Irregular bowel movement. Any tips?

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Replies

  • alechua
    alechua Posts: 224 Member
    Can't believe I'm commenting on this thread but caffeine. No seriously, caffeine.

    I've tried this before, and it works. Maybe I should include caffeine back in my diet.
  • alechua
    alechua Posts: 224 Member
    Sometimes the bowel and rectum need to be retrained to poop. After you eat large meals, something hot in the morning (coffee) go sit on the toilet for 10 minutes and practice. You can google bowel retraining. I know totally gross.

    Although it is normal for some people not to go everyday I would die if I didn't go at least 1 time a day. I thought everyone had a morning BM.

    My husbands granny used to shoot a shot glass of maloox regular after she drank her coffee and she was running to the bathroom within 30 mins. My grandmother on the other hand begs for the diarhea from the stomach flu because she has diverticulitus and her bowels don't move. She also finds fiber makes it worse.

    UGH TMI sorry.

    My mom always give this advice, to sit and wait for a few minutes. Its just that I'm too lazy! Ugh.. Need to practice this! hahaha! Thanks! :)
  • p4ulmiller
    p4ulmiller Posts: 588 Member
    drink more than 1/2 your body weight in oz for water

    Yikes! What? Half of your body weight?!

    As long as you drink enough fluid to pee about 1 - 1.5 litres a day, you're fine.
  • stumblinthrulife
    stumblinthrulife Posts: 2,558 Member
    Make like an accountant and sit down and work it out with a pencil.






    Sorry, I'll show myself out.
  • p4ulmiller
    p4ulmiller Posts: 588 Member
    Oh, and as a general point, raising your feet slightly as you are seated helps (something like the Yellow Pages is perfect). Rocking back and forth as you are seated is also alleged to encourage movement.

    Seriously. Try it!
  • musicboxes
    musicboxes Posts: 133 Member
    Check your cheese intake & try fresh pineapple.
  • ldrosophila
    ldrosophila Posts: 7,512 Member
    It's the something about weight loss no one ever tell you. Your gut slows down. I've done the prunes, coffee, Mg, more fiber, more water...ect.

    The only thing that works for me is to get an osmotic shift going in my colon in other words I have to drink a big sugared drink, and usually within 30 minutes I can go. I think there are some medications that can have the same effect, but I cant think of them off the top of my head.

    If youre not willing to drink sugar, and of course I understand, then stay hydrated and eat a lot of food with soluble fiber like apples and bananas to ensure that when you finally do pass that stool is soft and not hard and painful.
  • Grumpsandwich
    Grumpsandwich Posts: 368 Member
    I started having troubles after i increased my amount of crunches i did daily. Went to see the doc n found out in women with weak pelvic floors ( previous prolopases, hysterectomy, or problems with pelvic floor running in the family) can have the bowels drop into the vaginal vault and causes issues like constipation or trouble moving bowel .. Not something i would of ever thought of surely. With softeners and reducing the amount of crunches it has helped but sometimes its good obviously to see your physician even if its minor when its persistent. This is no joke either when im severely desperate and nothing seems to be moving right. 1 Mcdonalds cheeseburger cures it. lol I dont do take out more than once a month and rarely touch fast food at all anymore but sometimes that greasy McD is better than the best laxative lol thats fast food for ya
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,740 Member
    I shy away from pills too, but whenever I have any problem in this area that 2 prunes don't cure I take one tablet of Colace (cheap dollar store brand is fine) and within 2 days I have a serious BM that is not painful or diarrhea like. For me this happens about once a month (unrelated to TOM), the rest of the time I go every day or almost.
  • AccioFitness
    AccioFitness Posts: 244 Member
    Make like an accountant and sit down and work it out with a pencil.



    Sorry, I'll show myself out.

    OMG I literally snorted tea out of my nose laughing after reading this. XD
  • Siansonea
    Siansonea Posts: 917 Member
    When you eat less, you poop less.

    If you aren't suffering from any gastrointestinal symptoms, don't worry about it. Enjoy your poop-free days. :bigsmile:
  • iceey
    iceey Posts: 354 Member
    Same for me. I can go a week. But now I go about every 2nd day - and that's great!

    1. Probiotics - every day. Never skip
    2. Flaxseed
    3. Chia

    Basically, get as much fiber as you can but lots of water too. I've also cut out milk and for some reason I think that helps me regulate. But I have no scientific evidence to prove that.
  • dellaquilaa
    dellaquilaa Posts: 230 Member
    2-3 servings of fruits and veggies per day is definitely not enough. The recommended amount is a combined 9 servings to get the fiber you need for a healthy gut (among other things). Also, animal products like chicken, fish and dairy can be very difficult for the body to digest - any good doctor I know would tell you to eliminate those things first for a week and see how you feel. A crappy doctor would suggest an artificial fiber supplement or a laxative if you want to take the easy way out.

