Having some digestive issues...need advice.

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  • murphy612
    murphy612 Posts: 734 Member
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    A few possibilities:
    1. 1200 calories is too low so your body is expending less energy on gut motility (just to minimize energy usage and to maximize nutrient absorption)
    2. Small volume of food = small volume of waste
    3. Insufficient dietary fat
    4. Your gut flora is depleted. In which case: fermented foods (kefir, kimchi, lacto-fermented sauerkraut, kombucha, tempeh, miso) and probiotic supplements (I like Bio-K+, a drinkable yogurt-style supplement; you can try pills/tablets as well)
    5. If its distressing, Miralax is (as far as I've read) a non-habit forming supplement that will draw water into the bowels ameliorating constipation woes (it's not a "don't leave the house after taking it" sort)
    6. Stimulants such as coffee and energy drinks will stimulate the enteric nervous system which controls your bowels, getting them moving

    I think my first line of action would be increasing even to 1400--preferably using dietary fat and foods that will help your gut flora. See how your body adjusts. That might be a bit longer term so you can consider the supplements mentioned above.

    Seriously?? Sometimes it's not about the 1200 calorie diet. OP it's the protein. You said you are low-carb which equals high protein which equals lovely consitipation, excess gas, bloat etc. Drink a LOT of water, make sure your fat intake is normal (avocados help me all the time!) and try increasing your insoluable fiber. Miralax works pretty well sometimes too and it's not a laxative. I have tried everything and finally found my formula, but it's always been the protein for the cause.
  • lafillehannah
    lafillehannah Posts: 4
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    I used to have a really bloated tummy, and found my digestion was awful despite eating ridiculous amounts of fruit, but I began to drink Green tea every morning, and usually have ginger tea throughout the day. At night I drink another tea (mainly chamomile) and ever since I started the regime I noticed straight away my bloated tummy reduced in size, and now I literally have no bloating at all! I swear by green and ginger tea! Try it!
  • AmyJoShanks
    AmyJoShanks Posts: 40 Member
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    I used to have a really bloated tummy, and found my digestion was awful despite eating ridiculous amounts of fruit, but I began to drink Green tea every morning, and usually have ginger tea throughout the day. At night I drink another tea (mainly chamomile) and ever since I started the regime I noticed straight away my bloated tummy reduced in size, and now I literally have no bloating at all! I swear by green and ginger tea! Try it!


    Green tea is awesome for reducing bloat...perhaps the diuretic properties? I always found that the more fruit I ate, the worse my digestive issues...everyone's different tho :)
  • egwene1977
    egwene1977 Posts: 69
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    Seriously?? Sometimes it's not about the 1200 calorie diet. OP it's the protein. You said you are low-carb which equals high protein which equals lovely consitipation, excess gas, bloat etc. Drink a LOT of water, make sure your fat intake is normal (avocados help me all the time!) and try increasing your insoluable fiber. Miralax works pretty well sometimes too and it's not a laxative. I have tried everything and finally found my formula, but it's always been the protein for the cause.

    Do you know what the appropriate amount of protein would be for a low-cal diet? (I hate the word "diet", this is my lifestyle) MFP has it set pretty low, so it always tells me I'm getting too much. I would be happy to reset it if you can give me some guidance. I drink so much water, I swear I pee every 15 minutes...it's crazy.

    BTW, you all ROCK for not getting grossed out about this topic.
  • egwene1977
    egwene1977 Posts: 69
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    I used to have a really bloated tummy, and found my digestion was awful despite eating ridiculous amounts of fruit, but I began to drink Green tea every morning, and usually have ginger tea throughout the day. At night I drink another tea (mainly chamomile) and ever since I started the regime I noticed straight away my bloated tummy reduced in size, and now I literally have no bloating at all! I swear by green and ginger tea! Try it!


    Green tea is awesome for reducing bloat...perhaps the diuretic properties? I always found that the more fruit I ate, the worse my digestive issues...everyone's different tho :)

    *Sigh* It's always something. Don't you wish someone would just come up with the perfect combination of food and stop giving us mixed information all the time? It's no wonder I get crabby and *****y sometimes. Fortunately, my husband is a very good sport about all of it.
  • murphy612
    murphy612 Posts: 734 Member
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    Do you know what the appropriate amount of protein would be for a low-cal diet? (I hate the word "diet", this is my lifestyle) MFP has it set pretty low, so it always tells me I'm getting too much. I would be happy to reset it if you can give me some guidance. I drink so much water, I swear I pee every 15 minutes...it's crazy.

    BTW, you all ROCK for not getting grossed out about this topic.

