I’m not pooping!
retta87
Posts: 35 Member
What the hell is going on? I’ve always worked out pretty consistently but I’ve focused on my diet more heat lately and I don’t poop. I read I need more fiber or water. I take a fiber pill and probiotic and I feel like I drink a lot of water almost 55 ounces a day. I literally never get the urge. Should I be concerned or what? I can’t be the only one. If someone has some knowledge on this matter I’d appreciate it! Thanks
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Replies
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I’ve heard from a bodybuilder friend that it’s helpful to have a fat bomb meal (greasy) to get things moving but not sure if this works for everyone.
Prune juice couldn’t hurt either.3 -
I would check with your doctor to rule out a medical problem.
Other than that, perhaps change your foods. Try eating oatmeal/steel cut oats, salads, broccoli, and cabbage and see if they help.3 -
A common reason among people on MFP is not getting enough dietary fats. People cut fat way down to save calories, but a certain minimum is needed to . . . maintain smooth throughput, not to mention to absorb fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K), balance hormones, build healthy cells, and more.
If you've not defecated in multiple days, and have eaten plenty of fiber, see a doctor. There can be acute problems that are dangerous. Generally those things would cause discomfort, but I wouldn't take chances. Call the doctor's office, at least, if it's been days.
If it's not that extreme, take a look at fat intake. Think in terms of 0.35-0.45 grams daily per pound of body weight, as a minimum. If you're not there, have some nuts, seeds, peanut butter, olive oil, avocados . . . etc.4 -
Probiotics tend to be super constipating for me. I had pretty horrible prolonged diarrhea when my appendix ruptured last year, was advised to take probiotics and electrolyte replacement (I got badly dehydrated) and taking Align definitely reversed the diarrhea. A few months later I came across the remainder of the Align capsules and because I'd paid a stupid amount of money for the things (and probiotics are supposed to be good for you, right?) I decided to finish them off and my digestive system promptly ground to a halt. Maybe they're creating similar issues for you?1
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I don’t know if I’m replying right. But this could be the issue. I’m thinking about drinking a laxative tea and see what happens and ditch the probiotic. So last year not to get to gross I had diarrhea constantly and I started the probiotic to help my gut and it stopped the diarrhea. So I think you’re on to something here!Probiotics tend to be super constipating for me. I had pretty horrible prolonged diarrhea when my appendix ruptured last year, was advised to take probiotics and electrolyte replacement (I got badly dehydrated) and taking Align definitely reversed the diarrhea. A few months later I came across the remainder of the Align capsules and because I'd paid a stupid amount of money for the things (and probiotics are supposed to be good for you, right?) I decided to finish them off and my digestive system promptly ground to a halt. Maybe they're creating similar issues for you?
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I don’t know if I’m replying right. But this could be the issue. I’m thinking about drinking a laxative tea and see what happens and ditch the probiotic. So last year not to get to gross I had diarrhea constantly and I started the probiotic to help my gut and it stopped the diarrhea. So I think you’re on to something here!
Can't hurt to try. Long before this I had a friend who was urging me to try kombucha because it was so great for the digestive system and it had exactly the same effect, I think it's similar to a probiotic?
I ended up using PEG (Miralax) to counteract the Align.0 -
When I was doing very low carb dieting I had the same problem. Fiber tablets helped, but it wasn't the same as eating my usual bran cereal.1
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Also, if your fiber is right and things are weird and you got the green light from the doc... I mean, magnesium. Seriously keep the water up with it however!! I drink a gallon a day, so that wasn't a problem for me - but it is what they use for the elderly, and before surgery. Can't go wrong.0
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Magnesium citrate to be exact1
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When you have a baby, you're told that baby might poo 7 times a day, or once every 7 days. That is extreme, but it is natural. When you say you're not pooping, do you mean never at all, or just... far less? Going low carb, cutting out breads and potatoes nad starchy vegetables, I went down to just pooping little sheep pellets. it was... well it was weird, but I'm used to it now.
I think so long as you are pooping at all, then the passageway is still working and is not blocked. But if you have not pooped at all, then that is extremely bad, and can end in sudden agonising death.
Sorry for scary idea. If you haven't pooped in 5 days go to the doctor.
