Regularity

faithan84

Sorry to go there... but I'm looking for other people's experiences.

I'm not regular unless I take a stool softener and/or laxative... it'll be three, four days before I "go".

All online advice suggests increasing fiber intake (I eat two cups of fruits, 4-6 cups of veggies, and 1-2 cups of whole grains [usually steel cut oats, wild rice, or quinoa] every day... I'm not lacking fiber!), increasing water intake (I drink at least 90oz every day), and increasing exercise (I do 30-120 minutes moderate/high intensity exercise every day).

I take vitamin D, B complex, and biotin supplements daily. Do these cause constipation?

I don't want to rely on laxatives to make things "go"! Anyone else having this issue? Any advice?

JeromeBarry1

Women need 25 g fiber, about 1/2-2/3 soluble and about 1/3-1/2 insoluble. Supplement with magnesium, as that also helps. You can get magnesium by soaking your feet or sitting in a bath of Epsom salts for 20 minutes. Also drink the 64 oz water every day. It's a rather mechanical system and the proper lube makes it work. Your food diary (IF YOU LOGGED YOUR FOOD), printable view, shows you how much fiber you get. You have to figure your soluble/insoluble ratios yourself. My food diary is open and you can see how I'm getting 56 g today and how I got 32 g yesterday.

CooCooPuff

Are you eating enough fat?

taylorwells548

I have the same problem! Have you tried a probiotic?

fishshark

I can go 2 weeks not going. I have issues though. It may seem weird but the only thing that makes me have to is if i get nervous about something lol! probiotics help me, fat, and fiber... all at special quantities for my body.

fr33sia12

Wow I'm so the opposite, I pretty much go every morning an hour after getting up whatever time it is where ever I am. I do get plenty of fibre though.

fishshark

JeromeBarry1 wrote: »

Women need 25 g fiber, about 1/2-2/3 soluble and about 1/3-1/2 insoluble. Supplement with magnesium, as that also helps. You can get magnesium by soaking your feet or sitting in a bath of Epsom salts for 20 minutes. Also drink the 64 oz water every day. It's a rather mechanical system and the proper lube makes it work. Your food diary (IF YOU LOGGED YOUR FOOD), printable view, shows you how much fiber you get. You have to figure your soluble/insoluble ratios yourself. My food diary is open and you can see how I'm getting 56 g today and how I got 32 g yesterday.

just looked at your diary and your diary counts sugar not fiber. It says you have had 56 grams of sugar today.

Sabine_Stroehm

I eat plenty of fiber and fats. I do best when I also supplement with magnesium. I also find that I do best if my fiber isn't primarily grains. Grains plug me up.

fr33sia12

fishshark wrote: »

JeromeBarry1 wrote: »

Women need 25 g fiber, about 1/2-2/3 soluble and about 1/3-1/2 insoluble. Supplement with magnesium, as that also helps. You can get magnesium by soaking your feet or sitting in a bath of Epsom salts for 20 minutes. Also drink the 64 oz water every day. It's a rather mechanical system and the proper lube makes it work. Your food diary (IF YOU LOGGED YOUR FOOD), printable view, shows you how much fiber you get. You have to figure your soluble/insoluble ratios yourself. My food diary is open and you can see how I'm getting 56 g today and how I got 32 g yesterday.

just looked at your diary and your diary counts sugar not fiber. It says you have had 56 grams of sugar today.

If you check the printable option you see 56g of fibre.

fishshark

fr33sia12 wrote: »

fishshark wrote: »

JeromeBarry1 wrote: »

Women need 25 g fiber, about 1/2-2/3 soluble and about 1/3-1/2 insoluble. Supplement with magnesium, as that also helps. You can get magnesium by soaking your feet or sitting in a bath of Epsom salts for 20 minutes. Also drink the 64 oz water every day. It's a rather mechanical system and the proper lube makes it work. Your food diary (IF YOU LOGGED YOUR FOOD), printable view, shows you how much fiber you get. You have to figure your soluble/insoluble ratios yourself. My food diary is open and you can see how I'm getting 56 g today and how I got 32 g yesterday.

just looked at your diary and your diary counts sugar not fiber. It says you have had 56 grams of sugar today.

