Problem Pooping

cchamil1985

Once you finish that one read through this one

The Under Eating & Under Exercising Trap
By: Vanessa De Ascencao

A large calorie deficit and too much exercise can actual hinder weight loss, not improve it.

Is your diet the key to burning body fat or is exercise the answer? Well, by dieting as if you aren’t going to exercise will go a long way to creating a lean physique.

I recently came across an interesting article in Time magazine about diet and exercise. It was entitled:”Why Exercise Won’t Make You Thin“. To sum up the article without going into too much detail, it’s easier to create a large calorie deficit through your diet than by exercising. And that, at the end of the day, is what losing weight is all about.

A calorie deficit is created when your body burns more calories than you consume each day. To lose 1kg of fat per week, for instance, you need to create a daily calorie deficit of 1,000 calories (2lb or 0.9kg of fat contains 7,000 calories). So the question is, would you rather exercise for two hours or just not eat those calories in the first place?

To create a 1,000 calorie deficit through exercise alone is difficult, as you would have to do moderate to high intensity cardio for close to two hours, which can be brutal if you try and do this everyday! A better suggestion would be to eliminate 500-700 calories from your diet and burn the remainder through exercise.

Take this as an example: A big muffin contains 400 calories. Do you realise how much exercising it takes to burn those calories? Well, about an hour on the step machine at a moderate pace would do the trick! So, by relying on exercise alone you would only be back to square one after an hour of cardio. You probably won’t lose weight at all by doing this, especially if you added a full cream milk latte to the mix or a fat free frappe, which is considered by most to be a skinny meal.

Diet is more important than many people realise
If you are eating excessive amounts of calories then a large part of your time spent in the gym is a waste if your goal is to lose weight. Your diet is key to getting into great shape as it lays the platform for optimal weight loss. The ones who don’t realise this are the ones you see at the gym, week in and week out, doing intense exercise with little or no result.

Another mistake people often make at gym is that they copy the workout routine of a person who is in great shape. The real reason that person is in great shape is because of their strict diet. True weight loss happens outside the gym when you eat well.

To get a true indication of what your daily calorie consumption should be you can use this general formula as a starting point. Take your body weight (in pounds) and multiply it by 12. For example, a woman who weighs 150lb (68kg) would need around 1,800 calories per day. Then, based on the results, you can make adjustments as required. The average person should aim to lose 1-2 pounds (0.5 to 1kg) a week.

Where the wheels can come off
Having worked out this equation, many people often try to accelerate weight and fat loss by increasing the amount of time they spend in the gym, while reducing their daily calorie intake even further. However, there are some interesting hormonal issues that arise when people under-eat and over-exercise, which I’ve seen and personally experienced over the years, whereby a combination of a large deficits and large amounts of activity can slow or completely stall fat loss.

We have all heard about the stress hormone cortisol, which is released by the body in response to all kinds of stress. In the fitness and weight loss world cortisol has had an almost exclusively negative stigma attached to it, but the truth is it does play an important role. For example, the morning cortisol pulse actually helps to promote fat mobilisation, while in contrast, chronic elevations, especially in the face of high insulin levels, tend to promote visceral fat accumulation.

Both exercising and dieting can generally be considered a stressor, which can lead to an increase in cortisol production, and the more extreme you go with each discipline the greater the stress imposed.

When you are doing both of these activities in extremes on a daily basis your cortisol levels go through the roof. Chronic cortisol elevations can cause many issues, such as water retention and leptin resistance in the brain.

When the normal leptin signal to the brain is blocked a lot of things can go wrong metabolically.

A perfect example is when an avid gym-goer, who doesn’t miss a day of cardio and follows a strict calorie controlled diet goes on holiday. This is often accompanied by feelings of anxiety about where to find a healthy meal, how to eat well five times a day and where she will find a suitable place to train.

However, this type of person will, more often than not, come back two weeks later looking amazing – lighter and leaner than when they left. It happens all the time and it has to do with a reduction in these stressors and the positive effects it can have on your body. The point is that if we are willing to take more time and find the correct balance with our dieting and training the results would be much better.

The other issue with excessive exercise is the fact that we tend to crave more food after a heavy cardio or weight training session. If we give in to these cravings then we simply undo all the hard work done in the gym by allowing our calorie intake to exceed our expenditure. This is a major reason why a large percentage of people who work hard in the gym get stuck at the same weight for long periods of time.

Many people also like to reward themselves after a good workout. They reason that since they have had a tough workout they can ‘get away’ with eating more. Other people will exercise more to make up for eating too much. But this just perpetuates the ‘more with more’ mentality, which is a big mistake. Don’t fall into this trap as it never pays to eat more if you want to lose fat!

You can lose weight without exercise

To be honest, if you were on a strict diet you could get lean without the need for exercise, but you would lose out on the toned and shapely physique, and wouldn’t enjoy the benefits of increased health and vitality achieved through regular cardio and resistance training.

