Diet change causing bowel issues?

kgibson9876

Hello everyone, my husband recently joined me on lowering our calories and focusing on macros. In adding more protein to his diet and lowering his calories and eating better. He has found himself to be having problems going to the bathroom. Not being able to go..... I've never had this issue with changing to a healthier lifestyle. Any suggestions?

lisakatz2

Are you eating enough fiber?

neanderthin

Yeah, changing what you eat and whether your consuming more fiber or less fiber all this effects our microbiome which is the community of microorganisms living in our digestive tract and until some of those bacteria finally die off and other new bacteria finally gain adequate numbers it's going to mess with our digestion. Tell your husband just to wait it out, it should clear up.

rileysowner

Is he eating enough fat. It has far more affect on bowel movements than fibre does.

AnnPT77

Fiber, fat, water, gut microbiome, and exercise can all have some influence on constipation, not to mention health conditions including possibly some food sensitivities.

If increasing fiber dramatically - eating lots more veggies and whole grains, or even using a fiber supplement - it's best to phase in that increase, rather than doing it all at once. We had a "10 servings of veggies/fruit per day" challenge here at one point, and some of the people who went from low fiber to that way of eating all at once . . . well, they had the same problem your husband's experiencing.

Some of that may be gut microbiome adaptation, but some is just figuring out how to move all that much fiber all the way through. That's where getting enough fat and fluids come in. Those are part of keeping the digestive tract able to move the waste through the pipes. Too low fat intake is probably especially common here on MFP as an additional trigger on top of more fiber, because a bunch of people suddenly ramp up veggies/fruits/grains to "be healthy" and cut fats to a minimum because fats are calorie dense. Constipation follows that combination.

So: Ramp up high-fiber eating gradually, get enough fats in the overall diet, drink enough water or get fluids in other ways to keep urine pale yellow rather than dark, and things will likely work out. If there's still an issue, consider adding mild middle-moving exercise, probiotic foods, and maybe consulting one's doctor.

If truly backed up for a long time, that can be dangerous. OTC mild medications like stool softeners may be OK briefly, but not for long-term use as a substitute for medical attention to persistent problems.

csplatt

We may also simply have less waste when we are in a deficit, so things move a little slower?

^good ideas above too

totameafox

You also want to stay hydrated. If you are not getting enough fluid then that could cause things to slow down and compact. Personally, I have found that fiber makes for happy pooping though I can skip a day or two without having a bowel movement. Fat does have an affect on me because I have IBS the diarrhea version. Fat will loosen my stool. Fiber lessens the effect. I used to have severe cramps if I ate foods that were high in fat. Now it's more meah. However there is Irritable Bowel Syndrome that leans towards constipation. You can try a stool softener (i used them because of medication I was taking, but fiber fixed that issue). Still this might be something to talk to your doctor with because if it is ibs or some other intestinal issue a doctor's guidance will be better than ours.

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