Is a 3 day fast safe?

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Relaxingmind
Relaxingmind Posts: 55 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm very constipated and haven't gone in over a week :( I'm wondering if fasting for a few days or so will fix this issue since there will be no other incoming food to digest. If I just fast and keep drinking water, will it all eventually have no choice but to come out? Please don't suggest an enema. I've tried them but they only work a little bit. I need to be fully cleaned out. My stomach hurts :(
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  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,031 Member
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    Relaxingmind wrote: »
    I'm very constipated and haven't gone in over a week :( I'm wondering if fasting for a few days or so will fix this issue since there will be no other incoming food to digest. If I just fast and keep drinking water, will it all eventually have no choice but to come out? Please don't suggest an enema. I've tried them but they only work a little bit. I need to be fully cleaned out. My stomach hurts :(
    @Relaxingmind
    I hesitate to make too many suggestions since I don't know what the cause is. I'll share a few things but only you know if it's something that warrants a doctors visit.

    As tiptoe mentioned above fasting for this isn't the way to go and could actually make it worse. Have you considered increasing your water intake? Your fiber intake? Some medications can cause this problem as a side effect. After surgery I needed to be on painkillers for a short time and found apple sauce to be a great relief for constipation. It's works fast, it's cheap and all it contains is apples. I get the no sugar added since apples are sweet on their own.

    Also veggies and fruits high in fiber, nuts, chia seeds & ground flax seeds are da bomb and also work quite fast as well! Click around on Google and you'll find many foods high in fiber that can help you out.

    But with all that being said... a week is quite a long time to be constipated I imagine you are quite miserable & feeling quite bloated! Since I don't know your situation I'll suggest you check in with your doctor if you haven't already in case it's a GI issue that's far more serious than simple constipation from meds or not enough fiber intake.

    In the meantime.. apple sauce, with chia seeds and ground flax seeds if you can find those easily. Many stores sell them in bulk and you can buy a few tablespoons of chia seeds at a time..

    Come back and let us know when you're feeling better or if you head to the doc, how it went. :smiley:

    All the best!
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
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    Careful, sometimes too much fibre can cause constipation.

    Similarly, too much fat can too.

    Are you on a high fat diet, perhaps?
  • msalicia116
    msalicia116 Posts: 233 Member
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    Fasting helps me. I eat a lot of salad and steamed vegetables, and that ends up causing problems for me unfortunately. When I fast, I drink a ton of water, take a supliment, and give my body a break from constantly digesting food. Fasting has changed my health entirely.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    tiptoethruthetulips wrote: »
    msalicia116 wrote: »
    Fasting helps me. I eat a lot of salad and steamed vegetables, and that ends up causing problems for me unfortunately. When I fast, I drink a ton of water, take a supliment, and give my body a break from constantly digesting food. Fasting has changed my health entirely.

    Did you actually read the OP's post? It's about constipation. Are you saying fasting helps with your constipation?

    I would highly doubt that, since constipation is one of the most prominent side effects of fasting. I have no problems with occasional fasting (and yes, 3 days is generally considered safe) but not for constipation.
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
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    Can you open your diary? I'd like to see how your fiber, fluid and fat consumption is...
  • msalicia116
    msalicia116 Posts: 233 Member
    edited December 2016
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    tiptoethruthetulips wrote: »
    msalicia116 wrote: »
    Fasting helps me. I eat a lot of salad and steamed vegetables, and that ends up causing problems for me unfortunately. When I fast, I drink a ton of water, take a supliment, and give my body a break from constantly digesting food. Fasting has changed my health entirely.

    Did you actually read the OP's post? It's about constipation. Are you saying fasting helps with your constipation?

    Did you read mine? Her subject asked about fasting. Her post talked about constepation. I responded with 1. what happens to me in regards to fasting, and 2.how I handle constepation personally because of the highly dense fiberous food I eat that gets me that way.

    Do not need your permission to tell her what I do to treat my similar issue. And how fasting has improved my health.


    ETA- OP, you asked two questions, which are completely different. So it's difficult to answer them both. Fasting is fine and healthy even. But it is not used to treat constepation. If you have other health concerns, fasting has many health benefits it may be appropriate for, but constepation is not one of them. But because you combined the two questions, I let you know what I do when I have your issue and I'm fasting. But it is already my lifestyle, and not something I'm using to treat your singular issue.

    So your two questions posed at once really don't work well in a single comment as you see.
  • Therealobi1
    Therealobi1 Posts: 3,261 Member
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    Have you spoken you a pharmacist. They might recommend you something
    Not sure how a fast would solve constipation
  • Karen_can_do_this
    Karen_can_do_this Posts: 1,150 Member
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    Hey lovie. Fasting will not help with constipation. It may indeed make it worse. Drink plenty of water, some pear juice if you have any and try to get some vegetables into you.
    Please see your gp about it as there may be something causing it that we don't know about.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    edited December 2016
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    The less in the less out so nope it won't help constipation and unless you have a serious GI disease your body doesn't need a break from digestion.
  • DebSozo
    DebSozo Posts: 2,578 Member
    edited December 2016
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    If you have had a recent change in diet and are eating different things, then this can cause a temporary disturbance.

    I usually have no trouble with constipation if I eat plenty of dark leafy greens and take a magnesium supplement and vitamin C.

    However as others have mentioned, until your body adjusts to the fiber, you might paradoxically experience bloating and constipation.

    I occasionally (not often because I find it harsh) will drink a slimming tea. It has senna in it. This can cause cramping if you drink too much. I would take it only if I was extremely constipated. I was on the toilet a long time though, so don't do it if you have to go to work or travel or anything necessary.

    Do get checked out by a physician because there are other reasons such as blockage or medical complications as another poster already mentioned.
  • Nikion901
    Nikion901 Posts: 2,467 Member
    edited December 2016
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    Look ... if you feel very distended and painful in your stomach because of the constipation, then a break from adding more food is what I would, and have done ... but please super hydrate yourself with lots of water.

    When this happens to me, I find that drinking some prune juice helps, also taking a stool softener. But please do consider at least calling the nurse line at your doctor or health insurance office and speaking with a nurse about it. They might very well suggest an office visit or tell you which over the counter treatment to take to get over this.

    This can be a serious issue ... once I ended up in the hospital because of passing out while trying to pass stool in the over-constipated state and the treatment they gave me immediately was an enema to clear me out pronot. ... er,, that's pronto! And, with caution to add hydration and fiber to my diet as well as reduce foods that tend to put me in that state.
  • Traveler120
    Traveler120 Posts: 712 Member
    edited December 2016
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    No, fasting won't help because you need something to stimulate the colon to move things along. I rarely get constipated but if I go 2 days or god forbid 3 days, I chew about 2 whole packets of Extra gum-spearmint, the one with the 15 sticks/pack, one after the other.

    The sorbitol sweetener has a laxative effect by drawing water into the colon. It works even faster when I also at the same time eat a pint (or even 2) of regular fat plain vanilla ice cream. Things should be happening in just a few hours. You will be very gassy so do this at home. Other sugar free candies with sorbitol or xylitol have a similar effect.

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