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When you say not pooping... for how long?
While many of us think of a BM (bowel movement) as being a once a day activity, it's not uncommon for it to happen multiple times a day, or once every other day and for that to be normal (and it's not a problem). If you're regularly getting to day three then maybe it is something to be looked at (especially if your BM are painful or uncomfortable). Something to bare in mind is that if you have reduced your calorie intake and/or volume of food, you will have less waste to remove from your digestive tract, often I find that when I first go on a cut, my BM pattern will change. Often from once a day to once every other day, but it can change completely differently.
A note on fibre is that there is a sweet spot between too much and too little. Depending on what your diet is like normally, it might be that the fibre pill isn't helping, and is could potentially be making things worse. Is this a new addition? And has it made a difference? If you eat a reasonably high volume of fibre anyway, the pill may not be necessary.
Something that if often forgotten as well is that fat helps BMs. From the sounds of it you're changing up your diet, and if that includes dramatically reducing the amount of fat in it, then that might be the answer. Fat is an important macro nutrient and making sure you get enough does help with BMs.1 -
I believe less fat and more dairy products has caused my system to change. I eat veggies and drink water, though probably not nearly enough. I still go but the consistency is very different.
Hope you get your issues resolved soon, it's not a fun feeling. It wouldn't hurt to make a call to your doctor and I highly doubt it's anything serious, just a change in diet might be needed.0 -
Before I started IF I was very regular, I knew exactly when I would have a BM every morning. Now I'm on a 20:4 IF schedule and I will go 2 or 3 days without a BM. If it gets past 3 days, I drink a glass of water with 1 tablespoon of Epsom Salts (Magnesium Sulfate). In the past I used to use laxative tea, but that takes longer to work.1
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I agree that IF can modify a previously predictable schedule. Most diets do.0
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I have cut down on my fat and that could be a big component. Honestly I don’t know what is a healthy fat. I know avacados are but I hate them. But if you could give me some ideas for healthy fats, I’d appreciate it.When you say not pooping... for how long?
While many of us think of a BM (bowel movement) as being a once a day activity, it's not uncommon for it to happen multiple times a day, or once every other day and for that to be normal (and it's not a problem). If you're regularly getting to day three then maybe it is something to be looked at (especially if your BM are painful or uncomfortable). Something to bare in mind is that if you have reduced your calorie intake and/or volume of food, you will have less waste to remove from your digestive tract, often I find that when I first go on a cut, my BM pattern will change. Often from once a day to once every other day, but it can change completely differently.
A note on fibre is that there is a sweet spot between too much and too little. Depending on what your diet is like normally, it might be that the fibre pill isn't helping, and is could potentially be making things worse. Is this a new addition? And has it made a difference? If you eat a reasonably high volume of fibre anyway, the pill may not be necessary.
Something that if often forgotten as well is that fat helps BMs. From the sounds of it you're changing up your diet, and if that includes dramatically reducing the amount of fat in it, then that might be the answer. Fat is an important macro nutrient and making sure you get enough does help with BMs.
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I have cut down on my fat and that could be a big component. Honestly I don’t know what is a healthy fat. I know avacados are but I hate them. But if you could give me some ideas for healthy fats, I’d appreciate it.When you say not pooping... for how long?
While many of us think of a BM (bowel movement) as being a once a day activity, it's not uncommon for it to happen multiple times a day, or once every other day and for that to be normal (and it's not a problem). If you're regularly getting to day three then maybe it is something to be looked at (especially if your BM are painful or uncomfortable). Something to bare in mind is that if you have reduced your calorie intake and/or volume of food, you will have less waste to remove from your digestive tract, often I find that when I first go on a cut, my BM pattern will change. Often from once a day to once every other day, but it can change completely differently.
A note on fibre is that there is a sweet spot between too much and too little. Depending on what your diet is like normally, it might be that the fibre pill isn't helping, and is could potentially be making things worse. Is this a new addition? And has it made a difference? If you eat a reasonably high volume of fibre anyway, the pill may not be necessary.
Something that if often forgotten as well is that fat helps BMs. From the sounds of it you're changing up your diet, and if that includes dramatically reducing the amount of fat in it, then that might be the answer. Fat is an important macro nutrient and making sure you get enough does help with BMs.
