Constipation and low-carb?
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Mimilucious wrote: »The only thing that has kept things moving for me is to eat a huge (like half a head of lettuce) salad every day. If I skip it, it'll take 2-3 days again. Leafy greens are my savior!
lol My grandmom called it "roughage" (which I never hear anymore) but I agree; you need vegetables for regular bowel movements.
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AlabasterVerve wrote: »Mimilucious wrote: »The only thing that has kept things moving for me is to eat a huge (like half a head of lettuce) salad every day. If I skip it, it'll take 2-3 days again. Leafy greens are my savior!
lol My grandmom called it "roughage" (which I never hear anymore) but I agree; you need vegetables for regular bowel movements.
Tell that to all the people who fare better without said roughage.0 -
Dragonwolf wrote: »AlabasterVerve wrote: »Mimilucious wrote: »The only thing that has kept things moving for me is to eat a huge (like half a head of lettuce) salad every day. If I skip it, it'll take 2-3 days again. Leafy greens are my savior!
lol My grandmom called it "roughage" (which I never hear anymore) but I agree; you need vegetables for regular bowel movements.
Tell that to all the people who fare better without said roughage.
Yeah, I agree the more fiber recommendations for people already eating it are insane in general but for the low carb community (who've never had bathroom issues before) eating more vegetables is sensible and effective, in my opinion.
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I actually had a lot more constipation before I started low carb. I think it's largely due to increased fat intake and now I use stevia in my coffee instead of sugar. I'm not sure that stevia has anything to do with it, but if not, it's awfully coincidental that I'm usually in the bathroom within an hour of drinking my coffee now.0
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@SazzySuze ...that's exactly why I thought my issue may be linked to the artificial sweetner I consume.0
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miralax over the counter is excellent. this is a commonly reported problem on this diet. Mag Citrate is another good suggestion. I would recommend avoiding stimulant laxatives (ex lax, senna, senekot, dulcolax, etc)0
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Dragonwolf wrote: »AlabasterVerve wrote: »Mimilucious wrote: »The only thing that has kept things moving for me is to eat a huge (like half a head of lettuce) salad every day. If I skip it, it'll take 2-3 days again. Leafy greens are my savior!
lol My grandmom called it "roughage" (which I never hear anymore) but I agree; you need vegetables for regular bowel movements.
Tell that to all the people who fare better without said roughage.
Can we not accept that there are people for whom higher levels of fiber are essential?. There is no one size fits all. Each one of has to find what works for us. Some people fare well without increased fiber, others need higher levels of fiber. We are fearfully and wonderfully made and the fact that we are different makes life interesting.0 -
robert65ferguson wrote: »Dragonwolf wrote: »AlabasterVerve wrote: »Mimilucious wrote: »The only thing that has kept things moving for me is to eat a huge (like half a head of lettuce) salad every day. If I skip it, it'll take 2-3 days again. Leafy greens are my savior!
lol My grandmom called it "roughage" (which I never hear anymore) but I agree; you need vegetables for regular bowel movements.
Tell that to all the people who fare better without said roughage.
Can we not accept that there are people for whom higher levels of fiber are essential?. There is no one size fits all. Each one of has to find what works for us. Some people fare well without increased fiber, others need higher levels of fiber. We are fearfully and wonderfully made and the fact that we are different makes life interesting.
There's a difference between accepting that people's dietary needs are individual and making blanket statements like "you need vegetables for regular bowel movements."0 -
This is all new to me. I lowered my carbs starting Monday. I have colitis and need around 25 grams fiber a day. I noticed right off my fiber was under each day.
By Wednesday I was constipated. But with my situation nutrition changes normally do this to me. I just increased my Probiotic to 2 doses versus 1 per day. It was suggested I look into Smooth Move Tea, Natural Calm Powder (raspberry), or Triphala capsules. I drink my water so I'll just stay on this and try to sort it out.0 -
It's rare for me not to go everyday. With this WOE, my frequency did slow down to maybe once every day or two instead of 2-3 times daily when I was eating a higher carb primal diet. Even with LCHF, I never go longer than 2 days before having to go again.
I did notice however that when trying the dairy free challenge, that frequency picked up somewhat again. I think that swapping out the HWC for more coconut oil with butter in my coffee, along with cutting out cheese made the difference. I also make sure that I drink lots of water and this helps.0 -
Dragonwolf wrote: »robert65ferguson wrote: »Dragonwolf wrote: »AlabasterVerve wrote: »Mimilucious wrote: »The only thing that has kept things moving for me is to eat a huge (like half a head of lettuce) salad every day. If I skip it, it'll take 2-3 days again. Leafy greens are my savior!
lol My grandmom called it "roughage" (which I never hear anymore) but I agree; you need vegetables for regular bowel movements.
Tell that to all the people who fare better without said roughage.
Can we not accept that there are people for whom higher levels of fiber are essential?. There is no one size fits all. Each one of has to find what works for us. Some people fare well without increased fiber, others need higher levels of fiber. We are fearfully and wonderfully made and the fact that we are different makes life interesting.
There's a difference between accepting that people's dietary needs are individual and making blanket statements like "you need vegetables for regular bowel movements."
