(embarrassing) digestive concern

sidoniecolette

I'm posting this reluctantly for obvious reasons, but I'm hoping it helps someone else, too!

Has anyone else experienced constipation when they first cut down/altered their dietary intake? I know all of the causes I should be aware of - lack of fiber, fluids, or exercise, eating too much dairy... But I am ingesting plenty of fiber (I think - fruits & veggies & whole wheat & legumes) & the only way I really changed my diet is by cutting out sweets, junk food, & by eating more frequently...

I also know that constipation can be a side-effect of dieting/eating disorders... & can be a psychological reaction.

So, has anyone had this happen to them? How long did it take for the problem to be resolved? Did you resort to laxatives/milk of magnesia? I'm terrified of laxatives because of what can happen if you abuse them (not that I would) - but I'm almost getting ready to trek to the drugstore to buy some... Any suggestions?

I've been eating so well all week, but the scale is higher than normal & my stomach is bloated - all due to this problem. It's so discouraging! Not to mention uncomfortable.

mishmash73

my trainer had me increase my protein & cut back on my carbs & i totally was there in your world... i cut back on the protein & added back in some healthy carbs... i'm back to normal now. He had me at 166 g of protein which is a lot. I am still trying to increase my protein just not tht high

indeegirl

Drink plenty of water

aflane

I frequently have the same problem, ESPECIALLY when my fat intake drops too low. Instead, put some healthy fats in your diet, such as olive oil, avocado, etc. In fact, my dietician yells at me when my fat intake drops too low. She told me my constipation issues are due to low fat intake, so looking at your food diary, it seems that you're in the same boat.

Stay away from laxatives, they're nasty and will totally mess up your digestion.

Hsanders3961

Mine was actually the opposite as I was taking in more fiber, eating more regularly, drinking more water, and exercising. You may want to look into the foods you are eating. I am sure any diet change can greatly affect regularity!

justscrappy

I found the same thing happened to me when I increased my fiber intake too quickly. I know that fiber helps keep you regular, but increasing it too quickly can cause you to become constipated. Take a look at your fiber and see if you need to cut it back and increase it at a slower rate.

Shelty64

Yes, that happened to me too. I take Metamcuil twice a day now. I was watching the Dr. Oz show and he suggested that we all do this, so that we can get enough fiber in our diets. It works fabulous! But....one caveat, you will be gassy for the first couple weeks until your body gets used to all that extra fiber....so take it at night or when you know you'll be alone, because your co-workers won't like it....lol!

LaDiablesse

I've heard it happen to people when they cut down a lot on their fat intake.

sweebum

Yes, yes, yes. I use omegas, more fat, lots of water and fibre

ShellyMacchi

yup... i just upped my water to MORE than 8 cups a day... 9 - 10 was good for me, and it all sorted itself out *S*

lllazarus

hasn't happen to me but I am drinking dieters tea 3 times a week to give my system some help.

CoryIda

Yes, it is common. There are, however, lots of things you can do to improve things.

1) Increase your fiber intake. MFP doesn't actually give you enough fiber in your goals, but women under 50 should shoot for at least 25 grams a day, men under 50 should get 35 grams a day. Fruits (berries - especially blueberries - and pears are especially high in fiber), whole grains, and veggies have lots of fiber. This is ESPECIALLY important if you eat a lot of protein.

2) Drink lots of water. In fact, if you eat lots of fiber but don't drink enough water, you can actually make yourself even more "plugged up." Minimum 8 cups, preferably half your body weight in ounces (for you, that would be between 9 and 10 cups/day... more if you work out a lot).

3) Exercise. Walking, especially, is a great way to get things... moving.

Be consistent in those things and you shouldn't have a problem. If you do continue to experience a problem with constipation despite increasing your fiber, water, and exercise, you should talk to a doctor.

