Decreased carbs = constipation?!

Try eating more veggies. If you are low carbing and eating mostly protein you have fewer bowel movements.

Approx 2 months ago, I decreased my carbs to mainly those found in fruits/veggies (NO breads, granola, or gluten at all), and increased protein intake (yes, and healthy fats). I thought this was supposed to be a good idea, but since then I've had *horrible* constipation... any advice? What am I doing wrong?

Unless you're gluten-intolerant there is no 'need' to cut out carbs (and even then it would just be gluten-containing ones). So unless increasing your fibre intake (soluble AND insoluble fibre) works, maybe increase the carbs? Shouldn't be a problem if you stay in a deficit. Some people do very well on low-carb & ketogenic diets but it could be that you're just not one of them.

Up the fiber intake and see what happens.

Also, prepare for the low-carb criticizers. They swarm these threads like sharks swarming a bleeding seal.

FIBER!! But go slow in increasing it. And drink plenty of fluids.

Approx 2 months ago, I decreased my carbs to mainly those found in fruits/veggies (NO breads, granola, or gluten at all), and increased protein intake (yes, and healthy fats). I thought this was supposed to be a good idea, but since then I've had *horrible* constipation... any advice? What am I doing wrong?

Unless you're gluten-intolerant there is no 'need' to cut out carbs (and even then it would just be gluten-containing ones). So unless increasing your fibre intake (soluble AND insoluble fibre) works, maybe increase the carbs? Shouldn't be a problem if you stay in a deficit. Some people do very well on low-carb & ketogenic diets but it could be that you're just not one of them.

There are actually a number of reasons to cut out gluten even if you don't have Celiac or a gluten intolerance.

Also: Make sure you're eating plenty of fat: olive oil, fish, avocados, nuts, and flax seeds. I also started taking fish oil pills to help with my constipation.

Not all fat is bad for you. The fats to avoid are trans fats and polyunsaturated fats (like soy, canola, etc.) Think of these as the man-made oils and it becomes easier to identify. When reducing carbs, it's very important to eat fat.

The hardest thing about low-carb diets is that it takes some time for your body to adjust. So hang in there.

More protein= your body need more fiber + water.

It happens when you cut the carbs. You have to eat lots if veggies everyday to stay regular. Salad greens, broccoli, cauliflower are good choices.

im on keto, and i cant eat many carbs - even too many veggies will topple me over my daily limit.
the absolute best thing i've found for this problem is flax seed meal. it tastes ok, i personally like the taste, and it is completely carbless - also it's full of amazing nutrients.

i like to buy Bobs Red Mill Flax Seed and grind them up in my coffee grinder - then i either make flax bread (google the recipe, its the best zero carb bread ever) or sprinkle it on my food when i'm cooking. They also make pre-ground flax seed mill (by Hodgemill) but its more expensive.

yay for poops!

*edit* i guess i forgot to mention the most important thing - flax seed is a natural food commonly used to treat irregular bowl movements or constipation. it has extremely high levels of fiber, and it pretty much makes me go "number 2" within the hour.
I usually eat 2 tablespoons worth of seeds (grounded up, that makes a little bit more than 2 tablespoons.) PSS - it's best to grind the flax seed rather than eat it whole for fiber purposes, but if you dont have time to grind them, eating them whole should help too.

I have actually found the opposite that this thread is saying - my fiber count has been lower than usual lately (not more than 10g a day) and I've managed to have no digestive issues, very regular. It might be the fact that I've increased my fat content some, or maybe my body just got used to eating keto? Either way, fiber is not the only solution.

Water, veggies, flax seeds and oats.

I see the same thing when I eat a high protein diet. Eat more veggies.

Approx 2 months ago, I decreased my carbs to mainly those found in fruits/veggies (NO breads, granola, or gluten at all), and increased protein intake (yes, and healthy fats). I thought this was supposed to be a good idea, but since then I've had *horrible* constipation... any advice? What am I doing wrong?

