Protein, fiber, and constipation?

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  • eganita
    eganita Posts: 501 Member
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    I really liked the taste of Quest bars, but they really didn't agree well with my stomach. Perhaps you are having some kind of reaction to them as well? I still can't pinpoint exactly why that happened, as I generally eat a lot of protein and fiber from other sources. I've just given them up :/
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
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    You could try drinking protein shake OR eating quest bar, but not both at once? Maybe that's causing the problem, you could switch them everyday.

    I don't take them both at the same time. Quest bar at 5AM, work out, shower, protein bar at 7:45ish. Then I have breakfast (oatmeal) at around 8:30AM.

    Between the Quest bar and the oatmeal (assuming you use real oats, not instant) you are getting a little over 20 g of fiber which is generally good. Try going without the Quest bar for a couple of days to see if the Quest is the issue. I went back to check my diary and I am typically getting about 140 -150 g protein per day (including a Quest bar and scoop of protein powder) and just over 40 g fiber and I am as regular as anyone could wish for, but YMMV.

    You haven't mentioned how much fat you are eating. Perhaps that is the key

    My favorite thing to eat if I need to help things move along is nuts, especially peanuts and almonds. It seems the combination of fat and fiber is what I need.
  • _lyndseybrooke_
    _lyndseybrooke_ Posts: 2,561 Member
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    I eat about 50-55 g fat per day. I'm doing 45% carbs/30% protein/25% fat.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    I would try giving up the Quest bars for a week and see if it corrects itself. If not, then you know it was not the Quest bars and you can add them back.

    I am not a big meat eater so I tried whey protein powder to get my protein up but it constipated me. I liked the taste and the convenience of the powder, but I gave it up because obviously my body wasn't happy with it. Sometmes you just need to listen to your body.
  • random_user75
    random_user75 Posts: 157 Member
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    I have lovely GI issues myself. I've found eating high fiber food of the added fiber sort (Quest bars, Fiber 1 bars, Fiber Love, etc) definitely make me NEED to poop, but it's really difficult/painful. Yay sharing! My GI doc recommended Citrucel, in part because other things like Metamucil tend to cause bloating. Works for me.
  • parkscs
    parkscs Posts: 1,639 Member
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    Your protein does seem quite high. Even lifting heavy for your weight I would have thought 110g max would be sufficient (guessing body fat a 15%) - 1g of protein per lb of lean mass.

    Why not try dropping the protein a little and making the calories up with some fermentable fibre, additional fat also is a stool pleaser! - might help.

    Failing that - do what accountants do!!!

    Well my goal is 1g/lb of body weight. Like I said, I've been having that much protein for a few months with no problems. My weekend protein intake is wayyy less, so it probably adds up to less than 110 g/day when averaged over the week.

    You say that's your goal but you might want to look into how you determined your goal. 150g is almost certainly well past the amount you're getting any sort of benefit from. 1g/lb of lean mass is on the high-end of what actually contributes to building lean mass and more likely you could get by just fine with around 0.85g/lb of lean mass (again, emphasis on lean mass, not total weight) and see identical gains. Not saying the protein intake is the cause of your issue but only that you're eating quite a bit more protein than you need to from an optimal gains perspective, and it's not really a surprise that you're having some digestive issues eating that much protein.
  • _lyndseybrooke_
    _lyndseybrooke_ Posts: 2,561 Member
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    Your protein does seem quite high. Even lifting heavy for your weight I would have thought 110g max would be sufficient (guessing body fat a 15%) - 1g of protein per lb of lean mass.

    Why not try dropping the protein a little and making the calories up with some fermentable fibre, additional fat also is a stool pleaser! - might help.

    Failing that - do what accountants do!!!

    Well my goal is 1g/lb of body weight. Like I said, I've been having that much protein for a few months with no problems. My weekend protein intake is wayyy less, so it probably adds up to less than 110 g/day when averaged over the week.

    You say that's your goal but you might want to look into how you determined your goal. 150g is almost certainly well past the amount you're getting any sort of benefit from. 1g/lb of lean mass is on the high-end of what actually contributes to building lean mass and more likely you could get by just fine with around 0.85g/lb of lean mass (again, emphasis on lean mass, not total weight) and see identical gains. Not saying the protein intake is the cause of your issue but only that you're eating quite a bit more protein than you need to from an optimal gains perspective, and it's not really a surprise that you're having some digestive issues eating that much protein.