However, the challenge with exercising is actually getting to do it regularly enough to create that daily deficit, as there isn’t always time in our hectic schedules.

My suggestion would therefore be to keep your diet in check at all times, and exercise as often as time and life allows. But if you have your diet right you need not spend endless hours on a treadmill, unless you’re specifically training for an event or want to get some ‘compensation’ cardio in before a night out or a long awaited treat.

At the end of the day the equation is a simple one – just keep creating that deficit with your diet, but don’t go to extremes. If you do you’ll quickly find that you lack the motivation to work out, you’ll be tired, grumpy, irritable and, worst of all, you wont achieve the results you want.

By combining this calorie restricted diet with adequate sleep and some exercise that you enjoy doing will yield the best results. I personally love being active, being outdoors and building up a good sweat, which makes the exercise component easier. But I would say that 80-90% of your results in terms of weight loss comes from your diet. Even your health and energy levels will deteriorate if you are not eating properly, and you will never out-exercise a bad diet!

Hopefully you understand now why it is so important to eat back your exercise calories. Get back on a good diet and your body will regulate itself and you will become "regular" again. Your body is holding on to what it has now because it thinks it is starving.

fayeonherway

Go vegan, you'll be pooping 2 times per day

I'm not vegan and I always have two healthy poops a day. Fiber has always been my friend plus water. IMO prunes are your best friends when going through what the OP has described. If not please seek medical help. I cannot imagine not being able to poop.

nannyal

Dried fruit, or an orange before bedtime.:explode:

Lola_Rogers

dried fruits and fibers are good but they hold water so you should drink more water when you eat prunes and stuff.
try senna tea. just one cup will be more than enough. i have the same problem. or eat low cal chocolate ice cream and then drink green tea.. sounds stupid but always works for me

ElaineRN100

We treat our pt's who come to the ER with this condition with OTC Miralax. Gentle laxative - take as directed. You need to get cleaned out first then concentrate on staying that way. As others have said - drink plenty of water and you made need to take a daily stool softener. Since we have all reduced fat content, we sometimes need a little help to get all that extra fiber out. Hope this helps..

SanteMulberry

Drink more water! That is the first step to trying to solve those type of issues. It doesn't always work but you have to try drinking more water first before taking more drastic (medication) steps.

Good luck.

I drink on average 8 - 10 glasses of water a day. This is so weird for me I have no idea. Normally I have the opposite problem.

Yeah--I'm thinking that it is more than just simple constipation since you do everything right (drinking water, lots of fiber, etc.) I would get my thyroid levels checked as that is the most likely explanation. Unfortunately, dieting seems to knock down the metabolism because it causes a loss of lean tissue in the body. The way to counteract that is to eat more and especially to lift weights to jack up your metabolism 24-7. Cardio is great for a number of reasons but cardio and dieting can set you up for metabolic problems unless you do some heavy lifting. If you are doing some heavy lifting and still have problems, you will need to see an endocrinologist to determine if you have some other reason for poor thyroid performance (such as a lack of iodine, iron, magnesium---essential for converting T-4 to T-3 etc.). Good luck!

shayemimi

I know for me, it's when I concentrate on eating so healthy, that I don't get enough fat. If your drinking water and eating plenty of fiber and veggies, it's probably not enough fat. Don't go crazy with it... just start using full fat dressing, a little olive oil etc. when you cook and you'll notice a big difference. Also, a little pizza once in a while doesn't hurt either, or what ever gets you moving. For me it's a restaurant breakfast (bacon,eggs, hash browns) lol. Sends me running to the potty every time.

Lola_Rogers

We treat our pt's who come to the ER with this condition with OTC Miralax. Gentle laxative - take as directed. You need to get cleaned out first then concentrate on staying that way. As others have said - drink plenty of water and you made need to take a daily stool softener. Since we have all reduced fat content, we sometimes need a little help to get all that extra fiber out. Hope this helps..

OTC Miralax - is it for long term use?

SanteMulberry

I know for me, it's when I concentrate on eating so healthy, that I don't get enough fat. If your drinking water and eating plenty of fiber and veggies, it's probably not enough fat. Don't go crazy with it... just start using full fat dressing, a little olive oil etc. when you cook and you'll notice a big difference. Also, a little pizza once in a while doesn't hurt either, or what ever gets you moving. For me it's a restaurant breakfast (bacon,eggs, hash browns) lol. Sends me running to the potty every time.

^^^THIS^^^ You can do a lot of damage to your body by going low carb AND low fat/high protein. You must either do lower carb OR lower fat---not both. I know a girl who did very low carb and very low fat--she existed mostly on protein powder, and vegetables. Lost a lot of weight but got very sick (and then gained it all back plus more). Most people I have talked to who experience problems on lower carb diets (and I DO NOT advise going below 60 grams a day for extended periods of time) is because they also try to go low fat at the same time. The reason why they speak of "essential fatty acids" is that they are just that, ESSENTIAL.

