I always thought...

Once a day is my norm.

I think that twice a day is quite frequent. Drinking water and exercise help bowel movements.

Per my doctor, every body is different, and the range of "normal" is from once every other day to three times per day.

Getting things to move involves fiber to bind it, hydration to keep it soft enough to move, and enough exercise to keep your body functional. However, if your body prefers fewer times, you're not likely to change it significantly.

Have a look at your average fat intake, fat is needed as well as fiber and water to keep things moving.

Lol all those dibers will make you gazzyyy, I eat an apple in the evening it works for me. I am sure you have some trigger food. For some it is a dried apricot combined with a glass of water.

Per my doctor, every body is different, and the range of "normal" is from once every other day to three times per day.

Getting things to move involves fiber to bind it, hydration to keep it soft enough to move, and enough exercise to keep your body functional. However, if your body prefers fewer times, you're not likely to change it significantly.

I agree ^^^^^
I don't know where you got 2X a day from - everyone is different - provided that you don't feel bunged up and bloated and are eating healthily your body will sort itself out - back ache can sometimes be an indicator of constipation. Whether you are a 2X a week person or 1x per day, you will not do yourself any favours by trying to encourage more frequent motions. Drink enough fluids, eat a sensible balance of fibre - and a reasonable amount of naturally occurring fats - exercise regularly and let your body do it's thing. The developed world worries far too much about its bowels!

Edit - typos

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Once a day is jusssst fine.

If you want to go more often, coffee will often do the trick

once a day is the norm. High fiber can definitely cause constipation especially is your body in not accustom to it. Drink lots of water, make sure you have some good fats and a bit of probiotics (yogurt ect) and maybe cut down on the fiber and slowly increase to find the sweet spot.

that a sign of good, and healthy bowels are to poop twice a day.

Did you hear this from a doctor? If you are doing everything right and you are pooping just once, then perhaps that is the norm for you.

I wouldn't worry too much about it.

I think that twice a day is quite frequent. Drinking water and exercise help bowel movements.

I agree with this totally.

Also, everyone's body is a little different in this area. I find that getting too much fiber actually causes problems for me (constipation), especially if I eat a lot of baby spinach, arugula, and/or apples. Quinoa does it to me, too. I have to eat those items in smaller amounts and with a lot of other foods in order to avoid this problem. I also find that when I don't eat enough fats (including healthy fats like olive oil, avocado, etc) I have trouble in this area.

Once a day is my norm and "goal" I might even call it. But midway through my weight loss (I've lost around 120 lb) I had a couple of months where I was BADLY constipated, only going about twice a week and really uncomfortable...I thought it would help me to eat lots more fiber, and it made the problem MUCH worse (especially the baby spinach, which I was eating tons of).

Good luck, OP.

I peeked through your diary, most days you're getting around 10g-15g of fiber. Try aiming for 25g a day.

Those Fiber One bars are miserable, but try the cereals instead. I have never had a problem eating the cereal.

There are also high-fiber low-carb tortilla wraps (Ole Xtreme Wellness, 9g fiber each), high fiber breads (I like Healthy Life, 5g fiber for 19g carbs) & english muffins (Thomas brand, my fav, 8g of fiber each).

I was wondering this myself. If I eat very low cal (1200-1300) for a couple days, I'll go the entire time without pooping. As soon as I start eating 1500-1600, I'll go back to my normal pooping 2-3 times per day. My macros are the same regardless of how many cals I eat, so idk what the issue is. Is it really just less food=less poop?

Like others already mentioned, I actually don't really see much fiber in your diary?? 25 grams total is recommended for the average person and you should be getting that through mostly fruits/vegetables. If you're not used to eating fiber and you suddenly incorporate it, that will affect your digestive system. Incorporate it slowly and eventually try to reach up to 25 grams. However, do not eat too much because that can also cause constipation.

I noticed others have mentioned this. For me, eating too much protein also affects my regularity. So I suggest you try to follow your macro nutrient ratio as much as possible for a balanced diet, incorporate more variety of healthy vegetables and fruits high in both fiber and water content in every meal, continue to drink lots of water, and also cut down sodium (which helps with reducing bloating).

For example, you can have fruit with your oatmeal in the morning. Adding seeds and nuts to your oatmeal will also boost the fiber content! For lunch, you can eat carrots or other vegetables with your main protein/fat source. For dinner, try to cook for yourself (so you'll know exactly how much fiber/sodium is in it!) and include things like different types of beans. For snacks, whole fruit smoothies (with either almond milk or water) is also really good. You can grind up flaxseeds/chia seeds before blending up the fruits and that gives you lots of fiber too. My diary is always full of fiber; have a look to see what kind of whole foods I eat to stay regular!