Constipation :(

activia with the probiotics and up you water ALOT

Do you drink lots of water? This will help keep things nice and soft and easier to move along the passages...

Also time of the month can make you retain water, meaning less available for the bowel to use. So drink even more at these times.

Eat apricots. I once ate a whole bag and was scared to sneeze for 3 days afterwards incase I shat myself.

I'd excuse you.

To prevent constipation you need three things: insoluble fiber, water and exercise. Look into fruits with strings and pulp-- pomelo or grapefruit, whole oranges, ripe papaya, pineapple, apples with peel, etc. Fiberous vegetables like green beans, pinto or black beans, etc are excellent. Drink at least 2 liters of water/day (measure to be sure-- sometimes our perception of the amount of water we drink isn't totally accurate). Exercise aerobically at least 30 minutes/day. Sometimes a change in routine can put a person 'out of wack" so to speak as well-- have you recently changed your daily schedule? You need a regular time during the day when you are not in a hurry, no one is knocking on the bathroom door where you can go in and take care of things at a relaxed pace. For many people that might be in the evening after dinner-- for some, in the morning. What tends to work is drinking plenty of water throughout the day, fiberous vegetables and fruits throughout the day, then the next day either exercise first then drink a cup of some hot beverage with caffeine (tea, coffee, green tea) or vice versa-- hot caffeine beverage then exercise...the caffeine and the exercise will cause the muscles of the intestines to contract and start to push things down. This is when you should go-- don't put it off because if you do, your intestines will reabsorb water and the poop will be hard and difficult to pass. Sorry if this is too much information-- but it works!

I would suggest 4 oz of prune juice.

Thanks already guys, I will take onboard some of your suggestions .... my water intake is probably not as it should be at this time of year as I tend to drink more hot drinks when its cold.

Hot drinks have water in them too.

What has helped me is increased fibre, along with increased water (from any source - doesn't have to be plain water), caffeine and exercise. Reducing fat too much can also cause problems. If the problem is too much fibre, maybe reduce that a little and slowly build it up again as your body gets used to it.

Good ol' fashioned psyllium fiber - the stuff that is in metamucil without the sugar or gross flavouring. A spoon or 2 in a glass of water everyday and your system will run like a top. I get it at the bulk store. Takes a bit of getting used to, but a super way of getting fiber and saving your calorie allotment for food. I find that even days where I eat super healthy and get lots of natural fiber in my fruit and veg (I can eat prunes like candy) everything isn't quite as regular or "easy" as it is if I just stick to my psyllium habit!

Eat apricots. I once ate a whole bag and was scared to sneeze for 3 days afterwards incase I shat myself.

:laugh: mate you never fail to make me chuckle :laugh:

There are a lot of great suggestions here!

I'll chime in with hemp hearts. I thought they were a "fad" food and dismissed them at first .... then I tried them. Man! I eat 1-2 tablespoons every day, and I've NEVER been this regular in my life. Additionally, I haven't found the cramping/gas I used to get with other types of fibre or laxitives. I like to put them in smoothies (morning and/or evening). A note about hemp hearts: start slowly! If you start with a full tbsp or more, you mind spend a couple of days in the loo! After about a week my body had adjusted and I was feeling great.

Also, here is a "digestive smoothie" I make at night if I'm feeling bloated. It usually gets me going in the morning.

1 small banana
1 small/med pear
3 mint leaves
1 tbsp hemp hearts (adjust hemp hearts according to your body's comfort level)
1-2 tsp maple syrup or liquid honey
1 cup cold water

Blend and serve! It's a lot to get down, I know - and trust me, do NOT ski the syrup/honey - it's totally gross without it lol It works for me though.

Good luck!

I'd say give the traditional Morroccan combination of a slow cooked tagine of lean lamb (or chicken if you dont eat red meat), prunes (lots of them) and cinnamon a go.

Makes a delicious dinner & I can almost guarantee you'll be pleased with the results in the morning. Those prunes, cooked in that way, seem to work wonders.

In my experience this is a lot less about fiber than it is about fat. You want to make sure you're getting enough fiber, but when people "diet" they often cut out so many sources of fat, and that's a terrible idea.

High protein, high carbs, low fiber, low fat = bad news. Eat lots of fat and eat lots of veggies and drink lots of water.

As you already seem to have plenty of food in your diet, you might not be eating enough fat. Make sure you get enough good fats in your diet to help, err, lubricate things, as it were. It happens to me if I go too low-fat, and sometimes only a greasy pizza will get things moving again!

And running. A long run half an hour away from any toilets usually brings on an urgent need to go :laugh:

Start adding flax seed slowly to your meals...just sprinkle in cereal, in salads, on sandwiches...

Something I do daily that has done WONDERS for my "inner life" as it were: A green smoothie. I make a blender full, store in glass jars in 'fridge and drink over three days. Recipe: 2 c water, a fresh orange (peeled and cut in chunks), 1 small can of pineapple in juice (doesn't matter what kind), 1 apple (cut in chunks), 1 small avocado peeled and deseeded and 2 handfuls of baby spinach. You can also add a small piece of fresh ginger or ginger powder. Puree in blender until there are no discernible chunks. Usually takes about 2-3 minutes. Enjoy! Green Smoothies have done wonders for my health. I have mine right here ---- PS Be sure to chew the drink a little before swallowing, to get the mouth's digestive juices into the mix.

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