i have been reading about this also. what i gather is we may "poo" less because our body actually uses what we eat. if you are hurting or uncomfortable, i would try prunes.

I just started Probiotics because I have always had this same issue (I had tried Magnesium religiously for about 6 months, never helped me either). I grew up taking A LOT of antibiotics and I believe this killed off a lot of the good bacteria in my gut. Today was day 3 and I have had a BM everyday taking them thus far. I would recommend "Ultimate Flora Critical Care Probiotic (50 billion)". Sometimes you have to take them for a few months to a month to notice a difference depending on how deficient you are in them.

i also take probiotics! i forgot about that.

hey - I've been in your situation and it is so uncomfortable and frustrating, I felt like I tried everything. Magnesium didn't help me, nor did any herbal type remedies. I kept listening to everyone elses tricks like prunes, strong coffee, etc. But as they would work for them , I would have no luck. And, even though we eat more proteins, I just wasn't happy remembering we would go less volume and less often. :grumble: And, as women I think we can't always take all the primal/paleo advice becasue our bodies have crazy hormones, chemistry etc. Or maybe it is the guys, but they seem tohave better luck in the pooping department anyway!

I take probiotics for good health but haven't noticed it changed the whole bowel movement issue (or lack of...)

So even though this isn't primal, I go back to what worked before, maybe it will work for you and maybe it won't, but you could try it?

Miralax - 1 dose in the morning and 2 doses of Metamucil (sugar free) spread throughout the day. With enough water to make sure it all gets in the system.

Any regular Dr. will tell you to give it a few days, for me it took about 3 and then things really started becoming "regular" and I just chalk it up to what I have to do. Not Paleo or primal and I know what they say about psysslium husks and chemicals, etc. But YOU gotta do what YOU gotta do!

If you want to "clean out" Google around for "bowel prep" methods using miralax. Been there, done it and felt better. :glasses:

good luck!

You need a new probiotic, yours is probably dead. Also add more fermented foods, and more soluble fiber carbs like winter squash, sweet potato, plantains, etc.

The only magnesium that I've taken that does the trick, is "oxygenated magnesium." It's called MagO2 I think, and anytime had trouble and nothing else seems to work, I take 2 or 3 before bed and the next morning I'm good as new

It matters less how often you poo than what your poo is like (hard to pass, rabbit pellets, soft and long, watery). There are a number of factors that affect how quickly food moves from your mouth and through the bowel including, the length of your colon (yes, some people have longer/shorter), the rate the bowel muscle moves bulk through (peristalsis), and what you eat. Thus, bowel movement frequency is an individual thing and 'normal' can be 3-7 times a week ... what is normal for you? In the past? When you eat or drink certain foods? Do you have irritable bowel issues? A paleo diet will work wonders for many things but not overnight. Particularly with digestive issues. In addition, some things people regularly incorporate into a paleo diet like coconut milk or certain fruits can reveal other issues. You really have to pay attention to what works for you.

To comment generally, an excellent source of natural magnesium is homemade chicken and meat broths; personally I'm cooking these all the time and drink a cup of broth instead of afternoon tea. Some probiotics, especially those with inulin, may cause upset so if you find that, try fermented foods like kimchi, sauerkraut, kombucha, etc. Hope that helps.

P.S. A good but long read:
http://paleosummit-src.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Dr-Allison-Siebecker-Paleo-Digestive-Troubleshooting.pdf

THANK YOU! that was a great article and so informative. Loved how she explained why vegetables can be difficult to digest and what to do about them....as well as magnesium at 1000mg, and then the info on fruits.

Really a great read! THANKS for posting!

Are you eating lots of vegetables? Any fruit? I haven't experienced these problems since eating Paleo/Primal. I try to eat lots of veggies and 1 piece of fruit (usually an apple or berries) a day. I did have these kind of problems in the past when I was doing low carb and not eating any fruit. Hope it works itself out - because that is not fun!!

^^ This! Just had a quick look at your food diary...not much in the way of vegetables. Understandably you're trying to stay low carb but some bulking veg such as incorporating a large green salad for lunch may just do the trick.
I don't "go" anywhere near as much as I used to as I also believe my body is absorbing and using the good food I'm putting in it (not getting rid of the crap...so to speak )
100% agree on the probiotics...just make sure you pay a bit extra and get one with a good variety of strains. I use Metagenics Ultra Flora (dairy free).

Just a note regarding the magnesium....my Dr. (holistic) said to take 1000mg to help with that "situation". I increased the dosage and it worked. Doesn't work for me if I take less than that.

How are you feeling?when I'm on track with my primal lifestyle which I am struggling with due tithe holidays,I go only about 2-4 times per week . It's odd though because I still feel great and never have any bloat.

Make sure you are getting enough good fats. I find if I am having about 1 Tbsp of coconut/mct oil I have no problems.

this^^^ coconut oil FTW

I have suffered like this my whole life. My mom used to put oil in my baby bottles.:( I take 1000 mag every day. 500 morning before I eat anything and 500 at night. You could probably do it at dinner time. Might work even better. I have never been regular in my entire life till now. Can't hurt you to try it!

I recently started taking magnesium glycinate. I was spreading it out during my meals but I do find greater bm success when I take the whole dose at night before bed. I take 800 milligrams(the dosage is 2 pills at 400 mg for both).

I find that coconut oil in my coffee does the trick. Like 2 tablespoons worth.