Breaking my fast resulting in sudden diarrhea - Help? Keto-adaptation or?

fasting
(Daniel Beattie) #1

Hi guys and girls,

So I’ve been eating strictly keto for the last 11 days now, and last night I decided to try my first 24h fast after eating a very tasty, carlshead pizza.

I ate at 7pm, and didn’t eat again until this evening at 7pm, where again, I made a carlshead pizza, as it was so damn good the first time!

Well, only about 90 minutes after finishing the meal, I had to rush to the toilet for a very sudden case of diarrhea.

I have had this before months ago when on a fast, when I broke it after 24h with an Indian curry.

Now, is this just a case of not being fat-adapted yet, and the amount of fat in the meal I’ve had just not agreeing with me?

Or is there something else going on here?

Thanks
Dan

(Jennifer) #2

I think it is pretty normal - you shut your digestive track down and it takes a bit to get started.

Nuts and fats are a good way to break a fast. They take a bit more to digest and tend to move slower.

(Daniel Beattie) #3

Ah okay, so maybe eat something a little more easy going when breaking the fast?

My pizza was approx 200g mozzarella, 50g chorizo, 100g sausage, 2TBSP cream cheese.

So quite heavy on the dairy. Maybe thats what did it.

(Jennifer) #4

I have more issue with carbs - I have tried breaking fasts with real sauerkraut, thinking the bacteria might help get things moving. Nope, the carbs/fiber move right through me. I just broke a 5 day fast earlier today with a small handful of pecans and a small slice of cheese. So far so good.

#5

I know this is going to sound weird but I often heard Dr Jason Fung say that your body was not ready to break fast and you should have kept the fast going longer. Few year ago, it happened to me too. And I reached out to Dr Fung and that’s what he suggested. The next time around, I added a couple more days, and he was right. I’ve heard him on podcasts discuss this, too.

I should also add that the reason for this is 24 hrs is simply not long enough to evoke re feed syndrome. It’s too short of a duration for that. So, there is something else going on with your gut. It really wants to clean itself out. Give it a chance and let it do that.

This is what worked for me. I hope you find what works for you.

(Robin Lea Fritche) #6

Hi,

I found this forum due to a search for sudden diarrhea after breaking a fast. LOL. I fasted on purpose for the first time and could have gone longer, no problem, but I played a yearly gig that always feeds the musicians and I didn’t want that to go to waste. I kind of wish I would have just given it away since I wasn’t that hungry.

Anyway, maybe an hour or so after I broke my fast, I got diarrhea so bad that I had to wash my clothes. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been in the bathroom. Would you possibly be able to tell me where Dr. Fung mentioned this? It’s not in either of the two books I have. I don’t usually listen to podcasts, so I wouldn’t know where to look.

Thanks!

(Carpe salata!) #7

I think there should be different words for a good flush compared to uncontrolled running to the john all day. One is I think healthy, and the other could be a symptom of intolerance, allergy or sensitivity. I generally welcome a good controlled dose of diarrhoea.

(Robin Lea Fritche) #8

Yeah, it would help differentiate the two. My issue finally calmed down, but it sure took a while. I had tentative plans to go somewhere and I decided not to.

I also have IBS, so it could just be me.

(Lisa Maxey) #9

I fasted my first 28 hr streak and I broke my fast with a brat a burger and spinach salad doused in olive oil with mozzarella balls on top.
After that, I had diarrhea almost immediately, but it was once and not abundant, so I guess the stuff just flushed right through…
I do take magnesium, but have for a decade.
I think it just happens.
Hopefully, it will get better each fast?

(N) #10

This is fairly common among fasting practitioners. The best solution is to ensure sufficient electrolytes are taken during and after fast (I recommend SaltStick tablets), proper vitamins are taken (specifically Vitamin B), and slow refeeding, 50% of daily intake w/ easily digestible foods (especially after prolonged periods of fasting).

(Juls) #11

Interesting to read this thread. I too have experienced the single bout (flush) of diarrhea. It usually comes on several hours after my meal. I am well hydrated with good attention to electrolytes but haven’t been slow to reintroduce so I’ll try that out next time.

(David S ) #12

the comment about Dr Fung saying that you weren’t ready to come off the fast is interesting…I’ve done ADF (42 hour fasts regularly) for a few weeks, and every feast day it came…I came off a 3 day fast a couple of weeks ago, and I don’t remember if I had an issue…I just came off a 42 hour fast today and I had the trip to the bathroom shortly after…maybe next time I should just keep it going till I am actually hungry…

#13

This is part of various toilet weird phenomena, in general caused by the fact that the usual gut flora feeds of carb, so there needs to be a change of guard, so to speak.
I solved the specific post-fast diarrhea problem by breaking the fast with a spoon of psyllium husks. I think I needed to do that twice, that is after two fasts, and then I never needed it again. This isn’t to say I solved my other toilet problems. I guess it’s an adaptation problem. I also began to break the fast with olives and some salad, as opposed to eggs. This was suggested I believe by Megan Ramos, and it worked for me.

#14

I’m a bus driver so I’m limited with when I can “go”. I am currently fasting and now I’m thinking I’ll have to break it on Sunday morning so I have the whole day off to go when I need. How long after the psyllium husk did you wait until eating something else? @margot17

#15

I don’t have experience with prolonged fasts longer than three days, so you will have to do your own experimentation. I had the psyllium husks together with the olives and waited half an hour before eating a complete meal. In normal circumstances, psyllium husks are usually taken with plenty of water and with food, so I would break the fast as you normally would, only add the psyllium husks.

#16

Thanks. I’m so new to all this. I can’t believe how great I feel!

(David S ) #17

thanks for your feedback! I am on a 3 day fast and am debating breaking it today or tomorrow, but I will definitely be taking psyllium husks in hopes that it works!

(Greg T Muldoon) #18

I’ve been doing 60 hour fasts every week for the last 10 months and every time I break it i get diarrhoea then if I’m lucky I might go to the toilet once or twice over the next four days till I start my fast again and then it repeats. At first I was concerned about this but I feel fine and have stopped worrying about it. I feel like it’s my body rebelling against me and if I was too fast longer I may overcome it, but that is yet to come.

(Greg T Muldoon) #19

You’ve just taken the words right out of my mouth. I too have been fasting 60 to 70 hours a week for the last 12 months with a refeed always resulting in the runs within a couple of hours no matter the food. I too have stopped worrying about it but would love a definitive explanation perhaps with a methodology to confirm.

#20

I have this, too. No matter what I eat. If it’s longer than 18hrs, my stomach just passes it right on through, half an hour later like clockwork. I wonder if some of my gastric issues before keto and fasting were also from eating after a fasted period and I just didn’t realize it.