Switching to healthy breakfasts but becoming constipated.

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2

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  • sheps1990
    sheps1990 Posts: 26 Member
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    Thanks for all your input guys. I have read all posts and they are all helpful. I would still love to ditch the cereal and eat eggs for breakfast as my exercise class instructor tries to get me to do, but my body simply can't handle not having bran flakes and if I have to eat a cereal with sugar content as opposed to a sugar free natural source like eggs then so be it.
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
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    Thanks for all your input guys. I have read all posts and they are all helpful. I would still love to ditch the cereal and eat eggs for breakfast as my exercise class instructor tries to get me to do, but my body simply can't handle not having bran flakes and if I have to eat a cereal with sugar content as opposed to a sugar free natural source like eggs then so be it.

    You could have eggs AND bran flakes.
  • tomhaegdorens
    tomhaegdorens Posts: 36 Member
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    Did you try to eat fruit?
  • NonnyMary
    NonnyMary Posts: 982 Member
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    I really like Frosted Mini Wheats. If you read the nutrition info on the side of the box, it really doesn't seem to have that much sugar and you get a really good nutrition, and if i am remembering right , no sodium. so i think its a good cereal for the nutrition and tastes great. makes me want to eat it.

    I wont eat the crappy tasting bran cereal because it tastes crappy even though it "may" be "better" for you.

    I also like the good tasting nuts n honey cereal because it has fun stuff in it to eat.

    so i think eat the cereal that has fun stuff in it (like nuts and stuff) and you will eat nutritious bran cereal but it wont taste crappy.
  • sheps1990
    sheps1990 Posts: 26 Member
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    Thanks for all your input guys. I have read all posts and they are all helpful. I would still love to ditch the cereal and eat eggs for breakfast as my exercise class instructor tries to get me to do, but my body simply can't handle not having bran flakes and if I have to eat a cereal with sugar content as opposed to a sugar free natural source like eggs then so be it.

    You could have eggs AND bran flakes.

    What I'm thinking is perhaps have tomato and spinach omlettes or boiled/scrambled eggs every day, and say, every third day have 30g of Bran Flakes too, therefore I will be definatey reducing my sugar, but keeping my system running consistently too.
  • smilesback
    smilesback Posts: 327 Member
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    We are all similar and unique at the same time. I had some bleeding with straining a couple weeks ago and it scared me a lot. I have bowel cancer in my family and my family tried to help me by telling me what works for them. So I took metamucil, ate raisin bran with prunes and my fiber capsules. I made it worse! Too much fiber takes a lot of water out of your intestines and bulks up making it hard to pass. I learned that some fiber in your diet will keep you regular, too much is a bad thing. Eggs are known to constipate, btw. Sounds like you already have the means to regulate yourself with cereal. If it ain't broke, don't fix it :)
  • imzadi481
    imzadi481 Posts: 86 Member
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    Hey, I sometimes eat Fruit Loops for breakfast. If it's what I want to eat and it fits my daily calories, I'm okay with it.
  • myfitnesspalsavvy
    myfitnesspalsavvy Posts: 26 Member
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    I know i am coming in late on this post but I'd like to suggest a better fiber thing to eat instead of Bran Flakes and Bran Cereals.
    Fiber is good, but you don't want to have too much fiber because it can constipate you. Too little and you will also be constipated.
    Here is a great "cereal" that has helped a lot of people become regular. You have to take it slow with this though, but it is an excellent food.
    The name is crazy...lol... but it's a great great product!
    http://holycrap.ca/
  • Ang108
    Ang108 Posts: 1,711 Member
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    Eat the bran flakes if they fit your budget. Also, you don't eat bran flakes and 2 hours later it's worked it's magic. It takes at least 6 hours for some one with a fast digestion rate to see food move through, average is 12 hours and for some it can be up to 72 hours. We'd all be dead if all our food moved through our systems in 2 hours.

    I'm simply describing what happened to me last night telling it like it is. I ate eggs for breakfast from mon-fri no poo. Decided f-it and ate some bran flakes at 9pm last night and no later than 11pm I did a poo. I'm convinced the bran flakes pushed this through.

    I am not doubting what you say, but wonder if in your case it is " mind over matter ". Two hours are just not enough for the bran to transit from your stomach to the intestines, get digested and push whatever was in the way through the sytem. However if it works who cares if it was mind over matter or not.
    In general common constipation is caused by three things ( broadly speaking ) lack of fiber, lack of moisture or as a side effect of medication. If you eat enough fiber and are constipated, you might need to drink more water and if you drink a lot of water and are constipated, you might need to ingest more fiber. If it is from medication people often need to resort to some kind of laxative.
    Good Luck !
  • pearlmorning
    pearlmorning Posts: 86 Member
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    Don't forget to drink lots of water. It helps a lot! I also eat a Raisin Bran muffin quite often for breakfast that helps the day. I have the recipe if you want it.
  • UnicornRides
    UnicornRides Posts: 56
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    I can't believe there are people here telling you it's fine to not worry about sugars. Sugars = fats. They're fine in small doses but not for the large amounts in some of the foods/cereals they're listing here (not to mention quite a lot of those brands have "extras" that actually prevent vitamins and minerals from breaking down in your body.)

