Embarrassing questions

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EmmaReed84
EmmaReed84 Posts: 263 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I suffer with IBS and can have flare ups where I don't "go' for several days... I can then go the other way which again can last a good few days.

I have noticed sometimes when it flares up and I cannot go, I gain weight usually 1-2lbs but when I go the other way it has been known for me to lose up to 3lbs.

So I guess my question is... can poop really weigh that much? LOL *Blushing now*

My Mum was talking about it the other day and said she has weighed herself, gone to the loo, then weighed herself again and there has been no change... She had not eaten for drank between weighing... just, well... You know LOL.
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  • tenintwenty
    tenintwenty Posts: 92
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    Yes. A "full" bowel from constipation and an empty one from... the other.... can weigh that much. I have the same issue, and roughly the same weight fluctuation with it.
  • yurika975
    yurika975 Posts: 71 Member
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    In your case I think it can. You are not going for days and then have days where you will go. I think it would be less obvious if you were going each day. Instead it's more of a hold and release (though that sounds bad to put it that way lol). Do your best to take care of yourself.
  • rekite2000
    rekite2000 Posts: 218 Member
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    I have gone down a pound from a good poop. I tell my husband it is the easiest way to lose weight.
  • SadKitty27
    SadKitty27 Posts: 416 Member
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    Liquid tends to weigh a lot, so peeing can make a big difference too depending on how full your bladder is. As far as the solid waste variety - that can also weigh a good bit.

    The only info I could find was this (see quote below) although I'm not sure if it's legit or not. Most people say you should scoop it up and weigh it yourself, but that sounds pretty gross lol.

    "An average bowel movement weighs about 123.6 grams. There is a deviation of 40 grams in the bowl movement of different people. The weight of the bowel movement depends on conditions, such as constipation."

    Source : http://www.ask.com/question/how-much-does-an-average-bowel-movement-weigh
  • Treadmillmom1st
    Treadmillmom1st Posts: 579 Member
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    Yes I think it can make a huge difference.

    My weigh in is every Sunday morning AFTER a bowell movement.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    Yes, although all the weight is likely not "poo". I'm not familiar with IBS, but typically water gain is associated with constipation and water loss is associate with the opposite.
  • cb83580
    cb83580 Posts: 136 Member
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    Speaking from my experience picking up my dog's poo, yeah, it can weigh quite a bit!
  • 257_Lag
    257_Lag Posts: 1,249 Member
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    I weight myself often. I love to see the fluctuations. I often lose over a pound while I sleep.

    That said, I have often seen a pound or more go in just a few minutes :-)
  • SharpieV
    SharpieV Posts: 26 Member
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    Well, I know my horse poops more than 50# a day (I have to pick it up), and my 80# dogs can fill a bag pretty well themselves (have to pick that up too), so I have no doubt that the fluctuations you're seeing are pretty reasonable. Not going to test it myself though. ;)
  • EmmaReed84
    EmmaReed84 Posts: 263 Member
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    Thank you for the replies.

    I can sometimes get disheartening when you work really hard then you weigh and gain. Because I have lived with it for so long I sort of forget about it and when I moan to DH about gaining he will ask when I last "went".

    Also sometimes I can be so naughty, but be the other way and lose weight... It does make it a bit of a nightmare, but I am slowly learning to not think about weight, but more about shape... The only issue is by the 3rd or 4th day of not going I look pregnant LOL!
  • woodwardtm
    woodwardtm Posts: 361 Member
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    I too have suffered from IBS for many, many years. Yes, not having a BM can make a huge difference in how you look and how much you weigh. Since I have been trying to eat better I have seen much more consistency with the frequency of my BMs. I'm sure the fiber intake and trying to drink more water is helping me in that regard. Best of luck with your weight loss goals and try not to fret about the fluctuations. I only weigh myself once a week because daily was driving me crazy!
  • xxxemaxxx
    xxxemaxxx Posts: 29 Member
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    Thank you for the replies.