    I've heard a few calculations thrown around that it depends on your weight or something? I go by what my Dietician and Doctor tell me and that's at least 90grams a day. I try for more on my exercise days. My dietician set my MFP settings and they are at 50%carbs, 30% protein, 20% fat. However, I'm on that evil 1200 calorie diet everyone freaks out about :laugh: I'm not sure there is a universal setting that works for everyone, but this has worked for me.

    And no way grossed out, I’ve dealt with constipation most of my life, there are so many variables you just have to find what works for you. For me? Regular soluble fiber makes it 10x worse! Fruit (NO BANANAS though) works better than vegetables, grains work better than fruit and avocados are awesome, for me anyway. But I have to drink a lot of fluids.

    Good luck!
  • rosered93
    rosered93 Posts: 69 Member
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    A few possibilities:
    1. 1200 calories is too low so your body is expending less energy on gut motility (just to minimize energy usage and to maximize nutrient absorption)
    2. Small volume of food = small volume of waste
    3. Insufficient dietary fat
    4. Your gut flora is depleted. In which case: fermented foods (kefir, kimchi, lacto-fermented sauerkraut, kombucha, tempeh, miso) and probiotic supplements (I like Bio-K+, a drinkable yogurt-style supplement; you can try pills/tablets as well)
    5. If its distressing, Miralax is (as far as I've read) a non-habit forming supplement that will draw water into the bowels ameliorating constipation woes (it's not a "don't leave the house after taking it" sort)
    6. Stimulants such as coffee and energy drinks will stimulate the enteric nervous system which controls your bowels, getting them moving

    I think my first line of action would be increasing even to 1400--preferably using dietary fat and foods that will help your gut flora. See how your body adjusts. That might be a bit longer term so you can consider the supplements mentioned above.

    Seriously?? Sometimes it's not about the 1200 calorie diet. OP it's the protein. You said you are low-carb which equals high protein which equals lovely consitipation, excess gas, bloat etc. Drink a LOT of water, make sure your fat intake is normal (avocados help me all the time!) and try increasing your insoluable fiber. Miralax works pretty well sometimes too and it's not a laxative. I have tried everything and finally found my formula, but it's always been the protein for the cause.

    Yes, seriously. Sometimes it's not, sometimes it is. A common symptom of anorexia (yes, at the 1000-1200 level) is constipation and delayed bowel activity. Obviously I am not saying the OP is anorexic, but decreased calorie intake, or an energy deficit in general, can and frequently does lead to decreased bowel activity. How is this a contentious statement? That whole BMR thing? It involves digestion as well. When eating below BMR (which I'm guessing 1200 is for this individual) AND exercising, there is less energy for the body to do its normal, homeostatic functions.
  • egwene1977
    egwene1977 Posts: 69
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    Yes, seriously. Sometimes it's not, sometimes it is. A common symptom of anorexia (yes, at the 1000-1200 level) is constipation and delayed bowel activity. Obviously I am not saying the OP is anorexic, but decreased calorie intake, or an energy deficit in general, can and frequently does lead to decreased bowel activity. How is this a contentious statement? That whole BMR thing? It involves digestion as well. When eating below BMR (which I'm guessing 1200 is for this individual) AND exercising, there is less energy for the body to do its normal, homeostatic functions.

    :laugh: Anorexic? Wow, that's a first. But seriously, I don't feel hungry after I eat my 1200 calories, and when I work out I TRY to eat more...sometimes I just can't do it. I wouldn't say I have an energy deficit, I powerwalk at least 20 miles a week, and I definitely couldn't do that before I started on this weight loss journey. I also have hypothyroid and RA, so the medication is probably also contributing to the constipation. I'll try adding in some yummy guac to each meal, and drinking a cup of REAL coffee in the morning, and see if that does the trick.

    Again, thank you all soooo much. By the way, feel free to send me a friend request if anybody wants :smile:
  • csheltra26
    csheltra26 Posts: 272 Member
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    I have my macros set 40% carbs, 30% protein, 30% fat. You do get carbs in your veggies.

    Also, be careful eating so low. If you eat 1200 and burn 200-300 a day you are netting only 900-1000. I probably netted less when I lost a ton of weight and quickly gained it back. I was easily burning over 2500 calories a day and eating 1500 and still gained weight. I ruined my metabolism and its taken a long time to get that back on track.
    I saw a nutritionist who even with all my activity put me on 1200 calories a day. I was eating 1500 and went to a few doctors trying to find out why I was STARVING all the time and not losing weight. No one could help me. I now know what was going on.

    Also - you said this is your lifestyle now - so you plan to eat low carb forever? and what do you think you will eat at maintenance?
  • egwene1977
    egwene1977 Posts: 69
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    Also - you said this is your lifestyle now - so you plan to eat low carb forever? and what do you think you will eat at maintenance?