    Constipation can happen when you eat too much Vitamin D3 (calcium found in milk/fish/dairy/fortified cereals/etc) since it's fat soluble. You only need 3 cups of milk a day (about 5 mcg) of it. Anymore and it will constipate you and have some other mild side effects. Eggs have a large amount which is why 2 egg whites and one egg yolk is usually recommended.

    Also, you could have a fiber deficiency (there are two types and you may be low on one or the other which both are full of other types, lol.)

    Hope this helps! There are a few other types of minerals that can make you constipated but D3 is usually a culprit. Just do some research and switch up what you can.
  • Skeebee
    Skeebee Posts: 740 Member
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    Same here...do what you feel is right. I was the same way going to try to change because of the sugars. I do mini wheats and/or cheerios and have been doing that for 2 years because that is the ONLY thing that kept me going and that would also keep me to eating breakfast. Have you tried maybe upping your fiber in other meals to counteract the affects from the breakfast change?
  • keithmustloseweight
    keithmustloseweight Posts: 309 Member
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    I think we're going to need some pictures of the poop to be able to tell what's going on.
  • Skeebee
    Skeebee Posts: 740 Member
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    I think we're going to need some pictures of the poop to be able to tell what's going on.

    :noway: :noway: :noway: :noway:

    :laugh: :laugh:
  • UnicornRides
    UnicornRides Posts: 56
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    I think we're going to need some pictures of the poop to be able to tell what's going on.

    :noway: :noway: :noway: :noway:

    :laugh: :laugh:

    In some parts of the world, people will actually feel it for you too. Then tell you what they think.
  • Wrreck
    Wrreck Posts: 99 Member
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    Eat the bran flakes if they fit your budget. Also, you don't eat bran flakes and 2 hours later it's worked it's magic. It takes at least 6 hours for some one with a fast digestion rate to see food move through, average is 12 hours and for some it can be up to 72 hours. We'd all be dead if all our food moved through our systems in 2 hours.

    I'm simply describing what happened to me last night telling it like it is. I ate eggs for breakfast from mon-fri no poo. Decided f-it and ate some bran flakes at 9pm last night and no later than 11pm I did a poo. I'm convinced the bran flakes pushed this through.

    I think it depends on the person. I've eaten at Subway several times in the past and had terrible stomach pains and diarrhea with visibly undigested lettuce bits in it within a half hour of eating there before. This has happened to me on several occasions in the past and there were no other lettuce consumption meals to reference back to. It was definitely a Subway incident. Needless to say, I avoid lettuce at Subway like it's the plague now!
  • NH_Norma
    NH_Norma Posts: 332 Member
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    It takes at least 6 hours for some one with a fast digestion rate to see food move through, average is 12 hours and for some it can be up to 72 hours. We'd all be dead if all our food moved through our systems in 2 hours.

    Some people, some food, does not know about this rule. If I eat ice cream, I'm cramped and in the bathroom in about 45 minutes. Consistently. Guess what I eat if I get constipated? :bigsmile:
  • lovingangel4uau
    lovingangel4uau Posts: 78 Member
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    The gastroenterologist on The Doctors program recommended Psyllium this can help relieve both constipation and diarrhea, and is used to treat irritable bowel syndrome, hemorrhoids, and other intestinal problems. Psyllium has also been used to help regulate blood sugar levels in people with diabetes and can lower cholesterol.

    He recommends 2 teaspoons a day. I tried this and it’s fantastic! Although I found I only needed 1 teaspoon a day to sort me out. I also used an Organic brand it’s very low cost and can be used in a number of ways.

    I put it on my Greek yoghurt or in a soup. You can also put in it juice. I did find it goes quite thick if you leave it on the yoghurt so I just put it on the top and down it first thing then eat the yoghurt and fruit if I have any in it. He does also recommend drinking more water to flush everything through the body which you will need to do if you don’t drink much water.

    I am positive it will fix your problem and you will be very happy with the results. :)
  • Wrreck
    Wrreck Posts: 99 Member
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    Thanks for all your input guys. I have read all posts and they are all helpful. I would still love to ditch the cereal and eat eggs for breakfast as my exercise class instructor tries to get me to do, but my body simply can't handle not having bran flakes and if I have to eat a cereal with sugar content as opposed to a sugar free natural source like eggs then so be it.

    You could have eggs AND bran flakes.

    What I'm thinking is perhaps have tomato and spinach omlettes or boiled/scrambled eggs every day, and say, every third day have 30g of Bran Flakes too, therefore I will be definatey reducing my sugar, but keeping my system running consistently too.

    Maybe you could try a smaller portion of bran flakes along with the egg every day. I usually have an egg and old fashioned oatmeal most mornings.
  • Minks_esposa
    Minks_esposa Posts: 54
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    If it ain't broke don't fix it! Keep eating the cereal that you like.

    I've battled with constipation my whole life and after being told for years to drink more water, I finally listened about 2 months ago. I drink about 70+ ounces of water and haven't had constipation since.

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