Nuts, seeds, olive or most nut oils, cold-water fatty fish. Generally, because most people get enough (too much, relatively) saturated fat, you want to pursue monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat sources (you can look these up, find foods you like); similarly, most people are overbalanced toward Omega-6 sources, so it can be good to pursue getting more Omega-3s. Avoid trans fats - entirely, if possible.
P.S. I'm another one for whom fiber pills were a bad plan. That was what my doctor recommended when I was struggling with constipation, some years back. That made things worse! He hadn't asked enough questions, and I was too ignorant then to realize: I was already getting plenty of fiber in my diet, from whole grains, veggies, fruits, etc. I wasn't drinking enough water, then. (I'm not saying it's water, for you - may be something else. But that's what it was for me, then.) Fats are important, too.0 -
If I were a betting man, I'd wager you've substantially cut dietary fat. I only say that because it's common to dieting...dietary fat is highly essential in general to good health and is also very important to regularity. High protein can also constipate.1
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It could be water - 55 oz isn't all that much - especially if it isn't consistent. I eat 30-40 grams of fibre daily, and plenty of fat - but even one day of reduced water intake throws my digestion off for several days. Maybe try really watching your water intake for a few days before you make any big diet changes?1
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What is the tea you are speaking of?0
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I have cut down on my fat and that could be a big component. Honestly I don’t know what is a healthy fat. I know avacados are but I hate them. But if you could give me some ideas for healthy fats, I’d appreciate it.
I like walnuts, shelled, unsalted. They're high in the good fats. They're also high calorie, so I can't mindlessly munch. I add them to salads and yogurt. Eating some now.
The package says;
Calories per 1/4 cup: 200
Total fat: 20 grams
Saturated 2 grams
Polyunsaturated 14 grams
Monosaturated fat 2.5 grams
Trans fat: none
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A (one) fiber pill is nearly nothing. If you're taking Metamucil the dosage is 5 pills at a time for just 2 grams of fiber! I've taken to eating apples and oatmeal for more fiber.
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I have cut down on my fat and that could be a big component. Honestly I don’t know what is a healthy fat. I know avacados are but I hate them. But if you could give me some ideas for healthy fats, I’d appreciate it.When you say not pooping... for how long?
While many of us think of a BM (bowel movement) as being a once a day activity, it's not uncommon for it to happen multiple times a day, or once every other day and for that to be normal (and it's not a problem). If you're regularly getting to day three then maybe it is something to be looked at (especially if your BM are painful or uncomfortable). Something to bare in mind is that if you have reduced your calorie intake and/or volume of food, you will have less waste to remove from your digestive tract, often I find that when I first go on a cut, my BM pattern will change. Often from once a day to once every other day, but it can change completely differently.
A note on fibre is that there is a sweet spot between too much and too little. Depending on what your diet is like normally, it might be that the fibre pill isn't helping, and is could potentially be making things worse. Is this a new addition? And has it made a difference? If you eat a reasonably high volume of fibre anyway, the pill may not be necessary.
Something that if often forgotten as well is that fat helps BMs. From the sounds of it you're changing up your diet, and if that includes dramatically reducing the amount of fat in it, then that might be the answer. Fat is an important macro nutrient and making sure you get enough does help with BMs.
Healthy fats are natural fats that you would find around you 300 yrs ago. Unhealthy fats are manufactured oils, usually, eg rapeseed/ canola oil, 'salad' oil, soya oil, - stuff that comes out of a huge factory.
Olive oil is just pressed from an olive. Coconut fat is just fat from a coconut. They are both safe.
Margarine is the carbon monoxide of fats: it binds with fat receptors and stops those receptors from being able to access actual fat and perform their function.
Fats solid at room temperature are fine if they are from an animal or coconut. Provided you don't superheat them they are good for you.
Oils heated and reheated (eg from the fish n chip shop) despite being unsaturated are terrifyingly bad for you.
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Olive oil comes from a huge factory as well and is manufactured. You can't sell stuff in supermarkets worldwide that didn't go through rigorous quality control. If small farmers would be making their own oil, manufacturers could not sell this due to quality issues. Yes, manufacturers make millions upon millions of bottles of olive oil. Also, olive oil has one problem for cooking: it's smoking point is very low. You can't use it for many Asian dishes which require a very hot pan. Heating olive oil past it's smoking point breaks down the fats and releases acrolein, which you don't want to eat. Thus nothing wrong with using sunflower oil or something similar for cooking.