If you check the printable option you see 56g of fibre.

gotcha!

emdeesea

Wheat bran. I have five grams daily. Keeps everything moving.

faithan84

@JeromeBarry1 Thank you for your reply. I used to log my food religiously but got burnt out on it. I now have a good handle on my intake, and weigh and measure all my food for appropriate portions. I stick to a strict plan that works well for me. I'm on here mainly for community. I'll look into insoluble vs soluble fiber and magnesium.

@CooCooPuff I am on a limited fat intake. Besides the fat from lean meats and eggs, I use about 1 tablespoon of oil (olive or coconut to cook with) a day. I cannot increase this amount, but it may be a contributing factor.

@taylorwells548 I have not tried a probiotic, but do eat fermented beets and kimchi once in a while. I'll look into them.

@Sabine_Stroehm Thanks I'll look into magnesium. I was taking a calcium/magnesium supplement at one time but it made it worse.

@emdeesea Thanks for the suggestion. I can't do wheat.

sunfastrose

Have you talked to your doctor?

Christine_72

I second magnesium, citrate and oxide have the best effects in the toileting department in my experience.
Also, 15-20g of psyllium husk powder everyday guarantees regularity for me. It is really disgustingly foul if just mixed with water, don't do it lol I mix the psyllium with a scoop of protein powder, add some milk and boiling water and then mix with a hand immersion blender, it turns out like a creamy, thick chocolate pudding.

ETA: Take the magnesium at night before bed on an empty tummy if you can. I could pop 20 tablets all throughout the day, and it has zero effect on me.

Traveler120

Have you been using laxatives for long? Like weeks and months? If so, you could be making constipation worse because they can decrease your colon's ability to contract if used for long.

If I were you, I would drop the laxatives, stool softeners and add more volume/bulk by eating more starches like potatoes, beans, lentils, rice etc.

Strawblackcat

You can't eat more fat? Hmm...Fat kind of works like oil does in a car engine for our digestive systems. Keeps everything "lubricated", if you know what I mean. Would you be able to increase your intake through nuts/seeds? If so, try eating chia seeds. They gel up and turn slippery when soaked in liquids, which may produce a similar effect. They're also insanely high in fiber, so that could help as well. As far as fiber powders go, I really like Acacia. It's much easier on my digestive system than psyllium is. Psyllium tends to cause a "blow out" effect with me, while Acacia tends to be more gentle, and usually works within 12-16 hours. In either case, make sure to drink plenty of water.

I tend to have issues with this myself, and my daily regimen is a probiotic and magnesium citrate, along with plenty of fermented foods and homemade bone broth. The probiotic I take has 50 billion CFU per capsule, and I take Natural Calm for the magnesium. Magnesium basically draws water into your colon at high doses, which can stimulate a bowel movement. The probiotics help you digest, absorb, and break down your food better, which can prevent things frkm getting gummed up. Most of our fecal weight is actually dead bacteria, so they also help in bulking the stool after they establish themselves. Bone broth is high in gelatin and glutamine, which can coat the intestines and allow things to glide along more freely. All in all, this combination keeps my system running pretty smoothly.


When things DO get bad, senna leaf tea works as an emergency laxative. I say "emergency" because you don't want to take it long-term. You can become dependent on it in the same way that you can become dependent on other laxatives, which hurts your ultimate goal of regularity.

JeromeBarry1

fishshark wrote: »

JeromeBarry1 wrote: »

Women need 25 g fiber, about 1/2-2/3 soluble and about 1/3-1/2 insoluble. Supplement with magnesium, as that also helps. You can get magnesium by soaking your feet or sitting in a bath of Epsom salts for 20 minutes. Also drink the 64 oz water every day. It's a rather mechanical system and the proper lube makes it work. Your food diary (IF YOU LOGGED YOUR FOOD), printable view, shows you how much fiber you get. You have to figure your soluble/insoluble ratios yourself. My food diary is open and you can see how I'm getting 56 g today and how I got 32 g yesterday.

just looked at your diary and your diary counts sugar not fiber. It says you have had 56 grams of sugar today.

I just looked too. I have to use the "view printable" to see the fiber. The fiber today is 56. The sugar today is 48.

RodaRose

How much fat and oil are you eating?