    Good luck!

    PS, though this may be TMI - I switched to a plant-strong diet a few months ago and have had regular bowel movements since (at least 2x per day). My tummy has never been happier - I haven't had a single stomach ache or heartburn in that time. Hope this helps
  • dellaquilaa
    dellaquilaa Posts: 230 Member
    Also, I notice a lot of people on here saying that when you eat less, you poop less...but the bulk of your stool actually has nothing to do with food. Fecal matter is mostly cellular waste - when you eat less overall, you eat less fiber-containing foods and THAT is what slows the motility of your bowels.

    Feel free to add me or message me if you like. I'm a nurse, I could talk all day long about pooping =)
  • alechua
    alechua Posts: 224 Member
    Also, I notice a lot of people on here saying that when you eat less, you poop less...but the bulk of your stool actually has nothing to do with food. Fecal matter is mostly cellular waste - when you eat less overall, you eat less fiber-containing foods and THAT is what slows the motility of your bowels.

    Feel free to add me or message me if you like. I'm a nurse, I could talk all day long about pooping =)

    Thanks! I added you! Just had diarrhea awhile ago (please forgive me for still writing this down. Hehe.) I noticed that after being unable to poop for more than a day, my next bowel movement most probably would be diarrhea. My stomach is in so much pain before pooping, like my poop can't seem to move out easily, then diarrhea comes along, that is my usual dilemma. Maybe I'm still not getting enough fiber in my daily diet.
  • vpeinado78
    vpeinado78 Posts: 5 Member
    What I've noticed helps alot is 'breaking your fast' with a serving of fruit in the AM. Your body may take a bit longer to process what you eat during the day/night. The easiest thing for your body to process is fruit so naturally, fasting thru the night, and eating fruit in the morning - it should help you.

    Wait about an hour after eating fruit to eat your regular meal. Good luck!!
    :bigsmile:
  • mssierra2u
    mssierra2u Posts: 86 Member
    Fiber Choice tablets and a glass of water with breakfast. They taste like sweet tarts and help with regularity.
  • susanrechter
    susanrechter Posts: 386 Member
    Chia seeds. They're something else.. Oh yea... you'll be poopin!:laugh: It's a healthy poop, too. Not like after taking a laxative. I put a scoop in my granola seeds and nuts in the morning with coconut milk.
  • DrBorkBork
    DrBorkBork Posts: 4,099 Member
    Add more healthy fat to your diet, especially coconut products (coconut oil, coconut butter, coconut milk). Coconut has a fascinating ability to cleanse and make you poop!
  • Debbie_Ferr
    Debbie_Ferr Posts: 582 Member
    On your MFP food diary, start tracking 'fiber' & 'water'. You'll soon find the magic amount of fiber that works for you.

    btw~ I don't track sugar, since I don't have diabetes concerns. tjat freed up a spot, so I can track fiber instead.

    also , chia seeds & flaxseeds & oatmeal are great sources of fiber.
  • alechua
    alechua Posts: 224 Member
    What I've noticed helps alot is 'breaking your fast' with a serving of fruit in the AM. Your body may take a bit longer to process what you eat during the day/night. The easiest thing for your body to process is fruit so naturally, fasting thru the night, and eating fruit in the morning - it should help you.

    Wait about an hour after eating fruit to eat your regular meal. Good luck!!
    :bigsmile:

    I'm doing this everyday - eating fruit(pear) before a regular meal, still not working. :(
  • alechua
    alechua Posts: 224 Member
    Add more healthy fat to your diet, especially coconut products (coconut oil, coconut butter, coconut milk). Coconut has a fascinating ability to cleanse and make you poop!

    I drink fresh coconut water everyday, but not eating the coconut meat since its high in calorie. hehe. :)
  • alechua
    alechua Posts: 224 Member
    On your MFP food diary, start tracking 'fiber' & 'water'. You'll soon find the magic amount of fiber that works for you.

    btw~ I don't track sugar, since I don't have diabetes concerns. tjat freed up a spot, so I can track fiber instead.

    also , chia seeds & flaxseeds & oatmeal are great sources of fiber.

    Just recently found out that MFP allows tracking of daily fiber intake and seems like I'm not hitting the target goal for fiber intake! Thanks! Hope this works!

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