**warning** toilet talk

mormas

Apologies if this is too much information, but since starting this woe, I have had an incredible thirst/dry mouth and have been knocking back the water like it is going out of fashion. The result= many trips to the bathroom, but my urine is clear, and I am well hydrated.

However, since starting this woe (almost three weeks) I have only had a handful of bm. I am not constipated, no tummy ache / cramps, or feeling sluggish, I just don't need to go. I have have had virtually no wind / gas either.

Is this normal/common when starting out?

I am eating well, and eat leafy greens and veg every day.

AngInCanada

mormas wrote: »

Apologies if this is too much information, but since starting this woe, I have had an incredible thirst/dry mouth and have been knocking back the water like it is going out of fashion. The result= many trips to the bathroom, but my urine is clear, and I am well hydrated.

However, since starting this woe (almost three weeks) I have only had a handful of bm. I am not constipated, no tummy ache / cramps, or feeling sluggish, I just don't need to go. I have have had virtually no wind / gas either.

Is this normal/common when starting out?

I am eating well, and eat leafy greens and veg every day.

Normal. it always surprised me.

mormas

Great thanks. I read so much about loose stools and constipation, I thought I was abnormal

SamandaIndia

Magnessium chelate can help get things moving. Your experience is consistent with mine.

Sunny_Bunny_

There's no need "to get things moving". You're not constipated as you already said. There's simply less junky waste that needs to be eliminated when eating this way.

KarlaYP

Exactly what @Sunny_Bunny_ said! Your body is using more of the nutrients you are giving it, leading to less overall waste!

LowCarbInScotland

I realised after adding back in some veg after a few days of being nearly carnivore, with some eggs and cheese, how bloated veggies make me. My gastrointestinal situation is much like yours, seems to be par for the course with this woe. Plus I keep my calories pretty low, so like @Sunny_Bunny_ said, there's just less waste to be processed.

deksgrl

I eat veggies most days. I don't get gas often. Sometimes I skip a day or two with no BM then sometimes I go 2 or 3 times in one day. But I rarely feel stopped up. It's just a new kind of normal.

Jan93L

I've been taking psyllium capsules (3-4) a day. May try some flax and chia seeds as well. I'm noticing less gas and movements as well.

ettaterrell

Ok question (maybe I need to start another convo but I'll try here first. Every one says less bowl movments are normal but what's normal? Every other day? Once a week? How often do you go? Normal for me is 1 once a week, now with this diet it's more like 2 even 3 weeks? I feel my problem is lack of water but I litterly never get thirsty. But anyway how often do you go?

Sunny_Bunny_

I think this answer is going to vary widely.
I'm not sure I even really am aware of how many days pass between... But maybe I'm a 2-3 times a week. ??? I don't drink much water either. I think I take in enough fluids in general but I don't tend to feel thirsty much so I pretty much only drink when I'm eating.
I am curious if there would be any benefit to purposely drinking a bit more, not because of this subject, but just in general. Just curious. Not having any issues or anything.
The only time I ever feel uncomfortable in my gut and actually feel constipated is when I eat too much cheese or protein. I think I'm having one of those times today as a matter of fact. And I actually just had movement yesterday, so it's clearly about digestive enzymes and not immovable volume for me.

klkateri

As someone with IBS I have noticed my symptoms are fewer and less bouts of diarrhea followed by constipation followed by diarrhea... Things are more normal. I still run to the loo often ( I do drink a lot as well... I find myself more thirsty as well) but as for BM's, I still have a couple a day (again, IBS) but not like I was. Everything is more "compacted(?)" if that's the right word, as well as less volume. I tend to now go twice in the morning and again maybe in the afternoon/evening. Before KETO, it was every time I went I had a BM which, to be honest, is frustrating as well.

Christine_72

ettaterrell wrote: »

Ok question (maybe I need to start another convo but I'll try here first. Every one says less bowl movments are normal but what's normal? Every other day? Once a week? How often do you go? Normal for me is 1 once a week, now with this diet it's more like 2 even 3 weeks? I feel my problem is lack of water but I litterly never get thirsty. But anyway how often do you go?

Normal for me is once a day, everyday. If I miss a day I end up with the most horrible pain and cramping, and if it gets really bad I get vomiting too.
I just can not stand the thought of all that digested food sitting in there for days on end I drink around 3L of water a day and try and make sure I stay above 25g of fibre, plus I take magnesium every night.

LowCarbInScotland

Every other day has become my new normal, versus daily, my old normal. But it took me three rounds of going LCHF to get my guts working properly.

Too much protein (well over 100g), too much cheese (more than 2 oz), not enough water (3 litres or less), not enough fat (less then 50%), and popping pain meds daily (because I hadn't figured out my fluid management until my current LCHF effort and I was in pain) all contributed to severe constipation and abdominal cramping.

ettaterrell

Yeah I don't go near that much lol. I think it's water and also pain meds every once in awhile. I've tried magnesium, Meralax and other things but it's just not working unless I take laxative once a week or every other week. I just don't ever feel the need to go and if Feel like it a little ill go and sit for 30 min and nothing happens lol. Any other suggestions I should try?

Dragonwolf

Christine_72 wrote: »

ettaterrell wrote: »

Ok question (maybe I need to start another convo but I'll try here first. Every one says less bowl movments are normal but what's normal? Every other day? Once a week? How often do you go? Normal for me is 1 once a week, now with this diet it's more like 2 even 3 weeks? I feel my problem is lack of water but I litterly never get thirsty. But anyway how often do you go?

Normal for me is once a day, everyday. If I miss a day I end up with the most horrible pain and cramping, and if it gets really bad I get vomiting too.
I just can not stand the thought of all that digested food sitting in there for days on end I drink around 3L of water a day and try and make sure I stay above 25g of fibre, plus I take magnesium every night.

There shouldn't be digested food sitting there, that's the point. Your food is digested and absorbed. Your poo is what's left -- insoluble fiber, cellulose, dead cells, dead gut flora, etc. Missing a day shouldn't be an issue.

The fact that you get pain and cramping suggests you might be eating something you shouldn't. It might be worth looking into something like FODMAPS -- http://authoritynutrition.com/fodmaps-101/

ettaterrell wrote: »

Yeah I don't go near that much lol. I think it's water and also pain meds every once in awhile. I've tried magnesium, Meralax and other things but it's just not working unless I take laxative once a week or every other week. I just don't ever feel the need to go and if Feel like it a little ill go and sit for 30 min and nothing happens lol. Any other suggestions I should try?

Have you ever talked to your doctor about that? Once a week on SAD is really, really infrequent. That's generally on the upper end of time between even on a low carb diet. You might have something else going on that slows down your digestion, which may not be a good thing, especially if you feel the need to go, but can't.

Also, on low carb under normal circumstances, you shouldn't have to take a laxative. You should be consuming enough fat and/or fiber for things to move along on their own. If you're taking a laxative, that means something is amiss. Either you're eating too much protein (compared to fat or fiber), or you have something else going on, medically. Given what you've mentioned here, I'd be looking into the latter and possibly seeing about a referral to a good gastroenterologist.