I Stay Constipated. What To Do?

2

Replies

  • Patttience
    Patttience Posts: 975 Member
    Eat foods with soluble fibre. And reduce foods with insoluble fibre. I don't know about metformin or anything else but you know that laxatives are habit forming i suppose. Anyway I too have issues as a result of my meds. Peanuts, vegetables and legumes are all good. I mention peanuts separately because they don't need to be cooked. Try eating 1/4 to 1/2 cup daily. They are moreish so watchout. One of my doctors once told me that you should eat the equivalent of a big plate of vegetables every day. Obviously you don't have to eat them all at once. But i can tell you that when i eat better foods of the kind mentioned, my bowels are happier and so am I. I 've only ever used laxatives twice. Also keep hydrated.
  • Patttience
    Patttience Posts: 975 Member
    I'm going to add to this since i am in disagreement with some people. I do not find oatmeal and insoluble fibres good for my bowels. I urge you to read up on the different types of fibre and to understand how they work in your body. But also fibre is excellent in so many ways and it may help your diabetes so it is really one of hte best things you can do for your overall health and diabetes is to improve your diet so that you get plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables and legumes daily.

    when i do'nt eat vegetables but just eat lots of cereals pasta and bread with milk. I get constipated regardless how much insoluble fibre is in those foods. Bran is insoluble fibre. A little bit of this is good but not a lot.

    There's a wonderful two part program on you tube about fibre. and there are other interesting things out there on the subject as well. Even wikipedia has a wonderful article about gut flora. Anyway the you tube thing is called Gut Reaction and catalyst is the name of the program. So look it up.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    Magnesium citrate.
  • kristinegift
    kristinegift Posts: 2,406 Member
    Lots of great suggestions regarding fiber, water intake, etc. I'll add one more: a large helping of spicy food. That usually gets me cleaned out if I haven't "gone" in a couple days.
  • hannahkingfitness
    hannahkingfitness Posts: 51 Member
    Eat greens with every meal. I go every day thanks to having spinach/ kale or broccoli with my meals. Don't skimp on it either, have a decent serve!

    Also drink a cup of water with each meal
  • hannahkingfitness
    hannahkingfitness Posts: 51 Member
    Oh and instead of adding greens to your breakfast, you can have a bowl of oats.
  • i_miss_donuts
    i_miss_donuts Posts: 180 Member
    I have IBS and my no fail solution for constipation - Bowl of oatmeal (1 minute oats - the type with no added sugar) and 1/2 to 1 cup mixed frozen berries on top (nuke them in the microwave). The combo of the fiber from the oats and the fiber and natural sugars in the berries is like a freight train through your bowels. :) You could also try adding Fiber One to you menu. Just make sure you are drinking plenty of plain water with any additional fiber.
  • khaleesikhaleesi
    khaleesikhaleesi Posts: 213 Member
    Coffee and whiskey usually cure that right up.
  • melimomTARDIS
    melimomTARDIS Posts: 1,941 Member
    TeaBea wrote: »
    Hydration - Dietary fat - Physical movement - Caffeine

    There are 2 types of fiber: soluble and insoluble: http://www.webmd.com/diet/compare-dietary-fibers

    My go-to insoluble is oatmeal

    If you need to increase your fiber intake....go slowly.

    yes to this post. drink water, cook with a bit of fat/oil, eat fiberous foods (fiber one cereal, the original one is low in sugar and high in fiber) and coffee should help you.
  • marilou0511
    marilou0511 Posts: 591 Member
    edited July 2015
    Only one word - MAGNESIUM tablet. Tried all the other stuff. Still take Magnesium when needed. Still works.

  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    my husband is on metformin and doesnt have that problem. but he eats a pretty high fiber/ veggie filled diet
  • leutloff1988
    leutloff1988 Posts: 25 Member
    AnnaBellQ14 wrote: »
    I drink a lots of water. More than the recommended 8 cups. Then lots of fruit. Apples and pears and others with fiber. Some days I might eat 3 apples. Soft bananas, not my favorite. Prunes. Warm prune juice. This one really works. Don't drink too much of it though. Fiber supplements. Make sure you drink plenty of fluids and increase fiber slowly. Also beans and peas. Oatmeal and raisins. That's all I can think of now. I have had my fair share of problems. Make sure you get your thyroid checked out. Low thyroid can cause constipation.

    I have the same problem but not diabetic. My dietician to me that bananas and apples are two of the most constipating fruits out there. My doctor prescribed Generlac. Take 1 oz every other day. Really moves things along. U should check into it. Good luck
  • umayster
    umayster Posts: 651 Member
    Look up a list of foods with a good supply of magnesium. If you aren't getting it from your foods, Google the types of magnesium that activate the bowels and take it. Skip the oxide version, it is cheap but is not well absorbed.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Magnesium oxide looks great for constipation but bad for everything else: https://drnibber.com/understanding-different-types-of-magnesium/
  • umayster
    umayster Posts: 651 Member
    A
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Magnesium oxide looks great for constipation but bad for everything else: https://drnibber.com/understanding-different-types-of-magnesium/

    Agreed, my thinking was that IF her issue was caused by lack of magnesium in diet then supplementing would solve two issues and it would be important to get a supplement that would address both.

    If she has plenty of mag, then it would be better to solve by addressing the route cause.

