Everyone poops. . . .

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Replies

  • jillymurdoch
    jillymurdoch Posts: 42 Member
    I hear ya! I get 25g+ of fibre, drink my water, but what helps me the most is vitamin c. I am for over 100% of my recommended daily intake, but sometimes if I'm feeling backed up, I have some extra vitamin c and water before bed and that helps. My naturopath recommended that as vitamin c brings water into the bowels. I also found that the second I cut my caffeine intake down to one cup a day, same thing happened. Apparently the same thing can happen when you cut any stimulate, whether that be coffee, cigarettes, etc. After a few months of adjusting, by BMs sorted themselves out.
  • healthygreek
    healthygreek Posts: 2,137 Member
    1 tablespoon psyllium whole husks mixed in a large glass of water 3x a day.
    Start with 1 dose a day and gradually work up to 3 a day.
    It is a great way to cure constipation and get enough of all the types of fiber.
    Make sure to drink lots of water as you up your fiber intake!
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    I'm encountering this, but I think mine is super simple. Less food shoved in my mouth means less coming out the other end. ????
    This is what I was wondering. :happy:
  • ebayaddict0127
    ebayaddict0127 Posts: 523 Member
    Not sure how I missed that you quit smoking. Quitting smoking will definitely alter your poo patterns for awhile. It will all balance out eventually. Nicotine is a stimulant and like coffee, can make you go.

    Former smoker here (7 years quit!)
  • RachelRuns9
    RachelRuns9 Posts: 585 Member
    Enjoy yourself some coffee ;)
  • redambition
    redambition Posts: 39 Member
    Hi, First let me apologize for bringing up poop on a Sunday morning. But I sure would like to have one. That being said, I am a 34 year old female, 5'10" and currently 186 lbs. I started out the New Year with resolutions that I have been able to maintain to date. I quit smoking, started watching my calorie intake(1200+ excercise calories), drinking more water(8-10cups/daily), and working out 3x a week with C25K. Now, with all of that change, I totally understand that my body and chemistry are going to change. However, with all that is changing, I have noticed that my bowel movements are fewer and further between. I am not in constipation pain but, I do wonder if this is normal? if anyone else has experienced such a thing? and if so, what did you do to overcome it? Any suggestions about intestinal health and encouraging healthy flow would be appreciated. Thank you for your suggestions.
    You have lost 19 pounds since the New Year, thus approximately five pounds pounds per week. Your are exercising like crazy, but you are eating UNDER (caps used for emphasis only) 1,200 calories and some days NOT eating much of your exercise calories back. At least that that is what your diary reflects. All this, and you are 5 ft. 10 and in your early thirties.

    The above is why you can't poop. First of all, you are eating WAY TOO FEW calories, and you are losing weight WAY TOO FAST. Granted, at first the weight seems to come off pretty fast, but it should have slowed down by now. I'll be surprised if you are not pretty low on energy by now.

    You need to up those base calories because, due to your height and weight, I doubt that MFP set you up at 1,200 calories a day even if you wanted to lose 2 pounds a week. You also need to start eating more of those exercise calories back. You need to eat more foods with fiber. Heck, you need to start eating more period and slow that weight loss down.

    Also, how much water are you drinking?

    MFP will give a 5'10" girl a calorie goal of 1200 if they want to lose 2lb a week.... That's what it gave me when I recalculated for myself. I stayed on it for about a week, but have since upped it. I'm trying 1600 a day now, and plan to eat back most exercise cals.

    OP, add fibrous foods to your diet, make sure you're hitting nutrition goals and consider upping your calories. If you're not feeling good, there's usually a reason.
  • ell_v131
    ell_v131 Posts: 349 Member
    I'm gonna go out on a limb and assume that 1200 calories is a lot less than you were eating before... or you wouldn't be trying to lose. So you are eating a lot less food. Ergo smaller/less frequent bowel movements.

    In fact, for a 5'10 woman 1200 net is not enough fuel and I suspect you will hit a wall eventually. There is a more comfortable and sustainable way to go about weight loss: eat the maximum amount of calories you can while still losing weight.
    I'm 5'6 and I eat 1600net and losing steadily.

    Please read here to understand how you may be doing yourself a disservice:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1088600-dear-mean-people-of-mfp
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/310489-the-reason-why-starving-yourself-will-not-work
  • chatogal
    chatogal Posts: 436 Member
    havnt read all the replies...so apologies if I am repeting. Smoking is a laxative...so is eating. So as you have cut out smoking AND you have decreased your food intake. ..your bowels will be feeling the pinch (so to speak!!) Hang in there. .. it WILL eventually sort itself out...meanwhile lots of fibre. .. good luck:smile:
  • JanaCanada
    JanaCanada Posts: 917 Member
    If you can't stomach high fibre foods (like me) and Metmucil is vomit-inducing (ditto), try the Ultra Fibre tablets, which are 100% natural (made from psyllium and prunes).

