Help! Can’t “Go”...

brittlb07
brittlb07 Posts: 313 Member
edited February 2019 in Health and Weight Loss
This is super embarrassing but since starting this logging process and calorie deficit I CANNOT seem to have a BM. I normally don’t go more than three times per week anyways but now I am down to about once a week and it’s a struggle. Any advice? I thought with the extra water and healthier food I may go more often but not so much. Side note- this seems to stall my scale loss until I finally do go and then I finally see the scale move for the week 😞
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Replies

  • Tankiscool
    Tankiscool Posts: 11,105 Member
    Whats your diet like? Have you tried increasing your fiber intake?
  • brittlb07
    brittlb07 Posts: 313 Member
    Tankiscool wrote: »
    Whats your diet like? Have you tried increasing your fiber intake?

    I’ve had more bananas and spinach, avocado, etc. I’m a vegetarian. Not sure if that matters?
  • brittlb07
    brittlb07 Posts: 313 Member
    edited February 2019
    apullum wrote: »
    Tankiscool wrote: »
    Whats your diet like? Have you tried increasing your fiber intake?

    Or, have you recently increased your fiber intake and then started having this problem? Sometimes people get constipated when they eat a lot more fiber than they're used to.

    Yes if anything I’ve probably increased. Will still regulate itself or should I back down?
  • Tankiscool
    Tankiscool Posts: 11,105 Member
    apullum wrote: »
    Tankiscool wrote: »
    Whats your diet like? Have you tried increasing your fiber intake?

    Or, have you recently increased your fiber intake and then started having this problem? Sometimes people get constipated when they eat a lot more fiber than they're used to.

    This too!
    brittlb07 wrote: »
    Tankiscool wrote: »
    Whats your diet like? Have you tried increasing your fiber intake?

    I’ve had more bananas and spinach, avocado, etc. I’m a vegetarian. Not sure if that matters?

    Did you recently change the way you are eating? For one extreme to another or or were you always a vegetarian?
  • witchaywoman81
    witchaywoman81 Posts: 280 Member
    apullum wrote: »
    Tankiscool wrote: »
    Whats your diet like? Have you tried increasing your fiber intake?

    Or, have you recently increased your fiber intake and then started having this problem? Sometimes people get constipated when they eat a lot more fiber than they're used to.

    This. I have found that whenever I increase fiber too quickly, it makes it more difficult for me to “go.” If you’re eating differently than you normally do, you might consider scaling back a bit and slowly adding fiber back in.

    It sounds like this is a new problem for you, but as someone who regularly struggles in this area, I have found that drinking coffee or another hot beverage helps, as well as taking a daily probiotic (Align).
  • brittlb07
    brittlb07 Posts: 313 Member
    Tankiscool wrote: »
    apullum wrote: »
    Tankiscool wrote: »
    Whats your diet like? Have you tried increasing your fiber intake?

    Or, have you recently increased your fiber intake and then started having this problem? Sometimes people get constipated when they eat a lot more fiber than they're used to.

    This too!
    brittlb07 wrote: »
    Tankiscool wrote: »
    Whats your diet like? Have you tried increasing your fiber intake?

    I’ve had more bananas and spinach, avocado, etc. I’m a vegetarian. Not sure if that matters?

    Did you recently change the way you are eating? For one extreme to another or or were you always a vegetarian?

    I’ve been a vegetarian for 17 years! Since I was 13!
  • jdog022
    jdog022 Posts: 693 Member
    What does mfp say your fiber intake is on average?
  • brittlb07
    brittlb07 Posts: 313 Member
    jdog022 wrote: »
    What does mfp say your fiber intake is on average?

    I just averaged the last two weeks and it was about 15 grams on a goal of 25. So looks like I am still “under” even though I’ve been eating more, sadly. I’m on a 1350 calorie diet.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    brittlb07 wrote: »
    jdog022 wrote: »
    What does mfp say your fiber intake is on average?