Shelty64

I should point out that Metamucil is NOT A LAXATIVE, it's just psyllium husk. I also agree with the other blogger who suggested you get enough of the good fats in your diet. If I get to the end of the day and I still have calories left to consume, I will sometimes takes a spoonful of olive oil or flax seed oil.

fullofhope

Dont' feel bad, I bet I have read 4 posts on this in the last 3 days. You are not the only one experiencing this! Increase water, try hot water in the morning, (works for me) many have had luck with Senekot, it is a natural stool softener. Stay away from Exlax. If you go too long with out a BM go to the drugstore and ask the pharmacist, he can guide you to a gentle enema. They say 4 days constitutes constipation. Don't let it go too far, impaction is NOT fun.

rcgrissom

Try some Organic Smooth Move © SENNA tea, from Traditional Medicines, before bed, it'll help regulate you but DON'T drink it daily. Lots of Water, Veggies and Fruit. I rarely eat red meat because it doesn't agree with me.

soysos

I make no secret of the fact I have some horrible digestive disorders. at one point I was so baked up it had to be surgically removed. fiber supplements can do more harm than good, not only do they tear up your stomach too much fiber is just as bad as too little. probiotics are the key, I generally try to get mine from food, yogurt, blue cheese, even beer, but I also take a digestive enzyme, and a probiotic cocktail to supplement. this is preventative, if I haven't gone in about 3-4 days I start taking miralax, and sometimes a laxative.

sidoniecolette

I frequently have the same problem, ESPECIALLY when my fat intake drops too low. Instead, put some healthy fats in your diet, such as olive oil, avocado, etc. In fact, my dietician yells at me when my fat intake drops too low. She told me my constipation issues are due to low fat intake, so looking at your food diary, it seems that you're in the same boat.

Stay away from laxatives, they're nasty and will totally mess up your digestion.

That sounds about right! I've been avoiding olive oil/margarine like crazy... I'll try to get in some nuts/avocado/etc & use more olive oil. Thanks!

just4laughs

Prune juice

HannahPastoor

Happened to me! But I was fine after a few days....Make sure you drink lots of water!

HannahPastoor

Happened to me! But I was fine after a few days....Make sure you drink lots of water!

PirateJenny

If this is just in your first week it could be a normal adjustment period and should...um...pass. Our bodies an react in aggravating ways when there is a change in diet.

If it does not, then start making adjustments to your diet and see what helps move things along.

Drinking plenty (more than the recommended 8 x 8oz servings a day) of water is solid advice for almost everyone and can help with constipation.

However, what constipates a person is not universal. I am of Ashkenazi (Russian) Jewish descent and have an inherited sensitivity to dairy, in anything but small amounts it opens me up in very unpleasant ways. Other people experience the opposite effect.

I would not go to any extremes, just pay attention to what your body tells you when you eat certain types of foods and you should be able to make the appropriate adjustments and feel comfortable again.

However, if you start to experience pain and have not gone in several days, you might want to seek medical advice.

janesmith1

Yes, and I have psyllium husks here (they're a powder) and mix it into juice and VAVOOM! That plus having a lot of vit c in the form of Emergen-C kind of helps

downtome

It really wouldn't hurt for you to take a ducolax tablet or two, these are the best ones, if you are feeling this miserable! I have been having problems with hard stools so I take stool softners and they seem to help a lot, if I don't take them it is very painful and agonizing. I don't think that you would abuse a few laxitives and it is perfectly safe as a once in awhile thing, this happens to everyone, why suffer?!

soysos

Prune juice

that doesn't really work, now aloe vera juice thats another matter.

jlorton82

OMG I am so glad to see someone else is having this problem!! And you know what, all the advice on here is great except that NONE of it has worked for me, prune juice, fresh prunes, fiber cereal, fiber bars, laxatives, enema's I have tried it all and nothing works. I might get a movement to occur but then the constipation just comes back and I am eating tons of fiber a day. Sometimes up to 50 grams of fiber a day. I drink plenty of water, eat tons of veggies and have cut out sugars, sweets etc..same as you. I have even gone to the doctor about this because sometimes I get so backed up that i start to have severe pains in my side and lower stomach. I dont know what causes it, I wish I did and I wish I had a solution but Ive got nothing. At least you can know you are not in this alone! I take a probiotic pearl (acidophilis) and it helps some, but I am still not regular and activia yogurt is a joke in my book, sure never helped me any. I hate to sound like there is no answer but I havent found one yet. If you find one, let me know and good luck to you!