    Just clarifying, not trying to be a jerk.
  • bmchenry02
    bmchenry02 Posts: 233 Member
    I'm not going to take time to read all the replies but drinking lemon water first thing in the morning helped me as well as going to bed with a bowl of kashi go lean cereal (high protein and fiber). I squeeze half a lemon in a coffee mug and fill 3/4 with cold tap water.
    I also take probiotics on occasion. Usually my system gets out of whack from medicine or change in diet (vacation).
  • ssbrobst
    ssbrobst Posts: 2 Member
    I have struggled my entire life with constipation due to an elongated bowel. (Which just means it's longer than the average bowel.) Once or twice a week was my normal. I've tried much of the above with some success through the years but would often resort to stool softeners daily. Anyway over a month ago I was told that I am borderline diabetic, cholesterol way too high and I need to lose weight.

    So after doing some research I cut out ALL added sugar and bad carbs. I am eating foods high in fiber, lots of veggies and fruit, no processed food, drinking lots of water and exercising 5 days a week. And now...I am very regular with no stool softeners. That is only after a month.

    Drinking water has always been hard for me too...I often add fruit or lemon to it which helps.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    pwponton44 wrote: »
    ....I typical have a decent bowel movement once a week and that only happens after taking dulcolax or some other form of "wash out" as my Jamaican elders would call it. I am diabetic and the doctor believes it a side effect of my medication Metforim. I can't reduce the dosage any further. Everything I am told to drink is high in sugar which is counterproductive to my weight loss effort. Any suggestion for relief?

    Make sure you get plenty of the 3 "F"'s: fat, fiber, and fluids. When I get a bit backed up I find that a handful or two of nuts, especially almonds or peanuts, works wonders the next day.

    Your fiber should be at least 25 g daily and it doesn't hurt, especially as a T2Dm, to go over that. I aim for at least 35 g. If in doubt about your fluids, drink more. What is your fat macro? You might want to think about upping it a little, maybe taking a few grams away from your carbs.

    I also found that if I drink some coffee in the morning, then take a walk of at least 30 minutes, I need to hit the bathroom soon after.

  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Metformin always loosened me up. I echo the suggestions for soluble fiber, fats, coffee, walking, water.

    The premier protein shake always bungs me up.

    For your diabetes I suggest looking up the balanced plate. I am guessing that eating a balance of macros with lots of fruits and vegetables will help balance everything out.
  • laydeejoker_1227
    laydeejoker_1227 Posts: 1 Member
    I also have encountered constipation throughout my life and I can completely understand how stressful this can be.
    My advise to you is to stop taking laxatives because they will only make your digestive system more sluggish in the long run. Your body will get used to only having bowel movements when you take the laxative and after a while of taking them, they will not be as effective as they are now.
    I recommend eating less carbs and eating foods with more fiber. Drinking green tea in the morning when you wake up and plenty of fluids throughout the day will help A LOT. Any food that is green ex. Broccoli, cucumbers ..etc

    If you have a hard time eating foods with high fiber, you can also add (Benefiber) powder to your drinks and it will do the trick. Benefiber can be found at almost every store and it has no flavor so it wont make your drinks taste unpleasant.
    I hope this helps! Good luck to you.
  • Unknown
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  • mesamesa19
    mesamesa19 Posts: 1 Member
    Have you tried probiotics? My cousins and aunt are diabetics they started Plexus and their probiotics and biocleanse are safe for diabetics.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    edited July 2015
    This content has been removed.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    edited July 2015
    Patttience wrote: »
    I'm going to add to this since i am in disagreement with some people. I do not find oatmeal and insoluble fibres good for my bowels. I urge you to read up on the different types of fibre and to understand how they work in your body. But also fibre is excellent in so many ways and it may help your diabetes so it is really one of hte best things you can do for your overall health and diabetes is to improve your diet so that you get plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables and legumes daily.

    when i do'nt eat vegetables but just eat lots of cereals pasta and bread with milk. I get constipated regardless how much insoluble fibre is in those foods. Bran is insoluble fibre. A little bit of this is good but not a lot.

    There's a wonderful two part program on you tube about fibre. and there are other interesting things out there on the subject as well. Even wikipedia has a wonderful article about gut flora. Anyway the you tube thing is called Gut Reaction and catalyst is the name of the program. So look it up.

    Just as a Heads Up, people who instruct on fiber aren't supposed to use the words Soluble and Insoluble any longer.

    They're the only two words that anyone in the population at large has heard and make explaining very easy, but now everyone is supposed to explain it with the whole "not really insoluble" thing in mind.

    It may not stick. That whole, "We don't say 'stroke' anymore, we say 'CVA' or - better! - 'Brain Attack!'" thing didn't stick. But right now, soluble and insoluble are out.
  • pwponton44
    pwponton44 Posts: 17 Member
    @Kalikel Many thanks for the info. I obviously have lots to learn about the subject. I see the gastroenterologist and a nutritionist soon.
  • marykate_1203
    marykate_1203 Posts: 164 Member
    Hi! I feel your pain. I am on metformin as well. I will take some fiber drinks to help. That's what the dr recommended. Also, I noticed great improvement with the amount of leafy greens I eat!
  • marleebreunig
    marleebreunig Posts: 2 Member
    edited July 2015
    Maybe research taking / using a magnesium supplement . It is known to give you loose stool. That's documented in many places. There are lotions. Research and ask your doctor.
  • socajam
    socajam Posts: 2,530 Member
    Drink a hot cup of lemon water first thing in the morning and last thing at night - easy cheap and really works.
  • pwponton44
    pwponton44 Posts: 17 Member
    Thank you. Yes, that's an easy one.
  • Hthfamily
    Hthfamily Posts: 123 Member
    mesamesa19 wrote: »
    Have you tried probiotics? My cousins and aunt are diabetics they started Plexus and their probiotics and biocleanse are safe for diabetics.

    Plexus was created to help with the balance of blood sugars for diabetics. It balances your body and helps with cravings and leaky gut. It does work and helps with getting candida out of your intestines.
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