Advice: Frustration and Bowel Movements

narikta
narikta Posts: 9
in Health and Weight Loss
Help! What am I doing wrong?

I'm 5'5", 28 year old female and am currently fluctuating between 158lbs and 159lbs.

This time year I used MFP and lost 12lbs in 10 weeks by keeping to my 1200 calorie limit and light exercise (walking 3-5 times a week). The weight just fell off with very little effort.
(TMI: I would also have a full bowel movement minimum once a day, usually 2-3 a day).

I fell off the wagon and put 5lbs back on since January. But I have been back on MFP for a little over a month now and all I'm doing is fluctuating up and down by the same 1lb.

I'm eating very similar food to what I was last time, I'm doing the same type and amount of exercise with the addition of 1 hour of Zumba once a week (there's a free class in my area), I'm drinking the same amount of water (minimum of 4-5 glasses a day, but usually far more than that. I think the only difference other than the Zumba class is I may be eating a less bread as I have a wheat intolerance - I was weaning myself off it last time - and eating more fruit.
(TMI: I'm now lucky if I have a full bowel movement once a week, and it usually needs a bit of encouragement)

A typical day of food during the week:

Breakfast: 60z cup of non fat yoghurt and freshly brewed cup of green tea
Snack: 100 calorie granola bar OR 1cup fruit (grapes, berries or watermelon moment)
Lunch: 4oz tuna (in water), 1tbs fat free mayo, 1/4cup celery and 8-16 mini baked crackers OR left over stir fry (lean steak/chick/pork, fresh vegetables, garlic and a little soy sauce) OR left over homemade healthy 'fried' rice (6 servings has 1 tbs olive oil, 2 cups vegetables, brown rice, egg/egg whites, a little soy sauce and sometimes lean pork or chicken)
Snack: 100 calorie granola bar OR fruit (grapes, berries or watermelon at the moment)
Dinner: Stir fry OR rice OR baked chicken/lean steak/lean pork, small baked potato and broccoli OR mini tacos (2 mini corn torillas, 1/8cup reduced fat cheese, homemade seasoned chicken breast, lettuce and tomato)

I eat mostly fresh broccoli, carrot, celery, capsicum/bell peppers, onion and frozen corn and peas. We do eat lettuce and tomato also.

I will allow myself a low calorie treat for 'dessert' if it fits within my calorie limit and I am still hungry. Typically this would be one of the following: A skinny cow ice cream, 1-3 cups of popcorn, fruit, a glass of milk, 10 corn chips and 2 tbs hot salsa or 2 small pieces of high quality chocolate.

On special occasions, like weddings, I will allow myself to go over my calorie limit for the day by up to 500 calories, but this is only once a month maximum.

My MPF fiber report says I'm over my daily fiber goal basically every day. Given the very small difference between last time and this time, I feel I'm not objective enough to identify what I'm doing wrong (TMI: Especially why my body has decided it doesn't need to relieve itself anymore)

Any thoughts and advice would be great appreciated

Replies

  • alfiedn
    alfiedn Posts: 425 Member
    I think you should talk to a doctor about your BMs. I know my dad has a minor problem and has to be careful about what he eats in order to make sure he stays regular.

    It seems like, despite not eating so much bread, you do still have a good deal of carbs in your diet. This isn't a bad thing! However, I know I'm much looser when I'm eating tons of veggies and fewer carbs. Also, if you drink way more water, that may help to lubricate things a bit.

    Like I said, it would be good to talk to your doctor about diet options for you. You seem to have a great handle on what you eat, so bring it to him/her and discuss what you might be able to change to help you with regularity.

    I don't know if this will effect your weight loss much, but it will effect your health.
  • kathleenjoyful
    kathleenjoyful Posts: 210 Member
    Eat six pitted prunes a day, they are like 110 calories -- also as above, you need to be drinking WAY more water, especially if you're exercising a lot. Try for 1-2 litres.
  • narikta
    narikta Posts: 9
    Thank you for those suggestions. I really appreciate it. I think I'll do both prunes/increase water and the dr and see what happens.
  • benol1
    benol1 Posts: 867 Member
    In addition to the above, I recommend that you increase your energy expenditure as well in the form of regular intense cardio-based exercise. There are significant health benefits from regular intense exercise, not least of which it will support you in your weight loss goals and make you feel better.
    I wish you all the best,