    I have been wondering about that myself. I might add in more beans and such, but my doctor is a believer in the Wheat Belly theory, and she seems to be on to something. I'll also eat full-fat whenever possible, and probably add in a handful of almonds as necessary. Ice cream is still a weakness of mine, so I'll allow that from time to time, just not go overboard.

    What do others eat at maintenance? I wasn't exactly a heavy eater before, and the only difference seems to be that I was eating more carbs back then, and wasn't active enough.
  • roxierachael
    roxierachael Posts: 81 Member
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    Aspartame? i.e., Diet sodas, Mio, Crystal Light, etc
  • egwene1977
    egwene1977 Posts: 69
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    I don't touch that stuff. I try to stay away from "diet" anything.
  • AmyJoShanks
    AmyJoShanks Posts: 40 Member
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    When you find your "magic formula" make sure you pay it forward. You just might help someone else in your same situation :)
  • egwene1977
    egwene1977 Posts: 69
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    When you find your "magic formula" make sure you pay it forward. You just might help someone else in your same situation :)

    Most definitely :) I added in the avocado last night, and put some guac on my eggs this morning, so we'll see. The scale did inch down another pound, though :)
  • Sunnyjb
    Sunnyjb Posts: 220
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    You are not eating enough, and the amount of fruit over vegetables is probably not helping. What do you do during the day? (not your workout, your *other* life)
  • egwene1977
    egwene1977 Posts: 69
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    You are not eating enough, and the amount of fruit over vegetables is probably not helping. What do you do during the day? (not your workout, your *other* life)

    I work in clinical research, so some days I'm running around constantly, other days I'm just hanging out at my desk. I typically stand, unless I'm so exhausted that I have to sit.
  • CoachReddy
    CoachReddy Posts: 3,949 Member
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    :laugh: Anorexic? Wow, that's a first. But seriously, I don't feel hungry after I eat my 1200 calories, and when I work out I TRY to eat more...sometimes I just can't do it. I wouldn't say I have an energy deficit, I powerwalk at least 20 miles a week, and I definitely couldn't do that before I started on this weight loss journey. I also have hypothyroid and RA, so the medication is probably also contributing to the constipation. I'll try adding in some yummy guac to each meal, and drinking a cup of REAL coffee in the morning, and see if that does the trick.

    Again, thank you all soooo much. By the way, feel free to send me a friend request if anybody wants :smile:


    this always confuses me because you HAD to have eaten more than 1200 calories daily to gain all the weight in the first place... not trying to be a ****, but i just always wonder why people find it so difficult to eat more than 1200 calories, when that's clearly not enough food to sustain a healthy human being.

    I would definitely go with a lot of these suggestions about adding healthy fats to up your calories. that's a great call. however, if the gastric distress continues, you may want to look into adding a high quality probiotic to your daily routine. many of us have killed off the healthy bacteria in our guts over the years through use of antibiotics, antacids, etc, and you NEED those little buggers in there to keep you functioning correctly.
  • allshebe
    allshebe Posts: 423 Member
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    It was mentioned in a nutrition class I took that increasing fiber too quickly can cause constipation. You might want to try reducing the amount of fiber for the time being and once your "functions" return, increase the amount by no more than 1 g per week until you reach your goal level
  • lizsmith1976
    lizsmith1976 Posts: 497 Member
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    Sorry to hear about the RA and other medical issues. I have an autoimmune disorder that occassionally (for fun) attacks my intestines, so my weight can fluctuate down quickly with no regard for the amount of calories I eat.

    My doctor recommended yogurt (and you are not opposed to dairy, so that's good), just go for the full fat stuff since you also probably need more fat and also acidophilus tablets. Easily available over the counter in drug stores, and seems to have helped me. Take one with every meal. It can cause bloating at first though, but does "regulate" things. If you are low on healthy fats, try taking fish oil supplements too.

    Coffee helps me too (although I'm not opposed to the bad stuff and drink diet mountain dew and diet red bull :-p )

    Oh, and CONGRATS on your weight loss. Being that consistent and doing so well while also dealing with what RA gives you is quite an accomplishment. Best of luck!
  • egwene1977
    egwene1977 Posts: 69
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    this always confuses me because you HAD to have eaten more than 1200 calories daily to gain all the weight in the first place... not trying to be a ****, but i just always wonder why people find it so difficult to eat more than 1200 calories, when that's clearly not enough food to sustain a healthy human being.

    Yes, I used to eat carbs (pasta, breads, etc.), and they clearly have more calories. However, I find the lower calorie foods to be very filling, and I don't want to stuff my face just to make sure I get enough calories. It's so frustrating.

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