Intermittent fasting, anxiety and constipation. Any advice please?

I suffer from anxiety, but on top of that I've started intermittent fasting to help myself lose weight. I am losing weight, little by little as I'm only eating a couple small meals per day.

My diet hasn't been good for the past year or so. I have gained a few stone and it wasn't good for me. I decided to make a change a few weeks ago. The problem is, along with that my bowel movements have changed.

I have never been somebody who can go everyday, but at the moment If I don't go for a few days I get overly worried, paranoid and anxious. I start overthinking about cancer or some other disease.

I took laxatives the other day to give me a little help to go. I didn't spot any blood. I did notice my stool had a lighter brown colour which I assumed was due to my heightened worry/anxiety.

Anyway, I just worry about so many things. I start diagnosing myself over and over. I worry a lot. My dad had ulcerated colitis when he was in his 50s and I worry about the same or worse.

Any advice? I become so paranoid and health anxious. Thanks. I appreciate it.

From my experience (I'm no healthcare professional or dietitian) the easiest way to lose weight is through a healthy diet and exercise, rather than cutting out or reducing meals altogether. Only advice I could give is to eat meals/snacks that have fruit and veg (and certain meats if you aren't a vegan) which are high in fibre, vitamins and other essential minerals. And try to mix and match the meals over the week so you aren't only taking certain vitamins/minerals etc. Something else that might help is try drink those fizzy multi-vitamin and mineral tablets that you put in water and I normally mix some of them together as the flavour is quite nice (For example I mix multi-vitamin B's, C, Zinc, Magnesium & Electrolyte fizzy tablets). You might be able to find a registered dietitian if you contact your GP, which would probably be your best option as they would be able to thoroughly explain everything and make a diet plan for you. Hope that helps ease any concerns, but do take into account if you have any allergies.

PS: If you are looking for an easy fulfilling snack you might like a banana, as they are also rich in fibre. Also if you read any articles by "nutritionists" I wouldn't completely trust them if I were you, as some of them have next to no qualifications regarding dietary needs/biology etc. and are only in it for some easy money, while the term "dietitian" is legally protected and a person can only call themselves one if they qualified and registered as one.

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Originally Posted by Dynamito

I suffer from anxiety, but on top of that I've started intermittent fasting to help myself lose weight. I am losing weight, little by little as I'm only eating a couple small meals per day.

My diet hasn't been good for the past year or so. I have gained a few stone and it wasn't good for me. I decided to make a change a few weeks ago. The problem is, along with that my bowel movements have changed.

I have never been somebody who can go everyday, but at the moment If I don't go for a few days I get overly worried, paranoid and anxious. I start overthinking about cancer or some other disease.

I took laxatives the other day to give me a little help to go. I didn't spot any blood. I did notice my stool had a lighter brown colour which I assumed was due to my heightened worry/anxiety.

Anyway, I just worry about so many things. I start diagnosing myself over and over. I worry a lot. My dad had ulcerated colitis when he was in his 50s and I worry about the same or worse.

Any advice? I become so paranoid and health anxious. Thanks. I appreciate it.

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ANY changes to diet will affect the digestive system. It's as simple as that.

I only have to change from Rice Crispies to cornflakes and my colon goes on strike!

Top tip - take a magnesium citrate supplement every day (better still, powder form in a drink) and this will naturally help you to poo. Far better than those harsh laxatives...

Magnesium citrate supplement does help, but you need to keep more hydrated as it does pull water into the intestines and out of the rest of your body. It is generally safe, but personally I would go more along with eating a banana after breakfast and after dinner. Which will give your body more than enough fibre to handle any food, however if that doesn't help then yes magnesium is a more tolerable alternative than plenty of laxatives (you should consult a doctor either way just to be safe). If you are taking magnesium citrate every day for a week and your symptoms don't improve then you really should call your doctor.