    Two tablets a day, and I'm a regular gal. :laugh:
  • LTKeegan
    LTKeegan Posts: 354 Member
    Kombucha will get that ball rolling, hoooolllyyy crap. I drank 2 bottles (4 servings) in 2 days and I could not stop pooping. It was like an hourly thing rather than a daily thing. (I have since slowed down consumption to 1 serving every other day.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Thank you everyone for all the suggestions! I will definitely do what I can. My weight ticker is inaccurate, I need to update it. I have only lost 8 pounds since the new year. But it seems to be a consensus that I need to be eating more. I will certainly try that. Along with more fruits and veggies. Thank you for your comments. May you all be healthy, safe, happy and at peace!! Have a great rest of your weeknd
    Good.
    And good luck!
  • MsJulielicious
    MsJulielicious Posts: 708 Member
    Balanced diet with fruit and vegetables, and if necessary chia seeds work well.
  • MinMin97
    MinMin97 Posts: 2,674 Member
    Have you introduced a new food in your diet? When I substituted milk with soy milk, I found out I was allergic to the carrageenan that was added.
    Are you drinking enough water, given the added exercise?
  • erbear117
    erbear117 Posts: 62 Member
    Eat tons of veggies! Half your plate should be veggies.
    My nutritionist says that bowel movements should be at least twice a day.
    We both eat a lot of veggies and have more of the opposite problem than you!


    Drink lots of water too!
  • janinab75
    janinab75 Posts: 147 Member
    Joining your TMI train, this has been a life long problem for me and I hadn't paid too much attention to it until now, since it;s been life long. I used to poop every 3 to 4 to 6 days. Yup! Slow bowels. I drink black coffee, didn't help. Changed my diet to much healthier by joining MFP, lost 30 lbs, didn't help, started exercising and increasing water intake, didn't help. Eating more fruits and vegetables, didn't help. You know what did help? Adding flax seed, 18 grams daily, and fiber one bars or cereal daily. That's what seems to be working. I also eat a bowl of steel cut oatmeal a day, if I miss any of those the movements don't happen. Go figure. Lazy bowels! I must need MEGA doses of fiber or something to function. So find what works for you, add enough fiber to your diet until you find what clicks and stick to it. You'll find it. But don't use laxative or stool softeners, those things are awful!
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    Thank you everyone for all the suggestions! I will definitely do what I can. My weight ticker is inaccurate, I need to update it. I have only lost 8 pounds since the new year. But it seems to be a consensus that I need to be eating more. I will certainly try that. Along with more fruits and veggies. Thank you for your comments. May you all be healthy, safe, happy and at peace!! Have a great rest of your weeknd
    Glad you have lost 8 pounds instead of 19 pounds in such a short time. :smile:

    That still leaves us with the fact that you are eating under 1,200 calories. Really, for your height, you need to eat more and you need to eat some of those exercise calories back. If you eat more then your pooping should regulate itself back into action.
  • Skarlet13
    Skarlet13 Posts: 146 Member
    Before being diagnosed with celiac disease I was pooping 1238584376956 times per day. It was just awful. I knew where every washroom was wherever I went.

    After going gluten free this reduced to one time per day. Since starting my diet I actually skip a day here or there and let me tell you it's awesome to go a day without pooping!!! Consider yourself blessed!!!

    Also, as many others have said here it stands to reason that as you eat less food, you will naturally have less waste.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    First off, some people don't poop that often - like every 3-7 days. :blushing:
    If a person has not pooped in seven days, they need to see a doctor.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    Eat less, poop less.

    It's all good...
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    colon blow and a vacuum cleaner?
  • ProgressNotPerfection32
    ProgressNotPerfection32 Posts: 1,155 Member
    I take Benefiber every morning in my protein shake.
  • MarKayDee
    MarKayDee Posts: 196
    Before I started watching what I ate and joined MFP I only pooped every other to every two days, which people always told me was strange but it's how my insides have always rocked it. Since joining I have noticed they're a little more "regular" (everydayish) but I don't know really WHY.
    I know when my two year old needs help with a poo I give him some extra fruit juice (usually apple since we're getting intimate here.) and if that doesn't help I give him something carby so he has a little extra in him to come out. Almost always does the trick. If not try giving yourself a tummy massage and rub in a clockwise direction to encourage your body to do what it is supposed to.
  • Sky_Of_Aegis
    Sky_Of_Aegis Posts: 114
    Not sure if this was covered, but I drink anywhere between 4-10 tea bags worth of Oolong "Wu Long" Tea. Excellent diuretic and along with fiber, definitely keeps me normal. Along with Garcinia Cambogia extract and potassium, I have not had the slightest problem. I use honey in my tea also. Don't know if honey helps keep things regular or not, but I know it has medicinal and arguably weight loss properties.Oolong tea is high in caffeine so if you are sensitive to it, I would recommend drinking it much more sparingly than me "2-4 tea bags a day. I do a double cup every time I drink it. Hope you find a solution!
  • alfiedn
    alfiedn Posts: 425 Member
    I totally agree with the fiber comments, but I think talking to a pharmacist may help, too. I know this isn't for everyone and I'm not saying it's for you, especially with JUST quitting smoking (kudos!), but I've been much more regular since eating vegetarian. I think it has a lot to do with my fiber intake. I do notice I'm more bound up after eating a lot fish (which I do still eat on occasion).
  • mrsBrown1989
    mrsBrown1989 Posts: 81
    http://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/five-strategies-to-combat-constipation/
  • vanguardfitness
    vanguardfitness Posts: 720 Member
    I second magnesium
  • Iknewyouweretrouble
    Iknewyouweretrouble Posts: 561 Member
    Not sure how I missed that you quit smoking. Quitting smoking will definitely alter your poo patterns for awhile. It will all balance out eventually. Nicotine is a stimulant and like coffee, can make you go.

    Former smoker here (7 years quit!)
    Oh my goodness it all makes sense now!! lol

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