avninjalette123

I have had this issue my whole life. With the new life style I started taking Woman's one a days. Since I've been taking them I go regularly. If I forget to take them one day I notice right away because I wont go for that day. I cut it in half to get the vitamins for the full 24 hours, too.

malinda2011

Look at your food journal, some foods cause this. Lettuce is my killer. I have had the same problems, gone to the ER even and it is all about the foods you eat. Be carefull with lettuce, NO popcorn or anything with seeds. Nuts didnt bother me but they do others I know with simular issues. Look at the days you felt the worst and see what you ate that day. Start cutting out foods one at a time until you have found what affects your body. Hope this helps.

soysos

OMG I am so glad to see someone else is having this problem!! And you know what, all the advice on here is great except that NONE of it has worked for me, prune juice, fresh prunes, fiber cereal, fiber bars, laxatives, enema's I have tried it all and nothing works. I might get a movement to occur but then the constipation just comes back and I am eating tons of fiber a day. Sometimes up to 50 grams of fiber a day. I drink plenty of water, eat tons of veggies and have cut out sugars, sweets etc..same as you. I have even gone to the doctor about this because sometimes I get so backed up that i start to have severe pains in my side and lower stomach. I dont know what causes it, I wish I did and I wish I had a solution but Ive got nothing. At least you can know you are not in this alone! I take a probiotic pearl (acidophilis) and it helps some, but I am still not regular and activia yogurt is a joke in my book, sure never helped me any. I hate to sound like there is no answer but I havent found one yet. If you find one, let me know and good luck to you!

too much fiber in the diet, or sudden increase in fiber can dry you out causing constipation. if this is the case a laxative is worthless. this is exactly what your doctor is going to tell you, if you've tried a laxative for more than a week and it hasn't helped try a stool softener. miralax is what I use just mix it into my morning grapefruit juice. the stuff works wonders, its not nearly as fast as a stimulant laxative, but it also doesn't cause me any pain.

juliapurpletoes

Hi! :flowerforyou:

I like so many others have had the same problem - I guess for me what works is the metamucil a few times a day spread out. Sometimes, I will also take Miralax at the recommended dosage. Neither of these has been harsh for me and i was diagnosed with irritable bowel a while back - total constipation. Not too scary or serious though. But this is what my gastro Dr. told me to try and it worked. :blushing:

Since then I really studied up on both types of fiber. I noticed I have a really difficult time with the insoluble fibers like broccoli and whole grains, and do much better with the soluable type like peas, psyillum, rice, potatoes, oranges , etc . I know using the net you can find lists of both. My system likes things cooked instead of raw as well. Sometimes fiber is just too tough (eewwww!) to get through the digestive system uncooked. I was just eating mountains of broccoli and wondering why wasn't I going!!

Most of all what helped me was to relax, I was the type to worry too much - still am!

So my advice is to experiment with the different kinds of fiber, lots of liquids, etc....maybe try the Metamucil or Miralax.

Best!
Julia

Lisa__Michelle

I started back in October and I was VERY constipated for the months of October and November. I was going once a week (if that!) and it wasn't much. I had read at the time that someone else had it and people said that they did too when they first started. People said it would go away and guess what, it went away! I just waited it out, made sure I stuck to my eating routine, and drank plenty of water. Eventually the flow started up again lol. Now I am more regular than I ever have been my whole life.

Snowbunny95

I started to feel a bit impacted too. Doctor recommended Miralax for me - trouble is for me to keep it up!

I try to get in my lettuce and fiber bars/cereal. So much water that people at work think there is something wrong with me I go to the restroom so often!

Only thing I ever feel is 'plugged'. Sometimes if the Miralax doesn't work, I opt for the stronger laxative....which is okay - sometimes only!

Like others said, I have found moving makes me 'move'. On one of my bike rides last week, I felt like I was going to ... go.

Imagine what our insides were like before we started eating better - all that fat and grease! YUCK!