    I just think that, if it were my protein intake, I would've been having these problems for longer than the past few weeks.
  • parkscs
    parkscs Posts: 1,639 Member
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    I have lovely GI issues myself. I've found eating high fiber food of the added fiber sort (Quest bars, Fiber 1 bars, Fiber Love, etc) definitely make me NEED to poop, but it's really difficult/painful. Yay sharing! My GI doc recommended Citrucel, in part because other things like Metamucil tend to cause bloating. Works for me.

    It's worth noting that while fiber is oftentimes thought of as beneficial when it comes to constipation, it can actually be very detrimental for many people suffering from chronic constipation. Fiber basically helps "bulk up" your stool and if you have another problem that's contributing to constipation, that extra bulk may only serve to make things worse. Not saying that's what's happening in your case, but when you say it makes you "NEED" to go but it's still difficult... well, it certainly brings studies to mind that found fiber actually made things worse for some people.
  • _lyndseybrooke_
    _lyndseybrooke_ Posts: 2,561 Member
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    I have lovely GI issues myself. I've found eating high fiber food of the added fiber sort (Quest bars, Fiber 1 bars, Fiber Love, etc) definitely make me NEED to poop, but it's really difficult/painful. Yay sharing! My GI doc recommended Citrucel, in part because other things like Metamucil tend to cause bloating. Works for me.

    Thanks for the Citrucel idea!
  • JassiBear
    JassiBear Posts: 268 Member
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    I would give up the quest bars. They are highly processed. Drink lots of water and eat fresh veg. Importantly give yourself time in the bathroom, constipation can hurt so try to relax. Chewing gum containing sorbitol can act as a mild laxative, that might help too.

    This person is right about the chewing gum and sorbitol. You should try eating "sugar free" licorice while drinking coffee. The acidity of the coffee will irritate your insides and the sugar free licorice will make you a bit gassy but can help you get some waste eliminated from your system. An excess of sorbitol is a cause of mild diarrhea, but in your case you need it! Double your water intake as well,,, the more water you drink, the looser your stools will be.
  • JassiBear
    JassiBear Posts: 268 Member
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    By the way you have nice abs from your profile picture OP.... Your diet seems to be working.... just have to figure out a way to loosen up the stools...... I would try soluble fiber with water... like metamucil or something ...maybe add benefiber to your dishes but primarly you need a lot of water to help cope with the amount of protein you are consuming.
  • pythonesk
    pythonesk Posts: 20 Member
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    Whenever I diet I get constipated. It happens when I'm low-carb, or just reduced calorie. Doesn't matter, it all ends up causing trouble in the bathroom. When I was low-carb I had to take SIX fiber pills every day or suffer the consequences. I can fix it just by eating more, but then I wouldn't lose any weight, argh. Taking a lot of vitamin C (like 5000mg) will have a laxative effect. So does taking a lot of Magnesium (aka Epsom salts, which is a laxative, is Magnesium Sulfate). If you've got a very hard stool then definitely do an enema followed up with vitamin C.

    You can get those orange-flavored chewable vit c tablets and dissolve them in a bottle of water and it tastes pretty good, and will help in the bathroom department.

    Good luck!
  • random_user75
    random_user75 Posts: 157 Member
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    I have lovely GI issues myself. I've found eating high fiber food of the added fiber sort (Quest bars, Fiber 1 bars, Fiber Love, etc) definitely make me NEED to poop, but it's really difficult/painful. Yay sharing! My GI doc recommended Citrucel, in part because other things like Metamucil tend to cause bloating. Works for me.

    It's worth noting that while fiber is oftentimes thought of as beneficial when it comes to constipation, it can actually be very detrimental for many people suffering from chronic constipation. Fiber basically helps "bulk up" your stool and if you have another problem that's contributing to constipation, that extra bulk may only serve to make things worse. Not saying that's what's happening in your case, but when you say it makes you "NEED" to go but it's still difficult... well, it certainly brings studies to mind that found fiber actually made things worse for some people.

