***Warning*** Gross Topic

michael_jordan7

When I started out to get into better health I weighed about 330 to 340 lbs. At this weight and eating as I did I would go to the bathroom (#2) at least twice daily and sometimes more often. As I have cut my food intake, lost weight and become more healthy, I am now finding that I often go a day or two with any bowel movements. I only starting getting worried now if I go three days with nothing. Is this normal? Anybody else noticed this kind of change?

Domicinator

I have noticed this too--I've had the exact same change in my bathroom "patterns". I do think it will probably change again once I start a maintenance plan, but for now I figure I'm just not eating enough to need to use the bathroom that often, and I'm DEFINITELY not eating the awful things I used to eat when I weighed 250 lbs.

Sabine_Stroehm

Are you eating vegetables, fruits, and enough fats?

Perhaps this is what is actually "normal" for you?

michael_jordan7

Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »

Are you eating vegetables, fruits, and enough fats?

Perhaps this is what is actually "normal" for you?

I eat a pretty well rounded diet most days, lots of fruits and veggies. I usually do end the day a little low on fiber because I don't eat much in the way of grains. What veggies come with a lot of fiber?

MarziDeThrall

I noticed the same thing and I've only been here 25 days.

MommyMeggo

Meh- its not "gross" - its life. As a chronic constipation sufferer - as in over a week at a time. o.0
It wasnt until I kept my log to be able scroll thru and see my intake and check any food culprits. So after review I upped water, fiber to at least 35g a day and removed greek yogurt from my daily diet. (sad face)

I start my day with a big glass of water while my coffee brews, 2tsp of benefiber in my coffee- then a high fiber cereal. I like to mix Kashi Go Lean with Vanilla Clusters and Kelloggs all bran - theres 22g of fiber right there.
I eat an apple every afternoon with PB2 and try to get a serving of green bean, broccoli and beans etc. Its been amazing and i now i get to "celebrate" <and i mean literally celebrate> every day!! LMAO

PS a day or two isnt really a cause for concern. But, you know your body.

I_Will_End_You

If you feel okay, it's probably not a problem.

rosebarnalice

What's your fiber intake? I average 30 - 45 grams a day, and I'm as regular as NASA's atomic clock!

Joanna2012B

I agree with @I_Will_End_You , if you feel good than it's not a problem. However, you should try to get more fibre in!! Make sure to drink your 8 glasses of water a day, or more.

Joanna2012B

BTW...not a gross topic....we ALL do it!!!

cross2bear

Joanna2012B wrote: »

BTW...not a gross topic....we ALL do it!!!

So true - even the Queen! Hard to picture though - I bet she has someone to make her a glass of Benefibre (I almost put beneful, but I think thats a dog food!) whenever she needs it!

Try a supplement if you are really worried about it, but as long as you are feeling well, and everything is still "moving along" you are most likely just experiencing your new normal.

Bluepegasus

Don't forget, less in, less to come out!

cathipa

Also remember to push the water. Fiber loves water but if you don't drink enough it can cause constipation. Its not uncommon after changing your diet to experience constipation, but if it doesn't resolve you should follow with your family doctor.

trinty425

I've noticed changes in the last month that I've started eating better as well.

Mystical64

push the water... I never eat fruit (don't want the added sugar) and rarely eat vegetables (if I do its sweet potatoes).

kshama2001

I get 11 g of fiber with breakfast. As you can see, the flax and chia seeds are highest in fiber.

crawlingfish

raspberries are actually very high in fiber, as are strawberries, carrots, beets, broccoli, swiss chard, collard greens, apples, and kale. you might consider adding flax meal or psyllium husk to your diet (in smoothies, etc.) if you still feel that your digestion could use some support

emmycantbemeeko

Everybody has a different "normal"- for some people it's every day, for others it's every 2-3. As long as you're not experiencing discomfort between BMs or difficulty passing the stool when you do go, it's probably fine. Did you also cut out caffeine, by any chance? For some people, their morning caffeine triggers a BM and if they cut that out, it can become less strictly regulated.

It may simply be that you're eating less, and less greasy foods, and there's just less waste overall.

If you do increase fiber, do it gradually (no more than 10% every few days) and make sure to correspondingly increase your water intake, as fiber works to bulk your stool, making it easier to go, but if you're dehydrated or you retain stool for a long time, it can become hardened and difficult and painful to pass.

kshama2001

Mystical64 wrote: »

push the water... I never eat fruit (don't want the added sugar) and rarely eat vegetables (if I do its sweet potatoes).

Berries are low in sugar and high on sweet. Even the low carbers here eat berries. Do you avoid sugar for a medical reason?

enterdanger

Give your body some time to adjust? I'd be worried too, though. The older I get the more important I feel it is to have a BM every day.

brb_2013

Less volume in equals less output....

treehopper1987

Make sure you are getting enough fiber and water. If you are dehydrated it can really slow things down.

