Umm.... Bathroom Breaks?

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Ashleyxjamie
Ashleyxjamie Posts: 223 Member
in Food and Nutrition
... I am wondering if anyone else is going to the bathroom umm.. less frequently since changing their diet? I eat between 20-30 grams of fibre per day, eat around 1800-2100 cals a day and exercise 5x a week. I drink tons of water. Sometimes I go three or four days without err.. you know.. pooing.

Any suggestions besides doctor visits and laxatives?
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Replies

  • contingencyplan
    contingencyplan Posts: 3,639 Member
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    This post is going to have TMI, just FYI, so stop now if you're grossed out.

    Before I started eating healthy I had a very loose stool and it was very inconsistent about what time of day it would happen, sometimes twice a day. All that changed when I started monitoring my intake of dairy (not cutting it out completely, just regulating it), eating more fiber, and cooking my own foods from scratch. Now it's firm and it happens at roughly the same time everyday, like clockwork.
  • LilMissDB
    LilMissDB Posts: 133
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    I think that's quite normal. For some people, it will just be a case of less food = less bowel movement. For a lot of people, changing their diet to be healthier means a big increase in fibre and the body isn't used to it. The British Dietetic Association recommends adding a couple of tablespoons of linseeds each day to your diet to help with this. A drink (particularly a hot drink) first thing in the morning can also help.
  • Pearsquared
    Pearsquared Posts: 1,656 Member
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    Well, yes and no. I go less because I'm literally consuming less, so less goes to waste (how many times can I say less? xD ). However, last week was a mess, and I'm finally back to (mostly) normal. Does it feel like you have to go, but you can't? Or, is it more you just don't feel like you have to?
  • wildchild06241
    wildchild06241 Posts: 130 Member
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    Add some enzymes and probiotics. I had trouble as soon as I upped my protein levels. This worked for me. I use Good 'N Natural Chewable Pineapple Bromelain for the enzymes (it's chewable) and Puritan's Pride Nature's Promise Probiotic Acidophilus.
  • Ashleyxjamie
    Ashleyxjamie Posts: 223 Member
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    Well, yes and no. I go less because I'm literally consuming less, so less goes to waste (how many times can I say less? xD ). However, last week was a mess, and I'm finally back to (mostly) normal. Does it feel like you have to go, but you can't? Or, is it more you just don't feel like you have to?

    There's no feeling at all. I didn't have any feeling at all yesterday or today lol. And I drink a hot coffee every morning with a 300 calorie breakfast :(

    I just hope the dragon lets loose by Friday morning because it's my weigh-in day!!!!! LOL :explode:
  • Trilby16
    Trilby16 Posts: 707 Member
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    I use senna tea. I can't stand not "going"-- feeling "full" like that sometimes makes me binge in fact. My SiL swear by flaxseed meal (2 T per day), says it changed her life. I have now gone through almost a pound of flaxseed meal and it does not do the "job" for me although I think it's beneficial in other ways. So I'm still on senna tea. At least I've found something that works.... Try it!
  • Ashleyxjamie
    Ashleyxjamie Posts: 223 Member
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    I use senna tea. I can't stand not "going"-- feeling "full" like that sometimes makes me binge in fact. My SiL swear by flaxseed meal (2 T per day), says it changed her life. I have now gone through almost a pound of flaxseed meal and it does not do the "job" for me although I think it's beneficial in other ways. So I'm still on senna tea. At least I've found something that works.... Try it!

    Is this Senna tea available in Canada?? Or do you know where ICan buy it online? :)
  • Squamation
    Squamation Posts: 522 Member
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    Get more fiber!

    I've always heard that you should go to the bathroom at least once a day, but not more than 3 times a day.

    If I went 3-4 days with out a BM on a regular basis I would see a doc.
  • Curleycue0314
    Curleycue0314 Posts: 245 Member
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    The only thing i notice is the more protein i eat the more they sink, and the more fruits, veg they float. But i'm still an at least once a day pooper!
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    If you've recently upped your fiber, your body might just need time to adjust. If it's been a few weeks, then as long as you are not in distress and are drinking plenty of fluids it's not likely a problem. If you have any discomfort and it continues it would be worth mentioning to your doctor. A daily probiotic might help. Also, may sure you are eating enough fat. Fat can move things along.
  • PamelaGatorMom
    PamelaGatorMom Posts: 348 Member
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    YES I had the exact same problem...I'm not sure what others do, someone on here posted once use milk of magnesia...well that was worse than a laxative for me. :embarassed: so I didn't do that again!!