    I just averaged the last two weeks and it was about 15 grams on a goal of 25. So looks like I am still “under” even though I’ve been eating more, sadly. I’m on a 1350 calorie diet.

    It doesn’t matter for this purpose that you’re under your MFP goal. It just matters that you’re eating more fiber than you usually do. Cut back on the fiber for now and try increasing it gradually once you’re not constipated anymore.
  • pgbrown2449
    pgbrown2449 Posts: 2 Member
    Add 1 -2 Tbs. of Carrington Farms Ground Flax & Chia Blend to some yogurt or a smoothie each day. It works wonders and provides Omega-3. https://tinyurl.com/yakcxnlb
  • Cahgetsfit
    Cahgetsfit Posts: 1,912 Member
    senna tablets.
  • Opalescent_Topaz
    Opalescent_Topaz Posts: 132 Member
    Milk of Magnesia, 30 mg.

    This.
  • I would suggest to increase insoluble fiber as apposed to soluble fiber.
    I also found all the twisting positions in yoga helps things going.
  • Seffell
    Seffell Posts: 2,244 Member
    My gastro advised me going for more bulky foods and in particular carrots or cabbage salads.

    Macrogol is a medicine which adds volume (water molecules) to your waste in the intestines. Is it available over the counter where you live?
  • Kandisn29
    Kandisn29 Posts: 92 Member
    One of my new favorite snacks is dried goldenberries. They are sort of like figs, but very tart, and I eat just less than 1/4 cup a day. They help tremendously in this department! Just don’t eat too many!
  • Milk of magnesia and lots of water and activity
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    edited February 2019
    I also second the fat intake question.
  • rosiorama
    rosiorama Posts: 300 Member
    Prunes. If you eat too many you’ll have the opposite problem though. I actually love them and eat them pretty regularly (haha). Beets also help in that department (for me) especially if I don’t eat them all the time.

    And someone else mentioned coffee. And definitely drink more water when you up your fibre!
  • lthames0810
    lthames0810 Posts: 722 Member
    I struggled with this for a long time. The only difference between my gaining weight eating and my losing weight eating was less candy and cookies. And yet I stopped going every day to only going once a week. What sometimes gave me relief was a big steak dinner at a restaurant. This gives credence to the added fat idea.

    But I stumbled on to something about gut bacteria having some relationship to regularity. I switched up my breakfast from oat meal to yogurt with all bran buds cereal and blueberries. Worked very well for me. I now have that same breakfast (with additional liquid like milk or juice and using frozen blueberries) in the form of a smoothie.
  • scribblemoma
    scribblemoma Posts: 115 Member
    I take a very low dose (.25 to .50 doses) of Miralax 2x a week which dissolves tastelessly in my coffee. It doesn’t make me run to the bathroom everyday but it keeps things moving. I have a great fiber intake but have struggled with infrequent bowel movements since I was a child...we’re talking 2 weeks 😮 A doctor recommended this approach and it’s worked ever since!

    Best of luck! The lower gut bloat from not going regularly is awful!
  • sineceilidh
    sineceilidh Posts: 8 Member
    edited February 2019
    Are you only watching what you're eating, or are you exercising as well? The more I exercise, the more regular I become. I have issues with regular BM when I don't eat well and/or don't exercise. Maybe I should be concentrating more on how the foods I'm eating affect me. In the mean time, you might try upping your gym game if you feel that that's it's maybe not enough :)
  • cheryldumais
    cheryldumais Posts: 1,907 Member
    Well one of the best regulators is Magnesium. I take it daily. Also if things are miserable and you don't want to use a laxative try eating a few sugar free candies that have sorbitol in them. Those always work for me.
  • guil0095
    guil0095 Posts: 327 Member
    Fellow vegetarian here! :)<3 Have you tried tea? Herbal teas can do wonders. Cleans everything right out! :D
  • Pipsqueak1965
    Pipsqueak1965 Posts: 397 Member
    Try acidophilus - it's helped me with this problem - it's a probiotic.