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Walnuts, almonds, most nuts are good fats as well, right? Trouble is with fats that taste so good, a little goes a long way and it's hard to stop.2
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I have cut down on my fat and that could be a big component. Honestly I don’t know what is a healthy fat. I know avacados are but I hate them. But if you could give me some ideas for healthy fats, I’d appreciate it.When you say not pooping... for how long?
While many of us think of a BM (bowel movement) as being a once a day activity, it's not uncommon for it to happen multiple times a day, or once every other day and for that to be normal (and it's not a problem). If you're regularly getting to day three then maybe it is something to be looked at (especially if your BM are painful or uncomfortable). Something to bare in mind is that if you have reduced your calorie intake and/or volume of food, you will have less waste to remove from your digestive tract, often I find that when I first go on a cut, my BM pattern will change. Often from once a day to once every other day, but it can change completely differently.
A note on fibre is that there is a sweet spot between too much and too little. Depending on what your diet is like normally, it might be that the fibre pill isn't helping, and is could potentially be making things worse. Is this a new addition? And has it made a difference? If you eat a reasonably high volume of fibre anyway, the pill may not be necessary.
Something that if often forgotten as well is that fat helps BMs. From the sounds of it you're changing up your diet, and if that includes dramatically reducing the amount of fat in it, then that might be the answer. Fat is an important macro nutrient and making sure you get enough does help with BMs.
Healthy fats are natural fats that you would find around you 300 yrs ago. Unhealthy fats are manufactured oils, usually, eg rapeseed/ canola oil, 'salad' oil, soya oil, - stuff that comes out of a huge factory.
Olive oil is just pressed from an olive. Coconut fat is just fat from a coconut. They are both safe.
Margarine is the carbon monoxide of fats: it binds with fat receptors and stops those receptors from being able to access actual fat and perform their function.
Fats solid at room temperature are fine if they are from an animal or coconut. Provided you don't superheat them they are good for you.
Oils heated and reheated (eg from the fish n chip shop) despite being unsaturated are terrifyingly bad for you.
IMO, this is misleading - overgeneralized.
I believe - perhaps incorrectly - that you, the person I'm quoting, feel comfortable eating high levels of saturated fats. By contrast, many evidence-based dietitians think that our health is best served by keeping saturated fat levels at moderate levels. Some can be fine, but many people get too little of MUFAs and PUFAs, so would be well served by prioritizing those, for better balance.
Yes, margarines that contain trans fats are not a good thing, even in relatively small amounts: That's the current consensus. Further, in the US their nutritional labels may say zero trans fats when there are low levels of trans fats present (usually signaled by word like "hydrogenated" in the ingredients list), because (in the US) the nutritional-label trans fats number can be rounded down if they contain below 0.5 grams per serving, which is still a concerning amount of trans fats, especially in that the label serving size may be less than what people actually eat.
Some margarines or margarine-like spreads now use the fats you say are OK - the ones solid at room temperature. Details matter, if someone is concerned. Some coconut oils may be hydrogenated, so contain trans fats.
Some of the oils you praise "come out of a huge factory", and may be heat-extracted or extracted with use of solvents, not simply cold pressed. Some of the oils you demonize are cold pressed from simple agricultural (i.e., plant) products, as are oils you praise. It matters what happens in the factory, not the mere fact that it's a "factory". It matters what the agricultural product is, too, if a person cares about the nutritional effects of the oil.9 -
I have cut down on my fat and that could be a big component. Honestly I don’t know what is a healthy fat. I know avacados are but I hate them. But if you could give me some ideas for healthy fats, I’d appreciate it.When you say not pooping... for how long?
While many of us think of a BM (bowel movement) as being a once a day activity, it's not uncommon for it to happen multiple times a day, or once every other day and for that to be normal (and it's not a problem). If you're regularly getting to day three then maybe it is something to be looked at (especially if your BM are painful or uncomfortable). Something to bare in mind is that if you have reduced your calorie intake and/or volume of food, you will have less waste to remove from your digestive tract, often I find that when I first go on a cut, my BM pattern will change. Often from once a day to once every other day, but it can change completely differently.
