Need more fiber

rachelbl72

Ok so I'm new to low carb but so far it's working great with my weight loss compared to other diets. The only problem is I can't go to the toilet properly and I'm putting that down to enough fiber. I'm getting it into my diet by putting some flaxseed ' chia seeds in yoghurt fage Greek yoghurt and getting some fiber from the veg I'm eating but I think I need more, im not a great lover of veg and the yoghurt think is bearable, but again don't love it.
Any suggestions would be brill

KarlynKeto

Fresh greens, but if you've got constipation you may also want to make sure you're doing magnesium at night. That tends to loosen things up too. I don't think it's all about fiber when it comes to keeping the pipes moving, lol. You can also look at taking digestive enzymes, that has helped me on a few occasions as well. And they're very cheap to pick up.

rachelbl72

I'm just about to buy some magnesium citrate is this the right one and can I take it in the morning or is it better at night

camtosh

Either is ok, just be sure to take enough. There is a protocol on this page to try. http://www.constipation-remedies-for-all.com/magnesium-for-constipation.html

rachelbl72

Good informative protocol there thanks for the link.
Here's the thing now. I mainly work night shifts and have read some people find magnesium helps with sleep, should I therefore take my magnesium in the morning after a night shift and then in the evenings that I don't do night shifts. For example I work on Thursday Friday and Sunday nights, so should I do it this way
Monday am or pm as I don't have a shift tonight
Tuesday pm
Wednesday pm
Thursday am
Friday am
Saturday am or pm as I don't have a shift tonight
Sunday am

Sunny_Bunny_

Not going often is not the same as constipation.
Are you actually uncomfortable in your gut? Have that heavy feeling? Things ready to move but can't?
Lots of people mistake constipation as being "not going every day". If you're not eating a lot of bulking foods, you will simply have less that needs to move out. That's not a symptom of a problem. And adding fiber could make things worse. My actual constipation issues got better with less fiber. I'm best when I eat as little vegetables as possible. That's just one possibility though. I just wanted to share the opposite idea...
I was even taking 1000mg magnesium a day and things were better after eating less bulking foods.

rachelbl72

I'm not an every day goer, never have been, all I do know is when I was eating All bran with 25g ground flaxseed a day I was able to go to the loo at least every other day and to put bluntly it was normal, now I'm off the All bran cos there's too many carbs for what I've set myself and only managing 10g of flaxseed cos that's all I can bear in fage yoghurt my tummy has become uncomfortable again and when I do go it can be painful and like rabbit poo lol.
I've just bought some magnesium citrate so hopefully that will help me along as I don't want to come off low carb because other than the poo the diet is a good for me and I seem to be dropping weight and body fat much better.

LemonMarmalade

I'm sorry you are having trouble. I might have missed this in your post but how much water are you drinking daily? For me, lots of water is key. I drink around 120 oz per day give or take.

daylitemag

Ive had similar issues in "the little room" and 750mg to 1000mg mag citrate definitely does the trick. Experiment with the mag and find the amount that works for you.

lithezebra

My foods for getting enough fiber without too many carbs are avocados, black soy beans (kind of hard to find - Eden has them in cans), coconut flour (makes a good pancake), and if I can stand it, a spoonful of psyllium husk powder in a glass of water (ick). I eat non-starchy vegetables, but half an avo has 7 grams of fiber, 2 grams net carbs, and a bunch of healthy fat. One half cup of black soy beans have 7 grams of fiber and 11 grams of protein for only 2 grams net of carbs. That's a lot more fiber for the carbs than most vegetables.

Finally, speaking only for myself, I need some starchy carbs if I want my gut to feel good. Raw, soaked, oatmeal works well for me. I like to add half an apple, chopped into pieces. I'm still generally keeping my net carbs down around 70 grams a day, although my diary yesterday is an exception.

Dragonwolf

A quick look at your diary shows that your fat intake might be a bit low, especially for how little food you're eating in general (assuming your diary is accurate), which might be contributing to it. Try to get some more fat in and see if that helps.

As others have mentioned, make sure you're getting enough water, too. Low carb often means less stored water, which means less is being excreted for the same amount of intake.

Also, have a look at other probiotic foods, like kombucha, fermented vegetables, etc. Often, things like constipation are a result of your gut biome, so changing it can help.

Finally, if you want to try to get more fiber from vegetables, have a look at smoothies. Toss together some coconut or almond milk, half an avocado, some yogurt, a handful of spinach, a little bit of sweetener (or a couple of berries, or a scoop of protein powder) if necessary, and some ice in a blender, and you've got a nutrient-packed breakfast with a good amount of fat, protein, and fiber to get you started.

