Help With the ONE Problem with ADF - Warning for Gross Subject

(Central Florida Bob ) #1

Warning: frank bathroom talk.

I’m in the fourth week of doing ADF, and have had one consistent difficulty. Diarrhea or just really different bowel habits.

I know that within a couple of hours after I go off my fast I’ll have explosive diarrhea. The alternative is having five or six (or more) soft bowel movements that result in less fluid loss, but quite a bit more abdominal pain and soreness. Those may last into the fast day.

I figure the answer has to be electrolytes, but I haven’t hit the magic combination and can use some advice.
I’ve also had leg cramps waking me up (always on my right leg), which also says electrolytes.

I take a quarter teaspoon of Real Salt two or three times on my fasting day - 3/4 would be 1.6 grams of sodium (I think that’s 2.9 grams of salt). I kinda go by taste: if it tastes too salty, I won’t have more but if it tastes watery, I will have more.

I take Magnesium 500 mg, but the oxide form, which everyone says is poorly absorbed. Some glycinate/better-absorbed form is on the way. While doing keto but not doing ADF I noticed that not taking magnesium made leg cramps worse, so I’m reluctant to cut it out.

I guess this sounds like an electrolyte balance thing, but don’t know what to try. I’m looking for suggestions.

One thing I have tried is to extend taking saltwater onto my eating days. I’m not sure it makes any difference yet. Is anybody else taking the same amount of salt on non-fasting days?

(Casey Crisler) #2

What do you eat when you break your fast? I have cramping issues as well which I believe is lack of potassium (at least that’s what everybody tells me). During my IF I put about 1/8 tsp pink Himalayan salt on my tongue when I get a little hungry. May add up to a teaspoon or 2. I don’t suffer with D, in fact, quite the opposite. I just started taking potassium supplements yesterday and my stomach has been rumbling all morning but still no D.

(Central Florida Bob ) #3

Thanks for your answer.

Since my fasts are only 42 hours at that point, I haven’t made a big deal about re-feeding and just had whatever I felt like. It’s probably 50/50 between an omelet (usually bacon and cheddar) and a salad with some added protein. I’ve never noticed a correlation between what I ate and if I had the “D-word”.

Potassium is on my list, as is something like Keto-Aide. Tonight I had about half my usual magnesium. I usually take a 500 mg magnesium tablet, but like I say, it’s Magnesium oxide not one of the more absorbable forms. My wife had some Calcium Magnesium and Zinc caplets that were 260mg Mg, so I took one of those.

That’s the positive side. Before I started doing ADFs, I was “hooked” on stool softeners, taking a couple of big ones a day. Now I haven’t had one in weeks - and that was because of being overcautious.

I noticed in this week’s podcast @carl was saying he’s doing ADFs, too. They’re easy to work with. If not for this one thing, they’d be perfect.

(Casey Crisler) #4

I can say since I started taking potassium the other day I’m no longer constipated. No D but relatively normal. I haven’t changed anything else that I’m aware. Same basic food and IF so it must be the potassium.
As far as IF’s. Have you tried cutting back to 18/6 or 20/4? See if that causes a change in BMs. I haven’t been able to make it past 24 hours on a fast. But I think some of that is psychological
I’m not familiar with Real Salt. What about the Pink Himalayan salt, maybe give that a try? Also, do you put the salt on your tongue during a fast or in water?
.

(Central Florida Bob ) #5

Real salt is like pink Himalayan salt only a little lighter pink (must be less iron). It’s also from an ancient seabed like the Himalayan salt. The main difference is that it’s from the US, Utah, not Pakistan. We have both kinds on the counter, so I’ve tasted them side by side and like the Real Salt better. That must mean the mineral balance is different.

I put a quarter teaspoon in half a glass of water, stir it up and drink it. It has only 1.4 mg of Potassium in a quarter teaspoon, so not a source.

As for cutting back to 18/6 or less, that was where I came from. I’ve been doing 18/6 or OMAD for the last year or so, and just started extending to ADFs as a response to putting on a few pounds since the new year. I had to realize it wasn’t a stall, I was gaining weight. The weird bowel habits definitely started when I started ADF.