I'm sorry that my word choices came across as non-accepting to you -- that's certainly wasn't my intention. Perhaps daily instead of regular would have been a better word choice?
Either or, I'm a huge fan of low carb eating and just wanted to support Mimilucious's suggestion to eat some lettuce. Less frequent bowel movements, laxatives and supplements are all perfectly fine options as well.0 -
Oh! If you're wanting flavored creamer, I've discovered that sugar free Torani syrup (in the coffee aisle) with a little HWC makes an AWESOME flavored creamer. I just tried it for the first time this week and very impressed.I had just the opposite problem before going low carb. I can't drink coffee without flavored creamer, so I just don't drink it anymore, not that I ever drank it much before. Going to work on increasing my water and see if that moves things along.
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Oh! If you're wanting flavored creamer, I've discovered that sugar free Torani syrup (in the coffee aisle) with a little HWC makes an AWESOME flavored creamer. I just tried it for the first time this week and very impressed.I had just the opposite problem before going low carb. I can't drink coffee without flavored creamer, so I just don't drink it anymore, not that I ever drank it much before. Going to work on increasing my water and see if that moves things along.
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@Lrdoflamancha, I will weigh again after a bathroom visit too. Biggest drop has been 1 lb. for me. We do hold some weight in our large intestine.
I don't understand the spam flag either! Just talking about normal body functions that we all have. Hmm...0 -
AlabasterVerve wrote: »Dragonwolf wrote: »robert65ferguson wrote: »Dragonwolf wrote: »AlabasterVerve wrote: »Mimilucious wrote: »The only thing that has kept things moving for me is to eat a huge (like half a head of lettuce) salad every day. If I skip it, it'll take 2-3 days again. Leafy greens are my savior!
lol My grandmom called it "roughage" (which I never hear anymore) but I agree; you need vegetables for regular bowel movements.
Tell that to all the people who fare better without said roughage.
Can we not accept that there are people for whom higher levels of fiber are essential?. There is no one size fits all. Each one of has to find what works for us. Some people fare well without increased fiber, others need higher levels of fiber. We are fearfully and wonderfully made and the fact that we are different makes life interesting.
There's a difference between accepting that people's dietary needs are individual and making blanket statements like "you need vegetables for regular bowel movements."
I'm sorry that my word choices came across as non-accepting to you -- that's certainly wasn't my intention. Perhaps daily instead of regular would have been a better word choice?
Either or, I'm a huge fan of low carb eating and just wanted to support Mimilucious's suggestion to eat some lettuce. Less frequent bowel movements, laxatives and supplements are all perfectly fine options as well.
Just to comment from a woman who has had all sorts of bowel dysfunction for decades - adding in laxatives and supplements can actually stifle your body's natural workings. I have pelvic floor dysfunction, and the very first thing they tell you is to stop all forms of laxatives. Just like with regaining health and losing weight, you have to let your body's system repair, or you'll be worse off down the road.
I'm not saying that works for everyone this way, but I do know that many people who use laxatives even intermittently end up dependent on them in some cases, and that supports the medically proven statements from my pelvic floor specialty team...
Of course getting impacted bowels and all of that is miserable and no one would wish that one anyone, but from my research - it can actually take a number or weeks to work all the years of difficulties out!!
Probiotics sound like an amazing natural option - as do supplements in which you are measurably deficient.
I know this WOE has improved my bowel processes. I used to go every time I used the restroom (sometimes painfully, with straining, and sometimes straight liquid or bile), and it has cut by at least half. I first noticed this when I didn't have to buy toilet paper at home as frequently! Just with the continued PFD, it is a stress process for me 70% of the time...I would not wish for anyone to develop this EVER.0 -
After 4 months of LCHF my constipation has finally gone away.0
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Lrdoflamancha wrote: »After 4 months of LCHF my constipation has finally gone away.
WIN!0 -
KnitOrMiss wrote: »Just to comment from a woman who has had all sorts of bowel dysfunction for decades - adding in laxatives and supplements can actually stifle your body's natural workings. I have pelvic floor dysfunction, and the very first thing they tell you is to stop all forms of laxatives. Just like with regaining health and losing weight, you have to let your body's system repair, or you'll be worse off down the road.
+1 from a guy who also had some form of pelvic floor dysfunction. Its a lot more common in women but its an issue men can deal with too. I wasn't taking laxitives, but I was taking glycerin suppositories after my primary care doc and urologist both told me those were safe, weren't going to hurt my system long term, form habits, make me reliant on them, etc. I would point out that every doctor/therapist i discussed it with did work hard to sway me away from laxitives outside of *very* occasional use, and once I started physical therapy I was asked to also stop the suppositories and to do a number of other things to give my body a chance to function naturally, which it eventually did.0 -
From someone that brought this topic up last week - all it takes apparently is to talk to the group about it. Once you open up, admit your inability to *kitten* and just become honest with yourself and the low carb group, then you will be allowed to poop. It's as though the group determines whether you're allowed to poop. Once you open up, then things will be fixed. Oh wait, and lower your dairy intake. I also added in unsweetened vanilla almond milk and voila! Regular pooper! (I get my LCHF Regular Pooper badge in the mail next week.)0
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