A note on fibre is that there is a sweet spot between too much and too little. Depending on what your diet is like normally, it might be that the fibre pill isn't helping, and is could potentially be making things worse. Is this a new addition? And has it made a difference? If you eat a reasonably high volume of fibre anyway, the pill may not be necessary.
Something that if often forgotten as well is that fat helps BMs. From the sounds of it you're changing up your diet, and if that includes dramatically reducing the amount of fat in it, then that might be the answer. Fat is an important macro nutrient and making sure you get enough does help with BMs.
Healthy fats are natural fats that you would find around you 300 yrs ago. Unhealthy fats are manufactured oils, usually, eg rapeseed/ canola oil, 'salad' oil, soya oil, - stuff that comes out of a huge factory.
Olive oil is just pressed from an olive. Coconut fat is just fat from a coconut. They are both safe.
Margarine is the carbon monoxide of fats: it binds with fat receptors and stops those receptors from being able to access actual fat and perform their function.
Fats solid at room temperature are fine if they are from an animal or coconut. Provided you don't superheat them they are good for you.
Oils heated and reheated (eg from the fish n chip shop) despite being unsaturated are terrifyingly bad for you.
Margarine IS an actual fat.5 -
Very true 1 probably doesn’t do much!LiveOnceBeHappy wrote: »A (one) fiber pill is nearly nothing. If you're taking Metamucil the dosage is 5 pills at a time for just 2 grams of fiber! I've taken to eating apples and oatmeal for more fiber.
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Very true 1 probably doesn’t do much!LiveOnceBeHappy wrote: »A (one) fiber pill is nearly nothing. If you're taking Metamucil the dosage is 5 pills at a time for just 2 grams of fiber! I've taken to eating apples and oatmeal for more fiber.
Speaking from experience: If fiber isn't the problem, a dry pill with even a little extra is just going to make the problem worse.
Are you logging your food on MFP? If so, how many grams of fiber daily are you getting from food, typically? How many grams of fats?0 -
I’m really low on my fiber! Like ridiculously low. My fat I’m okay on. Sheesh there literally is a science to all this! I really appreciate the help.Very true 1 probably doesn’t do much!LiveOnceBeHappy wrote: »A (one) fiber pill is nearly nothing. If you're taking Metamucil the dosage is 5 pills at a time for just 2 grams of fiber! I've taken to eating apples and oatmeal for more fiber.
Speaking from experience: If fiber isn't the problem, a dry pill with even a little extra is just going to make the problem worse.
Are you logging your food on MFP? If so, how many grams of fiber daily are you getting from food, typically? How many grams of fats?
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I’m really low on my fiber! Like ridiculously low. My fat I’m okay on. Sheesh there literally is a science to all this! I really appreciate the help.Very true 1 probably doesn’t do much!LiveOnceBeHappy wrote: »A (one) fiber pill is nearly nothing. If you're taking Metamucil the dosage is 5 pills at a time for just 2 grams of fiber! I've taken to eating apples and oatmeal for more fiber.
Speaking from experience: If fiber isn't the problem, a dry pill with even a little extra is just going to make the problem worse.
Are you logging your food on MFP? If so, how many grams of fiber daily are you getting from food, typically? How many grams of fats?
It would be good to try to get to around 25 grams of fiber daily. You can use something like psyllium as a supplement as a transitional thing, but it would be good to chip away at getting more of it from foods like beans, veggies, fruits, whole grains, other foods folks have mentioned on this thread - any forms of those you like eating, that have some fiber. As a bonus, most people find those foods filling, and most of them are pretty nutrient-dense.
If you're logging your food, if you want to, you can replace one of your current nutrient columns (whichever one you're least concerned about) with fiber, so you can track it better. I see that you sent me a friend request - thank you. I'm in maintenance now, have different calorie needs than you do (and almost certainly different food preferences, that I wouldn't try to force on anyone else!), but if you want to, you can look at my diary and see where my 40-some grams of fiber on a typical day are coming from.
P.S. Don't increase fiber by a lot all at once! Do it gradually.2
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