The FastDay Forum

Today is the day after my 2nd fast. Both fast days went well, that's a good thing.

But the day after the first one and again today, day after fast day I find myself some tummy cramps followed by a couple of umm "loose" bathroom (loo) visits.

Anyone else experience this and is this temporary or just part of the program?
Thanks
Diane

[Moogie]

I found this in the early days if I ate too much too early - a smaller, later breakfast solved it it was just my body's way of telling me I'd overloaded it.

Yes - agree here - you are giving your body a break by fasting, and it's a good idea to let yourself back into eating gently - otherwise you will find your body fights back! It's all about listening to your body, as you go along: you can't expect your body to react the same way as before and you do become more conscious of changes - that's partly why it's called a way of eating, not a 'diet' or 'plan' ... Good luck and hope the tummy upsets (and trips to the loo) clear up soon.

Hmm I did not really over do it. Cottage cheese on toast for breakfast, some cheese and grapes and crackers later, then the call of the wild hit.
Guess I'll see how it goes

Constipation can be an issue & you might be suffering "overflow". I really had to work on balancing intake to manage this.

I try to stay away from foods that cause bloating, too, because that discomfort on top of everything else is too much. What's a daal lover to do?

The fat in the cheese is the culprit.

I found this, "Experts recommend that people break a fast (however long it be) slowly with foods that are easily digestible to help avoid gastrointestinal problems. Quickly consuming foods that are hard to digest and heavy in the stomach, such as bread, fried foods, full fat dairy products and of course meat, can make one feel ill. Reach for fresh fruit (with a high water content if you haven't been drinking enough), a simple vegetable soup, sweet potatoes, or any kind of eggs."

I found that if I broke my fast with my usual bowl of muesli I felt sick all morning. Now I have a small bowl of porridge which doesn't even technically break the fast- with those calories I could be starting a second day! Anyways I have no nausea anymore but yes I think learning to break a fast is just as important as learning to fast. Feeling sick twice each week is not sustainable! I too have noticed that my bowels are much softer than they used to be (before fasting started) which is great. It doesn't surprise me if you are having problems- this is just the system output after all!

Some good info and thoughts here. Guess I'm about normal and just have to learn to adjust

I put it down to drinking more on a fast day, a good thing, I used to feel 'cold' and have a slight headache but after a month of 5:2 it seems to have stopped.

Dianehelen- given you are just finishing your second fast, my bet is that you will be able to count these as 'adjustment pains'. I have found that these odd blips pass (no pun intended) and over time you will just feel great. Good luck

Glad you're not having problems with fast days otherwise.
It does seem as if the body needs to adjust to a new WOL but one thing that occurs to me is that one might eat a lot more "roughage" on a fast day, salads, veggies etc with a high fibre content, and with less of the other stuff it might make for a more rapid transit.
Good luck anyway.

HAHA Pammy, love the expression "rapid transit"

So last night, before bed, after I initially posted this, WHEWWW, a veritable rapid transit explosion. If nothing else, this has to produce some weight loss for my first week . Woke this morning and feel fine.

I do always drink plenty of water, so thats not a problem for me.

For my next fast day, Thursday, I'll be more careful with what I eat the day after. Tho I really dont think I ate too much or too heavy, but I'll see how it goes..

[Moogie]

The fat in the cheese is the culprit.

My thoughts exactly - pretty rich stuff to start a fasted tummy off on!