Unless you're gluten-intolerant there is no 'need' to cut out carbs (and even then it would just be gluten-containing ones). So unless increasing your fibre intake (soluble AND insoluble fibre) works, maybe increase the carbs? Shouldn't be a problem if you stay in a deficit. Some people do very well on low-carb & ketogenic diets but it could be that you're just not one of them.

There are actually a number of reasons to cut out gluten even if you don't have Celiac or a gluten intolerance.

link me/refer me to some studies please? (I based what I said on Alan Aragon's Paleo critic interview where he referenced this: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23834276 although I haven't looked any further than that).

ETA a quote from that: "As far as non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) goes, a very recent study led by Daniel DiGiacomo of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University estimated that the national prevalence of NCGS is a smidge over 0.5%, which is about half the prevalence of celiac disease. I’ve seen higher gluten sensitivity prevalence estimates in less reliable literature, but the bottom line is that the gluten-tolerant fraction of the population is likely to be well over 90% of us. So, it simply makes no sense to view gluten-containing foods as universally “bad.”"

Approx 2 months ago, I decreased my carbs to mainly those found in fruits/veggies (NO breads, granola, or gluten at all), and increased protein intake (yes, and healthy fats). I thought this was supposed to be a good idea, but since then I've had *horrible* constipation... any advice? What am I doing wrong?

Unless you're gluten-intolerant there is no 'need' to cut out carbs (and even then it would just be gluten-containing ones). So unless increasing your fibre intake (soluble AND insoluble fibre) works, maybe increase the carbs? Shouldn't be a problem if you stay in a deficit. Some people do very well on low-carb & ketogenic diets but it could be that you're just not one of them.

There are actually a number of reasons to cut out gluten even if you don't have Celiac or a gluten intolerance.

link me/refer me to some studies please? (I based what I said on Alan Aragon's Paleo critic interview where he referenced this: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23834276 although I haven't looked any further than that).

ETA a quote from that: "As far as non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) goes, a very recent study led by Daniel DiGiacomo of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University estimated that the national prevalence of NCGS is a smidge over 0.5%, which is about half the prevalence of celiac disease. I’ve seen higher gluten sensitivity prevalence estimates in less reliable literature, but the bottom line is that the gluten-tolerant fraction of the population is likely to be well over 90% of us. So, it simply makes no sense to view gluten-containing foods as universally “bad.”"

I guess the main reason people cut out carbs is because of the insulin response. Glucose is toxic, too much of it can kill you. So when you eat carbs (which become glucose) your body produces insulin that makes all your organs burn the glucose first and store as fat all the glucose that can't be burned. While there is insulin in your body, you can't burn fat. And sometimes the insulin lingers after the glucose is burned or stored and for some reason that makes you crave more carbs. This causes people to overeat.

What's worse is that, if your diet is heavily dependent on carbs, then your body seems to forget that it can burn fat. So when you skip a meal or reduce your calorie intake, instead of burning fat stores, you get carb cravings. When people cut way back on their carbs, the goal is (usually) to become "fat-adapted". That's a state of being able to burn easily fat when there are no carbs available. And this makes calorie restriction significantly easier.

I don't have any links that describe this. I read it in Gary Taubes' book: Why We Get Fat.

Carbs - especially grains - are not very filling. So you have to eat more to feel full. And there's not much in way of micro-nutrients either. You can get all the vitamins and minerals that are in bread in much higher quantities by eating fruit and vegetables. There's also the anti-nutrients: here's a link that explains those: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/why-grains-are-unhealthy/.

Regarding that study you linked to:
They didn't actually test anybody to see if they were gluten-sensitive. They asked people if they were eating gluten-free. That could include some people that are not gluten-sensitive at all, and there could be an unknown number of people in the study that are gluten-insensitive, but (for whatever reason) are not following a gluten-free diet. The conclusion that 0.5% are gluten-insensitive (based on this study alone) is illogical. The logical conclusion is that there are about 0.5% that know they are or think they could be gluten-insensitive.