AnnPT77

You want to be getting 20-35 or so grams of fiber daily (U.S. recommendations), 30 & up for most adult males, or around 14gm per 1000 calories of TDEE. You probably know how to check yours via the "Reports" tab in the web-browser MFP, the Nutrition/Nutrients option in the phone app, or by changing your diary to include it as a column.

I'd echo what others have said about the importance of water and fat as well as fiber. For me, regular exercise also helps. (I used to have IBS/C, but not any more.)

Some of the better fiber foods I've eaten recently are old-fashioned oatmeal, crispy chickpea snacks, refried beans, green peas, pears, berries (frozen), brussels sprouts, parsnips, jicama, chickpea pasta. Peanut butter is a triple win: Some healthy fat, a little fiber, and yum. If you get your fruits/veggies to the recommended 5-9 servings/day, that helps a lot.

tryin2die2self

First, I am going to echo what others are saying about fiber. Everyone is different and it takes your body some time to adjust. What do I mean by adjust? Most overweight people are going from a diet where the food is pushed through you by piling on more food. When you switch over to a healthy diet the system actually pulls the food along. Going from a push to pull system can be very difficult.

I was in a Weight Watcher like support group at church some 10 years ago. Thirty people in the class. Everyone complained about bloating, constipation and the occasional bout of diarrhea. Everyone's system was out of wack. I told myself if this continued for over a month I would quit. Took about a month to clear up.

Second, protein supplements. A common side effect to protein supplements is constipation. That stuff can really bind you up. I have talked to a number of fitness experts. The first tip from weight lifters was Magnesium Caltrate (not Citrate!). Whatever the dosage is on the bottle, take half of that for the first week. Also, be close to the loo for the next 30 min. Chasing a full dose of these pills with a hot cup of joe... well... don't get stuck in traffic!!

Lastly, probiotics. I have talked with four doctors over the past 18 months (general pa x2, rhumatologist, and gastroenterologist) and they all echoed the same idea. Probiotic supplements for short term are fine. If you have to take them longer than 6-8 weeks, you need to see a gastroenterologist. If you are having a problem digesting certain types of foods, then you need to eat the fermented foods of the same type to replenish your gut. Having a problem with dairy then you need some live dairy culture to get things moving: cultured yogurt, buttermilk, kefir even blaand will do it. If you have a problem with greens, then it sounds like kimchi or sauerkraut would be helpful. Eating all those processed food for so long as depleted the good bacteria in our gut. Restarting that system takes a bit of time and the right foods to get things going.

I hope you find the info useful and things get to moving again

michael_jordan7

Thanks to everyone for the good advice, I drink plenty of water (water is the only thing I drink now), and I will be more intentional about getting fiber in my diet.

starwhisperer6

I was having this, and it didn't make me happy, I just added two servings of the orange flavored fiber powder to my day.... Magic!! Plus it tastes delicious, so that is a bonus.

WendyLaubach

I used to be incredibly regular, and have noticed lately that I'm a little slow. I'm eating about 1350 calories a day. When I remember to eat some psyllium fiber (the active ingredient in Metamucil), than helps, as does a day with lots of beans. There's just not that much food going through me right now, I guess. As long as your bowel movements are brisk and comfortable when they happen, it's probably not a huge deal. Still, more fiber couldn't hurt, right?

cbelc2

Try adding a couple of tablespoons of ground flax seeds to your food every day. The nutrients are great, and they are famous for regulating bowels. Some of the fiber supplements are made from wood. And eat whole plant foods.

ogmomma2012

Water, exercise, and fiber. Coffee does well too.

knittingbee928

[Lastly, probiotics. . . . . Eating all those processed food for so long as depleted the good bacteria in our gut. Restarting that system takes a bit of time and the right foods to get things going. I hope you find the info useful and things get to moving again [/quote]

Coming in to suggest exactly this - probiotics. If I was looking to improve my gut health and regularity, this is the second thing I'd do after upping fiber intake. My experience with fermented dairy (kefir) was literally life changing. I can digest food again! Amazing! And eating fermented foods does change the, er, consistency, regularity.... everything (at least it did for me). I don't know how weight loss plays into it, but for me the shift from sick (irregular) to healthy (Atom-clock regular) took about a week of slowly introducing kefir into my diet. I didn't want to buy supplements because as @tryin2die2self wisely points out, our guts are depleted from processed foods. My logic is, why pile on more processed stuff. Also it's much cheaper to ferment your own food, and you get many more strains of bacteria (at least 30-50) versus fermented food in the store which have less than a dozen.

@tryin2die2self - I didn't know that the fermented food "of that type" that one has problems with, would help re-balance the gut bacteria - how interesting!