    I can sometimes get disheartening when you work really hard then you weigh and gain. Because I have lived with it for so long I sort of forget about it and when I moan to DH about gaining he will ask when I last "went".

    Also sometimes I can be so naughty, but be the other way and lose weight... It does make it a bit of a nightmare, but I am slowly learning to not think about weight, but more about shape... The only issue is by the 3rd or 4th day of not going I look pregnant LOL!


    I have a lot of trouble with this. I have IBS too however the past 3 months i have struggled with constipation. I go weeks without going. The doctors prescribed a form of laxative, and when i take that, it helps a bit but not much. I am having blood tests etc because its been going on for so long and its making me blaoted and feel heavy.
    My weight also goes up quite a bit each day, even when i eat really healthy and it is depressing.

    So....if i didnt have the constipation issue, do you think my weight would come back down?
  • dahkneeka
    dahkneeka Posts: 163 Member
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    I am in the same boat. There is nothing more disheartening then having a bloated belly, tight jeans, increased weight and pressure/pain.

    My doc started to ween me off of a drug (for another purpose) and it helped with the IBS a bit, plus, I began taking a fiber suppliment.

    Now I am off all meds and take fiber everyday (or 2nd day because I forget).



    I would continue to focus on muscle gains and body image (except your stomach on days its not doing well!!) rather then weight. Us ladies, esp with IBS seem to obsess over it!
  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
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    I have a hypo active thyriod which can cause constipation. I have to be very careful to eat enough fiber and yogurt or I will definately swell up.
  • now_or_never13
    now_or_never13 Posts: 1,575 Member
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    Have you tried taking a daily probiotic? A good friend of mine who has IBS and can go days without going started taking daily probiotics and that helped a lot. I notice it helps me if I take them daily.

    When you are backed up it can cause gains or cause you to see no change... especially if you go days without going to the bathroom.

    Tons of water, a good fiber suppliment and a probiotic can help a lot!
  • wikitbikit
    wikitbikit Posts: 518 Member
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    Not sure if I officially have IBS, but man, the thing is definitely irritable. Probably one of the most aptly-named conditions out there!

    I tend to lean the "other way," and I recently started self-medicating with fiber pills. Having the urgency gone is fabulous, but now much of the time I feel like I'm literally full of... well. It would be so cool to have a gut that wasn't so touchy!
  • tnsons
    tnsons Posts: 15 Member
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    Pretty sure humans average about 14 lbs in your intestines at any givin time! Now there is something to think about yeck!
  • zoomerrs
    zoomerrs Posts: 21
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    I sometimes have the same issue and have suspected for awhile now that I may have IBS. I have added a probiotic to my daily diet along with increased fibre that seems to have self-regulated the situation.
  • EmmaReed84
    EmmaReed84 Posts: 263 Member
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    OMG, It is good to know I am not alone! I get so embarrassed about it sometimes, especially when I am on about day 4 of being "blocked up" and I feel all groggy and people ask me if I am OK... What do you say? "No I am not OK, I am literally full of S***!" LOL

    I will definitely look in to the more fiber and probiotics
  • travelerkate
    travelerkate Posts: 18 Member
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    I had the EXACT same thing for years and years. The "not going" part would get me so cramped I would miss school and work, then the "going" days would be so painful and time consuming (gross,I know but you probably feel the same!) that I would miss out on things, too. Basically, it sucked. BUT then I went gluten free, and I am almost completely free of any flare ups. Have you tried that yet? I was 22 and had 2 colonoscopies and and endoscopy, several types of meds, all with no success until changing my diet.

    My husband, as it turns out, has Crohns and Collitis, and changed from a GI to a naturalistic doctor who also took him off gluten (and a few other things) and he no longer has to take Humira for it, and feels better than when he was on the medication.

    Good luck!

    (oh, and to answer your original question- YES! I saw some big swings in my weight)

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