rachelbl72

Hi all
Thanks for all your replies.
My diary is what I eat part from water I do consume about 3 liters a day plus I drink tea with soya milk,
I am loving the idea of the coconut flour pancakes and also the smoothie I wasn't sure if I'd still be able to have smoothies due to carbs as I used to use a lot of carbs in them ages ago and I'm not very good at research but Dragonwolf you have helped a lot plus I'll throw my flaxseed in there and it's easier to consume in a smoothie.
I am gonna try magnesium citrate as well I've bought the Solgar make which I hope is good.
Also Dragonwolf I'm glad you said I should be eating more fat as I want to eat more but I think my mind set is still in low fat mode sometimes so maybe too scared to eat as much fat as it's telling me to.
Do you think I'm setting my carbs to low, I did work it out on the keto page I was directed to on another topic, I've gone from probably consuming 100 to 130 a day down to trying to stay under 25g, but does anyone think I should up it.
According to the keto sticks I was in ketosis by the end of day 2 and now I'm wondering if I'm being to impatient

All answers great fully accepted.

rachelbl72

lithezebra wrote: »

My foods for getting enough fiber without too many carbs are avocados, black soy beans (kind of hard to find - Eden has them in cans), coconut flour (makes a good pancake), and if I can stand it, a spoonful of psyllium husk powder in a glass of water (ick). I eat non-starchy vegetables, but half an avo has 7 grams of fiber, 2 grams net carbs, and a bunch of healthy fat. One half cup of black soy beans have 7 grams of fiber and 11 grams of protein for only 2 grams net of carbs. That's a lot more fiber for the carbs than most vegetables.

Finally, speaking only for myself, I need some starchy carbs if I want my gut to feel good. Raw, soaked, oatmeal works well for me. I like to add half an apple, chopped into pieces. I'm still generally keeping my net carbs down around 70 grams a day, although my diary yesterday is an exception.

Loving the sound of the pancakes, do you have a recipe for them

olivebeanhealthy

I'm really enjoying prebiotic chia seeds right now... Not sure about the probiotic efficacy, they were he same price as regular chia seeds when I purchased them though, so went for it.

Couchpotato39

5marshallsstrong wrote: »

I'm sorry you are having trouble. I might have missed this in your post but how much water are you drinking daily? For me, lots of water is key. I drink around 120 oz per day give or take.

This! I find when I am having issues that it's generally my water intake that is off.

lithezebra

rachelbl72 wrote: »

lithezebra wrote: »

My foods for getting enough fiber without too many carbs are avocados, black soy beans (kind of hard to find - Eden has them in cans), coconut flour (makes a good pancake), and if I can stand it, a spoonful of psyllium husk powder in a glass of water (ick). I eat non-starchy vegetables, but half an avo has 7 grams of fiber, 2 grams net carbs, and a bunch of healthy fat. One half cup of black soy beans have 7 grams of fiber and 11 grams of protein for only 2 grams net of carbs. That's a lot more fiber for the carbs than most vegetables.

Finally, speaking only for myself, I need some starchy carbs if I want my gut to feel good. Raw, soaked, oatmeal works well for me. I like to add half an apple, chopped into pieces. I'm still generally keeping my net carbs down around 70 grams a day, although my diary yesterday is an exception.

Loving the sound of the pancakes, do you have a recipe for them

They need a lot of eggs! Coconut flour soaks up a lot of liquid too. Here are two. I don't add the sugar to recipes that call for sugar.

http://blog.paleohacks.com/coconut-flour-pancakes/#

http://www.girlversusdough.com/2015/10/01/fluffy-coconut-flour-pancakes/

I haven't tried the second one, but more eggs is usually good.

Good luck!!!!

Dragonwolf

rachelbl72 wrote: »

Hi all
Thanks for all your replies.
My diary is what I eat part from water I do consume about 3 liters a day plus I drink tea with soya milk,
I am loving the idea of the coconut flour pancakes and also the smoothie I wasn't sure if I'd still be able to have smoothies due to carbs as I used to use a lot of carbs in them ages ago and I'm not very good at research but Dragonwolf you have helped a lot plus I'll throw my flaxseed in there and it's easier to consume in a smoothie.
I am gonna try magnesium citrate as well I've bought the Solgar make which I hope is good.
Also Dragonwolf I'm glad you said I should be eating more fat as I want to eat more but I think my mind set is still in low fat mode sometimes so maybe too scared to eat as much fat as it's telling me to.
Do you think I'm setting my carbs to low, I did work it out on the keto page I was directed to on another topic, I've gone from probably consuming 100 to 130 a day down to trying to stay under 25g, but does anyone think I should up it.
According to the keto sticks I was in ketosis by the end of day 2 and now I'm wondering if I'm being to impatient

All answers great fully accepted.

If you're feeling good and meeting your goals on a higher carb level, then you can certain increase it. "Low carb" doesn't require "ketogenic diet" levels. Many here actually do better on higher carb levels, so it's worth playing with a little. Perhaps you could try a happy medium of around 75g and see how you do?

Have a look at the Launch Pad. There are a couple of threads for recipes, as well as ones on fiber and fat that will probably be of use to you.

Cheesy567

Brussels sprouts-- nature's laxative

GaleHawkins

I just started adding some nutritional yeast flakes. They do not taste like candy but I am ok with them and the minerals in them. Two tablespoons is 60 calories and the 5 grams of carbs are off set in part due to the 4 grams of fiber.