GlitterMamma11

Any luck?

stephanieadorman

Hi guys! I just wanted to check in.

First of all, before I tell you this story, you have to know a little background about me. I have premature ovarian failure, which means I haven't had a period in about 6 months. In fact, the doctors were like, "It's possible you'll never have one again."

So, last night, I ate pizza which normally kicks in my lactose intolerance. I got a lot of gas, but no poop. This morning I woke up, and STILL no poop - although the gas continued.

I got home at around 3:30, ate my snack, and went to the bathroom to pee. All of a sudden, a rush of poop came out of me. I wish I had weighed myself before because it was probably like 2lbs. (Seriously)

Then, after my work out, when I got home to change for the shower - I noticed that my period had started.

So I'm guessing the constipation was some sort of PMS symptom? I've never had that before. Learn something new every day!

1223345

Go vegan, you'll be pooping 2 times per day

I'm not vegan and I always have two healthy poops a day. Fiber has always been my friend plus water. IMO prunes are your best friends when going through what the OP has described. If not please seek medical help. I cannot imagine not being able to poop.

Same here! I actually go at the same time every day. I could set my clock to it in fact.

1223345

Hi guys! I just wanted to check in.

First of all, before I tell you this story, you have to know a little background about me. I have premature ovarian failure, which means I haven't had a period in about 6 months. In fact, the doctors were like, "It's possible you'll never have one again."

So, last night, I ate pizza which normally kicks in my lactose intolerance. I got a lot of gas, but no poop. This morning I woke up, and STILL no poop - although the gas continued.

I got home at around 3:30, ate my snack, and went to the bathroom to pee. All of a sudden, a rush of poop came out of me. I wish I had weighed myself before because it was probably like 2lbs. (Seriously)

Then, after my work out, when I got home to change for the shower - I noticed that my period had started.

So I'm guessing the constipation was some sort of PMS symptom? I've never had that before. Learn something new every day!

Well, good to hear it! And this is just a good reminder, never trust a fart. LOL!

mhorn2142

A big cup of coffee??

This!!

angmarie28

Try Smooth Move by Traditional Medicines. It is a tea and it definitely gets your poop going.

Personal experience

^This^

yep this

hookilau

So I'm guessing the constipation was some sort of PMS symptom? I've never had that before. Learn something new every day!

yes, i think TOM can slow down motility, not sure why but happens to me all the time :ohwell:
When things start to, um slow down or halt, I know what's coming :devil:

trdepalo

Probiotics worked for me, and it's super good for you in general and calorie free.

However, if you are taking them already and not pooping try stoping and maybe trying a different brand - that has happened to me too.

FaerieCae

Hello, this is probably gonna be TMI for most of you, but you know, where else can I go?!

So a week ago, I weighed in at 183.2. Over the course of that week I've be maintaining around 1200 - 1500 calories a day, and working out 5x a week at Title Boxing (which burns around 1,000 calories a class.)

Assuming that, I should be down at least 2lbs this week - but I'm not. I actually gained and I'm at 184.4. It's easy to say that it's muscle weight, but here's the real issue I think..

I haven't pooped in a week. I have my daily intake of fiber, I am eating healthy, but for some reason there's a super backlog in me. (And here's where it gets REALLY TMI...) I feel the poop! It's like right there, trying to come out, but no matter how long I sit and try - it won't come out.

I don't know what to do. I'm about ready to order a Papa Johns pizza because I know my lactose intolerance will kick in and turn my stomach upside down, but I don't want to blow my diet on that.

Ideas?

Wait. So you're eating 1200 calories and burning 1000? YOUR BODY HAS NOTHING TO POOP OUT.

Eat 2000 calories, then you'll poop.

this!! when I started I was doing the same thing as you! When I first came on the msg boards I hadn't gone in like 4 days (long time for me!) I quickly realized I was eating way to little. I upped my calories to 1400-1500 and after about two more days came right again. Your body is holding onto every nutrient it can get cause you're eating too little!

ndj1979

so you got a pound of crap in you? LOL I call troll...this should be a hilarious thread...

take a bottle of exlax that should clear you out fairly well..

Oh, and it is not muscle weight because you can't be burning 1000 cals a class and putting on muscle..

ndj1979

Wait. So you're eating 1200 calories and burning 1000? YOUR BODY HAS NOTHING TO POOP OUT.

Eat 2000 calories, then you'll poop.

Way TMI - but I know my body has something to poop out because if I stick my finger up there - it's there.... :-P

Maybe an enema is the way to go

you could always hand pull it out? I mean you are already halfway there....