    The best advice I got was use metamucil at least once a day and it WORKS GREAT!! I never feel bloated and it keeps me regular!!
  • Chadomaniac
    Chadomaniac Posts: 1,785 Member
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    Could also be food items you eat that dont digest properly , definitely see a doctor and take a probiotic
  • jme6976
    jme6976 Posts: 49 Member
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    Lots of people are going to say more water, more fiber, yogurt... I was doing those things and no help. Read here about others having been helped by magnesium/calcium/zinc supplement. Started that and within 2 days Viola! Problem solved! Good luck!
  • ILuvMoo
    ILuvMoo Posts: 41
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    If you've recently upped your fiber, your body might just need time to adjust. If it's been a few weeks, then as long as you are not in distress and are drinking plenty of fluids it's not likely a problem. If you have any discomfort and it continues it would be worth mentioning to your doctor. A daily probiotic might help. Also, may sure you are eating enough fat. Fat can move things along.

    I second this.

    Some people in my office swear by Epsom salts (I'm not sure why they were talking about this in the office) but I'm not interested in the "extreme cleanse - do it on a weekend when you don't have to be anywhere" situation they were describing.
  • kevinjb1
    kevinjb1 Posts: 233 Member
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    Sometimes eating a big meal works for me if i'm a little backed up.

    That or an intense workout will sometimes gets things moving again.
  • Ashleyxjamie
    Ashleyxjamie Posts: 223 Member
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    I've been eating a lot more protein and fibre and I just dont get the feeling that I have to go very often. No bloating or discomfort either.. I am thinking of metamucil as well. That may help me. sigh.
  • kr1stadee
    kr1stadee Posts: 1,774 Member
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    If you aren't feeling anything, then maybe your frequency is just different now. If you were bloated and hurting, then I'd up the fibre and start looking into it.

    When I was eating a low amount of cals (1200-1300), I was having a rough go. I upped my cals to 1800 and it was like night and day! But you're eating a very good amount, so I'd say it's normal!
  • stadter
    stadter Posts: 13 Member
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    For some people (like me), fiber actually can make things worse depending on the source (I have IBS-C). Also, if you weren't eating as much fiber before you changed your diet (or from the same types of sources... i.e you ate more bread and grain before and now you're getting it from veggies), your body is doing a little bit of WTF?!?!? to you by bringing on irregularity.

    If you're not feeling bloated or full, I would try and stay away from laxatives or meds. Maybe trying teas or probiotics. I am personally on Rx medications for IBS and have been working gradually to get off of them because I have noticed that my body gets too used to them too easily.

    If you are feeling bloated, the best advice I was given is that your 'gut' doesn't like big changes that come on quickly, so don't take individual sets of advice and go balls to the wall. If you haven't eaten All Bran cereal in your entire life and all of the sudden you eat it for 3 meals a day, the pendulum will swing in one of two directions (go or no go if you know what I mean). Same goes for laxatives and other remedies. If you are feeling like you just cannot take it anymore and the natural path is not working, the thing that set me off quick the first time I used it was Magnesium Citrate (saline laxative... liquid, bottles are in the same aisle as the other stuff). Mix with some water and stand by the bathroom.

    Try some really minor changes, one at a time and see how it goes. Also look at things like FODMAPS, which categories things that tend to make peoples guts do somersaults. I feel for you!

    Also, constipation in medical terms (at least what I was told) is 3 or more days w/o a BM. So some docs may sort of blow you off if that's where you are right now and tell you what you're hearing on the posts. I would be very wary of the fiber thing though (the source and the amount) as it is NOT the same for everyone.
  • BeachGingerOnTheRocks
    BeachGingerOnTheRocks Posts: 3,927 Member
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    1) Do NOT eat more than 30 grams of fiber a day regularly. It can slow things down. I am surprised by this, but it is true in a good number of people. Particularly in people who aren't eating enough fats.

    2) Epsom salts is poisonous in large quantities. Works great as a laxative, but you don't actually need a laxative, so don't eat that stuff.

    3) If you go to the doctor, more than likely, all you're going to be told to do is pick a time of day and take a 10 or 15 minute "break" in the bathroom to see if anything happens and to eat prunes or drink prune juice. You might also be told to make a calendar of when you go or to collect a sample that will be tested and sent to a lab to see if something more dire is wrong. Then you'll be told nothing is wrong and be asked if you've been eating the prunes.

    4) Some people naturally don't go more than once every 2-3 days, particularly when they change their diet. If you start eating a bunch of higher fat foods, you'll likely go more frequently. How many grams of fat are you getting a day?

    5) Unless you have painful bloating or abdominal swelling, you shouldn't worry about it too much.
  • Dfracassa
    Dfracassa Posts: 318 Member
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    I have never had good luck with...this stuff...but I have noticed that since I started 5:2 (on my third week right now) I have been totally regular -- once or twice a day, at least. I don't know what is making the difference, and I am afraid to think too hard about it, as I have lived my life with many days in between...trips...for a long time. Very uncomfortable and frustrating, yes.

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