Does constipation prevent you from losing?

von_valentine

I “go” just small amount every day. I weigh 221 and I’ve ate 1200 calories the last week and I’ve gained .5lbs, I’m assuming it’s because I need to go to the bathroom

ElizabethKalmbach

It won't prevent you from burning fat, but it will keep your scale weight a bit static, yes. As will water retention.

candylilacs

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! And get to walking! Eat a few of fibrous vegetables every day.

armyvet25

von_valentine wrote: »

I “go” just small amount every day. I weigh 221 and I’ve ate 1200 calories the last week and I’ve gained .5lbs, I’m assuming it’s because I need to go to the bathroom

same here, I even went up 2 lbs one day then down 3 the following. Between that and water retention, don't sweat it. I weigh in each day but look at my weekly to determine my results.

JenniferM1234

If you can budget the calories easily, I've found that Fiber One bars do the trick to resolve that problem.

MikePTY

Weight loss is a long term process. You can't tell anything by a week. Constipation could certainly be affecting the scale. Or soemthign unrelated. A lot causes short term movements up or down in the scale besides fat loss. Give your current plan at least a month before you consider reevaluating.

AnnPT77

It can mask fat loss on the scale, but should increase calorie absorption only a very tiny bit, if at all.

Speaking as a successful weight loser once diagnosed with IBS-C and now asymptomatic, I think the key variables are

* fiber intake (increase gradually to 25g+),
* hydration (adequate, not crazy much - shoot for urine straw colored or paler, though extra water soluble vitamin intake may make it bright yellow, which is OK - avoid dark yellow, and see your doctor if it's brownish or red),
* adequate fat (0.35-0.45 minimum daily per pound of healthy goal weight; it's common for folks to under-do fats when dieting)
* regular exercise that moves the midsection

For some people, other things that can help are

* probiotics (ideally IMO from foods such as live culture yogurt /kefir, raw sauerkraut/kim chi or fermented (not brined) pickles, miso, tempeh, etc. . . . plus the right prebiotic fibrous veggies that help those beneficial microorganisms thrive in your digestive tract)
* magnesium supplementation, after trying the other stuff. I'm getting best results from magnesium glycinate, it seems, though magnesium citrate is often suggested for this.

I'm concerned that you may be over-restricting calories, but your weight loss rate over 4-6 weeks would be the best guide. (1200 was too low for me at a lighter weight and age 59, even though I was eating all exercise calories as recommended.)

Regardless, a week is too short a time to know. If you're a premenopausal woman, hormone-related factors will confuse things, and many other factors (including constipation) can do likewise. Think about about a 4-6 week time horizon, to get a clear view.

Hugs and best wishes: Hang in there!

youngmomtaz

Do you drink protein shakes at all? Or consume pudding or yogurt or cereal? I add a tbsp of uncrushed chia seeds to many things but the items I listed above are super simple to add it to and I like the texture(if you are a thick texture person) they add to things when they are given a chance to soak a bit. I have chronic issues my doc is blaming on so many years of being refused treatment for hypothyroid. Chia helps a little bit without blocking things further for me like some other fibres will.

Your scale will fluctuate yes, but if you weigh daily you will spot the trends.

Jackie9003

JenniferM1234 wrote: »

If you can budget the calories easily, I've found that Fiber One bars do the trick to resolve that problem.

I love Fibre One bars, I'm not really sure how effective they are but they're certainly worth a try

brenn24179

i take magnesium 400 mg, friend at the gym told me Dr Oz says do this and it works.