Constipation

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jack1925
jack1925 Posts: 186 Member
in Food and Nutrition
This could very well be TMI but I'm looking for some advice. I never had any problems before and then I changed my diet on Jan 1st. I went to 1200 calories a day. And now I've noticed over the past couple of weeks my bowel movements have been less and less. I'm worried that I'm depriving my body of so much food that it's messing up my system? I drink a ton of water a day and have my 2 cups of coffee in the morning. I'm exercising and I'm taking fiber choice chewables to get more fiber and I started taking a multi vitamin. I'm going to take some colace tonight in hopes of nipping it in the butt and hopefully it'll work itself out after that but does anyone have an answer as to why I'd be having problems and what I can do to correct it for the long term?
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Replies

  • smittybuilt19
    smittybuilt19 Posts: 955 Member
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    Everyone must have a poop thread!! Or in my case 3 poop threads lol. I found that drinking plenty of water and also waking up at the same time everyday and drinking coffee works for me. Good luck, your situation is about as fun as slamming your hand in a car door.
  • shewearsfunnyhat
    shewearsfunnyhat Posts: 24 Member
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    Eat lots of green leafy veggies they are low in calories but can help with BM. If the trend continues, talk to your doctor.
  • holdingon2faith793
    holdingon2faith793 Posts: 87
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    Honey 1200 cal is not enough get on a TDEE calc. Find out what yours is and minus 20%. That's what you should be eating.
  • Me48Plus2
    Me48Plus2 Posts: 73
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    I always had a problem staying regular, sometimes a whole weekend, then I found this site. I ordered the Formula 1. You take a pill, or 2 depending, right after dinner and you'll have a BM in the morning. I don't really stay regular without it. It's all herbal, so no side effects . Having regular BM is crucial to your health. And drink more water.
  • skinnybitchbarbie27
    skinnybitchbarbie27 Posts: 306 Member
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    **note, I am not a doctor**

    I had the same problem although I was eating 1500 and exercising about 2 hours a day. I went to my doctor after laxitives wouldn't even help and he flipped a b*tch when he looked at my food diary and saw how much I have been exercising and told me that eating that little would cause my body to do that and possibly worse side affects like hair loss. By his request I bumped up to 1900 (WHICH WAS SCARY AS HELL) but I noticed a lot of my symptoms went away. I was having bowel movements again, I wasn't *****y or extremely tired, and the best part? I have actually seen improvement in my weight lifting. It was an obvious fix but something I didn't see.

    I would suggest you see a doctor if it is an ongoing issue but maybe you need to bump up maybe just a few hundred calories for a few weeks just to see how it goes. Also, Do not forget that not all fat and carbs are the "enemy". Your body needs natural fats and good carbs to keep regular. yay fiber.
  • Lize11e
    Lize11e Posts: 419
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    I have the same problem and I also take meds that cause constipation. I finally just broke down and started taking one dulcolax stool softener per day. I do not like laxatives but the softeners seem to help. I have also thought many times I should just buy stock in Fiber One. I eat a lot of fiber.
  • Elliemage
    Elliemage Posts: 25
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    Add more fruits and veggies to your diet and lots and LOTS of water. Also try eliminating some dairy. One of the more surprising things I found about going vegan was that I never, ever get constipated (even though I take a med that previously had me bound up like crazy!)

    I realize not everyone has the inclination to drop meat and dairy from their diet, but if you chuck even some of the dairy off and add more fibrous things (namely, plants) then it should help considerably. :)

    Good luck!
  • ilovescarymovies
    ilovescarymovies Posts: 202 Member
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    i never had a problem with constipation till i started eating healthier. now i have to eat bran flakes or fiber one cereal and eat Activia yogurt just to stay regular
  • sullus
    sullus Posts: 2,839 Member
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    started throwing in sweet potatoes nearly every day for lunch, and I'm back to where you could set your watch by me.
  • prismperfect
    prismperfect Posts: 24 Member
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    I found when I changed my diet I was having those problems too, and I never had them before. Now I just put a tsp. of Benefiber in my milk every morning, it's tasteless, and within a week everything was back to normal. I just make it a daily routine and no more worries.
  • smittybuilt19
    smittybuilt19 Posts: 955 Member
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    I also used miralax at one point when it got unbearable. I was able to start going after a few days of taking it and haven't had much trouble since. I've found that I have to relax early in the mornings or I will not go all day. I've actually started waking up 30 minutes early just to relax. It cuts into my sleeping time but I would rather poop one good time than sleep for 30 more minutes.
  • SPBROOKS68
    SPBROOKS68 Posts: 561 Member
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    Regular exercise seems to help this too!
  • michellelemorgan
    michellelemorgan Posts: 184 Member
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    I'm on a 1200 calorie a day diet as well and I run 5-6 miles a day with strength training and stretching. It's a healthy diet for an athlete. Try eating oatmeal in the mornings with your coffee.
  • livitup85
    livitup85 Posts: 231 Member
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    You seem to be just missing on your fibre macro goal. Try reaching it every single day.
    I find that eating a handful of prunes will usually do the trick,
    Happy pooping!
  • Dawnhasajeep
    Dawnhasajeep Posts: 180 Member
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    You are only eating 7 g of fiber it should be 30-40g. Eat more fiber and your problem will be solved. Also your sodium is WAY high try for 1500g of sodium you will see your water weight drop like crazy. Try making large meals and freezing it and cut out the processed frozen high sodium meals.
  • doorki
    doorki Posts: 2,611 Member
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    Are you uncomfortable or just worried about your output? If you are not uncomfortable, perhaps your body is just not issuing as much waste as it used to because of your severely limited calories.
  • jack1925
    jack1925 Posts: 186 Member
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    Are you uncomfortable or just worried about your output? If you are not uncomfortable, perhaps your body is just not issuing as much waste as it used to because of your severely limited calories.

    Just in the past few days I have noticed my stomach is more uncomfortable than usual. I'm guessing it's from this.
  • jack1925
    jack1925 Posts: 186 Member
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    I'm on a 1200 calorie a day diet as well and I run 5-6 miles a day with strength training and stretching. It's a healthy diet for an athlete. Try eating oatmeal in the mornings with your coffee.

    I run a couple of miles every other day. And I eat oatmeal every morning for breakfast. :-)
  • jack1925
    jack1925 Posts: 186 Member
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    Thank you everyone. I'm going to try uping my calories by a couple hundred to start with. And eating more fruits and veggies.
  • Docmahi
    Docmahi Posts: 1,603 Member
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    This could very well be TMI but I'm looking for some advice. I never had any problems before and then I changed my diet on Jan 1st. I went to 1200 calories a day. And now I've noticed over the past couple of weeks my bowel movements have been less and less. I'm worried that I'm depriving my body of so much food that it's messing up my system? I drink a ton of water a day and have my 2 cups of coffee in the morning. I'm exercising and I'm taking fiber choice chewables to get more fiber and I started taking a multi vitamin. I'm going to take some colace tonight in hopes of nipping it in the butt and hopefully it'll work itself out after that but does anyone have an answer as to why I'd be having problems and what I can do to correct it for the long term?

    check if your MVA (multivitamin) contains Iron - if the constipation started after you began supplementing Iron - that could be a cause of constipation

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