would like to add that I always 'go' more during the first couple of days of my period - maybe the stomach cramps irritate the bowel or something.

Since doing 5:2 I do go less than the clockwork after-breakfast movement, but it's not that concerning and after a fast day I have to say it can be a pretty large one (the kind of one where you're almost proud of it and wish you'd weighed yourself before and after so you know how much it weighed - sometimes I even do. Is that just me?!) - like someone else said, perhaps it's a clearout type thing.

And as my stomach is now much flatter, I do notice on a morning (esp after a large meal the night before), whilst lying in bed, I can actually feel and sometimes even SEE, the bulge in my colon.

Wonder what visitors to the site are making of all this poo-talk?!

Greenmonster, my friend's 12-year old would be proud of your post, LOL!!!

Indeed the cramps caused by our uterus and ovaries before and during our period, irritate the colon.

greenmonster, we really have strange conversations topics today

I used to "go" everyday now it's more like every 2 or 3 days but has I eat quite less it seems to be a logical thing. (I eat lots of fibers, drink a lot of water (nearly 3l a day) so I don't think my colon is lazy)

Green monster your are remarkably candid but do instruct. Poos to be proud of

Manderley you might be missing what used to get you 'going' E.g for me it was wheat but not in a good way so now I dont each much wheat I am more normal in my stools. The lazy I was talking about is when your body develops a dependance on strong laxatives so you have to take them all the time, and that becomes a real nuisance

On the curry front, as a person of Indian origin (from the US, now living in Ireland), I'd say it's not a *good* curry you're looking for, but what the Brits think is a "good" curry.
In America, you can go for what the Americans think is good Mexican food.

I used to put psyllium in my smoothies, but have found if I don't increase water intake significantly (like gallon+ a day), the extra fiber doesn't make a difference. I suspect some yogurt or kefir would have helped a bit. Now I use Vega, which has some added fiber (in addition to other things) on my non-fast days.

I used to be more constipated (ie, didn't go regularly), but on 5:2 I find I'm better. It's not the same every day, but do find things clearing out better, and less bloating!

I found this article on PubMed:
Association of Low Dietary Intake of Fiber and Liquids With Constipation

The abstract says (ignore this or pick out the bits you want):

AbstractObjectives: Epidemiological studies support an association of self-defined constipation with fiber and physical activity, but not liquid intake. The aims of this study were to assess the prevalence and associations of dietary fiber and liquid intake to constipation.

Methods: Analyses were based on data from 10,914 adults (≥20 years) from the 2005–2008 cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. Constipation was defined as hard or lumpy stools (Bristol Stool Scale type 1 or 2) as the "usual or most common stool type." Dietary fiber and liquid intake from total moisture content were obtained from dietary recall. Co-variables included: age, race, education, poverty income ratio, body mass index, self-reported general health status, chronic illnesses, and physical activity. Prevalence estimates and prevalence odds ratios (POR) were analyzed in adjusted multivariable models using appropriate sampling weights.

Results: Overall, 9,373 (85.9%) adults (4,787 women and 4,586 men) had complete stool consistency and dietary data. Constipation rates were 10.2% (95% confidence interval (CI): 9.6, 10.9) for women and 4.0% (95% CI: 3.2, 5.0) for men (P<.001). After multivariable adjustment, low liquid consumption remained a predictor of constipation among women (POR: 1.3, 95% CI: 1.0, 1.6) and men (POR: 2.4, 95% CI: 1.5, 3.9); however, dietary fiber was not a predictor. Among women, African-American race/ethnicity (POR: 1.4, 95% CI: 1.0, 1.9), being obese (POR: 0.7, 95% CI: 0.5,0.9), and having a higher education level (POR: 0.8, 95% CI: 0.7, 0.9) were significantly associated with constipation.

Conclusions: The findings support clinical recommendations to treat constipation with increased liquid, but not fiber or exercise.

I have tried increasing fibre, and I have not passed less constipated motions. On fast days I drink more and bingo!

The last 2 sentences of the report are:

Our finding that low dietary intake of liquids increased the odds of having constipation supports clinical guidelines for the treatment of constipation with increased fluids, but not increasing dietary fiber intake. In general, more evidence is needed to support increased fiber and fluid intake for the treatment of constipation.

Try increasing liquids as a first line against constipation.

Does lactulose work, because you drink more with it? That is for later studies.

Hope this helps