    Ben
  • narikta
    narikta Posts: 9
    Thanks Ben :)
  • narikta
    narikta Posts: 9
    Just a little TMI update if anyone is interested. If someone else is dealing with something similar, hopefully this may help as the suggestions made are GREAT. They're just not working for me yet.:

    Increased my water from about 1 - 1.5 litres (40-48oz) per day to about 2-2.5 litres (80-88oz) per day. On day 3.
    Nothing yet. No change in weight and no change in bowel movement

    Trying Metamucil to increase my fibre even further. On day 3.
    Nothing yet. No change in weight and no change in bowel movement

    Added an extra Zumba class per week. Extra one done once so far.
    No change in weight and no change in bowel movement

    My supermarket was out of prunes and I haven't been back to get some, but that is the next attempt.

    Made an appointment with my doctor for the first available time, which is unfortunately Monday morning. I'll update if they are able to shed any light.
  • TheRealParisLove
    TheRealParisLove Posts: 1,907 Member
    1. Are you drinking different water? As in, did you used to drink bottled water and are now drinking tap or bought a filter when you just drank tap water before? See 1A below:

    2. Have you taken any antibiotics since your last efforts on MFP? See 2A Below:

    1A. You may be suffering a magnesium deficiency. We mostly get our magnesium from our drinking water. Magnesium helps regulate nerve function in the large intestine and a sign of deficiency is chronic constipation.

    Also, have you started taking a calcium supplement or other vitamin supplements that you weren't taking before? Skip the calcium supplements. They have been shown to cause damage to your kidneys and do nothing for bone density. When taking calcium and magnesium together, they cancel each other out due to negative ionization of the atoms in the minerals.

    Try a 250mg magnesium supplement in the evenings before bed with a glass of water.

    2A. Antibiotics will damage gut bacteria necessary for proper digestion. Take a probiotic supplement 2-3 times a day until bowel function returns to normal. Store bought yogurt has very little in the way of live cultures compared to homemade. If you have done a round of antibiotics you are going to need a much larger dose of probiotics than what can be consumed from store bought yogurt. Other good sources of probiotics are: Kombucha, Sauerkraut (fresh, not canned), Kim Chee (fresh, not canned), homemade yogurt, and kefir.
  • narikta
    narikta Posts: 9
    I always drink the tap water at home (I was living at the same place during my last MFP journey) or from the fountain at work (I've worked here since January). The problem only started since I started back on MFP.

    I don't take any supplements, aside from the last 3 days of metamucil to see if it would help

    I haven't taken any antibiotics since March 2013.

    But these are all excellent questions! It certainly made me think :)
  • narikta
    narikta Posts: 9
    Homemade yoghurt sounds interesting though! I do love a good kitchen experiment. I may have to try this...
  • Retiredmom72
    Retiredmom72 Posts: 538 Member
    Try dried prunes (in the aisle with raisins). I have had similar problems and almost drown in water/tea daily. Also added almonds and corn to my diet to help. I take a Magnesium supplement daily but it wasn't helping. Good luck.
  • PunkinSpice79
    PunkinSpice79 Posts: 309 Member
    Ask the doctor about IBS w/constipation. :(
  • sympha01
    sympha01 Posts: 942 Member
    NB if you were already very high on fiber, you should make sure you're drinking enough water IN PROPORTION to the fiber. So when you say you're drinking more water AND taking Metamucil, the two things may be cancelling each other out a bit. Fiber tends to absorb water in the gut, and if your gut is insufficiently hydrated, a lot of fiber can actually sometimes cause constipation. Keep drinking water like you've been doing, but don't add more fiber (and prunes ... which work because they have fiber, lol) until you've given the extra water on its own a few days to work.

    But overall, since you've said you think you have a wheat sensitivity, you may actually have something more serious than usual going on in your gut. Some people with gluten problems develop very weird, very serious, gut complications that don't just go away when they cut out gluten. You really should talk to a doctor about your BM issues and diet.
  • Gee_24
    Gee_24 Posts: 359 Member
    I had the same problem. I was only going about once a week for 3 weeks. I was eating Shreddies at first to try and get some nutrients but it never helped.

    On Saturday I bought Morrisons own high fibre bran cereal and I have now been every 2 days. But several times on those days.

    It really helped me! Try it out. :-)

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