    Yup. That's totally the case for me. I tend to stay away from added fiber things at this point.
  • beckytcy
    beckytcy Posts: 135 Member
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    I have started taking a probiotic pill (Philipps brand) and drinking water with phyllium husk (from Trader Joe's) mixed in -- once a day. It has made all the difference in the world. Good luck.
  • casiobarnes
    casiobarnes Posts: 78 Member
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    Thank you so much for mentioning coffee! I didn't even think of that. I stopped drinking coffee recently - probably around the same time the constipation started. Then again, I didn't start drinking coffee on a regular basis until January, and had no constipation prior to that, but maybe my body got used to the coffee and now it's reacting to not having the caffeine. I'll have iced coffee 1-3 times a week, but I used to drink 2 cups of hot coffee 5 days per week before that.

    You gave up coffee??

    8VsPPPF.gif

    Haha, I can't imagine.

    It could very well be the loss of a stimulant combined with the additional of fibre, offset your balance/rhythm. Since you don't want to give the bars up, you could try really upping your water intake on those days.

    Someone mentioned Senna tea, and it might very well help you, but I found it to be incredibly harsh. Not my cup of tea (HA!).
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
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    I eat at least 180g of protein daily & had the same issues once I started eating "Life Choice" protein bars which has slightly more protein than Quest bars. I don't eat more than one bar in the morning before workouts. I suggest getting the fiber in you early and maybe something easily digestible like a banana. Spreading out your protein throughout the day evenly if you are not already.

    A couple years back I had a medical issues where my intestines would shut down for about a week at a time. The one thing I discovered after trying many things was coffee was perfect for getting things moving. I know when the poop issue have come up here in the threads others have had great luck with coffee as well.
  • _lyndseybrooke_
    _lyndseybrooke_ Posts: 2,561 Member
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    By the way you have nice abs from your profile picture OP.... Your diet seems to be working.... just have to figure out a way to loosen up the stools...... I would try soluble fiber with water... like metamucil or something ...maybe add benefiber to your dishes but primarly you need a lot of water to help cope with the amount of protein you are consuming.

    Thank you. :) It was a good body day for me; they don't always look like that. :)
  • _lyndseybrooke_
    _lyndseybrooke_ Posts: 2,561 Member
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    Thank you so much for mentioning coffee! I didn't even think of that. I stopped drinking coffee recently - probably around the same time the constipation started. Then again, I didn't start drinking coffee on a regular basis until January, and had no constipation prior to that, but maybe my body got used to the coffee and now it's reacting to not having the caffeine. I'll have iced coffee 1-3 times a week, but I used to drink 2 cups of hot coffee 5 days per week before that.

    You gave up coffee??

    8VsPPPF.gif

    Haha, I can't imagine.

    It could very well be the loss of a stimulant combined with the additional of fibre, offset your balance/rhythm. Since you don't want to give the bars up, you could try really upping your water intake on those days.

    Someone mentioned Senna tea, and it might very well help you, but I found it to be incredibly harsh. Not my cup of tea (HA!).

    Ha! Well, I was never big on coffee until I graduated from college and began working full time. Free coffee is the only kind I'll drink (other than Starbucks fraps). Once it started getting hot outside, the thought of hot coffee made me sick. However, it's been quite chilly in the office lately. Hot coffee doesn't sound too bad now.
  • gweneddk
    gweneddk Posts: 183 Member
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    Have you been traveling recently? Travel always causes problems for me. If you always have problems on Mondays specifically, do you think it could actually be what you're eating on the weekends? (You said that you eat higher fat and less fiber on the weekends, and I know that can make for an unhappy Monday for me).

    I actually find that the fiber in the Quest bars helps me when I'm traveling and get constipated, but I also try to take Magnesium at bedtime when I'm traveling or any time I feel like I'm stopped up. I swear by it because it helps me sleep as well.
  • _lyndseybrooke_
    _lyndseybrooke_ Posts: 2,561 Member
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    Have you been traveling recently? Travel always causes problems for me. If you always have problems on Mondays specifically, do you think it could actually be what you're eating on the weekends? (You said that you eat higher fat and less fiber on the weekends, and I know that can make for an unhappy Monday for me).

    I actually find that the fiber in the Quest bars helps me when I'm traveling and get constipated, but I also try to take Magnesium at bedtime when I'm traveling or any time I feel like I'm stopped up. I swear by it because it helps me sleep as well.

    Nope, no traveling. Actually, traveling gives me the opposite problem. Especially if I'm flying somewhere. Diarrhea, every single time.

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