It's not exactly dinner conversation, but it's required if you're going to start intermittent fasting. Assisting your digestive system while it adjusts to your new intermittent fasting eating plan will make "bathroom time" more enjoyable and productive.
Constipation
Constipation is characterized by changes in your stool and trouble removing fecal waste.
How can you tell if you're constipated?
Everyone has minor digestion troubles now and then, but here are some warning signs that you are constipated:
- Elimination difficulty or strain.
- Stools that are hard, tiny, or lumpy.
- Have no bowel movement for more than three days in a row.
- Less than three bowel movements per week.
- Feeling as if you still had feces inside after using the restroom.
- Bloating
Why are you constipated?
There are numerous causes of constipation, and you may have more than one. These include:
- Sluggish bowel movements
- Dehydration.
- Medications and supplements
- Nutritional changes
- Changes in lifestyle (pregnancy, getting older)
- stress levels
- Gastrointestinal problems
- Health concerns
- Journey
- Ignoring the want to go
Is intermittent fasting associated with constipation?
Temporary constipation may occur in the first few weeks of any intermittent fasting method. This normally goes away as your body adjusts to fasting on a regular basis.
When you fast intermittently, you give your body time away from nutrients that it is not used to, which often results in changes to your feces that cause it to be hard, dry, and malformed. It also has an impact on the frequency of your bowel movements.
You are also making nutritional adjustments. Fiber-rich foods are some of the greatest intermittent fasting foods. Your body could not get used to the extra fiber. Fiber bulks up your stools. Too much fiber can induce stiff stools, making feces harder to pass, especially if you don't drink enough water.
You lose a lot of sodium and water in your urine when you start intermittent fasting. Dehydration is readily caused if you do not monitor your water consumption. In addition to drinking more water to compensate for the extra fiber you're ingesting, you're probably used to getting most of your hydration from food.
When you fast, you eat fewer meals, which are frequently the only times when people consume liquids. You also acquire a major portion of your hydration from water-rich foods, which you consume less frequently.
Is it possible that I'm not losing weight on intermittent fasting because of constipation?
Constipation does not cause weight gain or loss, though the scale may tell a different story for some people in the first few weeks. Once your bowel movements have returned to normal and the waste buildup has been removed, you will have a more realistic picture of your weight and how intermittent fasting is working for you.
What relieves constipation?
Constipation is not unavoidable during intermittent fasting. When adopting an intermittent fasting lifestyle, you can take steps to prevent or improve constipation.
- Keep yourself hydrated throughout the day. It is advisable to use three to four liters of water.
- Consume 25-30 grams of fiber every day, gradually increasing by 5 grams per day.
- Avoid eating processed foods.
- Reduce your dairy consumption.
- To stimulate the bowels, drink coffee.
- Don't Consume alcohol.
- Increase your physical exercise to help your bowels move.
- Consume magnesium supplements.
- Consult your doctor if you are taking any medications that induce constipation.
- On the toilet, take your time. Relax and allow your body to do its job.
- Don't put off going to the restroom until your body tells you to.
- Control your tension.
Seek assistance
If your constipation symptoms do not disappear within three weeks, if you detect blood in your stool, or if you have rapid and unexplained weight loss (safe weight loss with intermittent fasting is 1-2 pounds per week), see your doctor immediately.