Constipated

Since, I have started diet I am facing constipation and gas. I include fiber in my diet even more when I was not counting calories . I drink loads of water. Eat cucumbers etc. What should I do now? I cannot rely on laxatives for long.

Replies

  • brb_2013
    brb_2013 Posts: 1,197 Member
    You really shouldn't be relying on a laxative, if at all possible. Do you drink coffee? I find that within 15-20 minutes my morning cup has moved my bowels. Have you just recently begun to eat more fiber? That can cause some slowness in the bowels but your body will adjust if you're also taking in adequate water. How many grams of fiber do you eat per day? It's under your nutrition menu. You should get anywhere from 25-38g of fiber (low end for women, higher for men). I average in the 25g area and haven't had any troubles recently. I definitely used to have problems when I had less fiber.
  • mis1022
    mis1022 Posts: 109 Member
    High fiber things like fiber now bars and fiber one cereal do not work for me. I have to eat an apple every day and when I need extra relief I have raisins or dried apricots. Those two work every time for me.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    edited May 2016
    High fiber grains plug me up. Fruits and vegetables do it for me. Add a bit of magnesium in the meantime, maybe.

    ETA: consider changing one of your settings to show FIBER to see what you're getting. Then ponder if it's mostly from grains (I did see some legumes), and play around with things a bit.

    good luck
  • joans1976
    joans1976 Posts: 2,201 Member
    I have had bowel issues in the past....prunes. Sun sweet brand in the yellow ziploc bag. And a strong cup of coffee. Coffee actually sucks liquid from the bowels though, so drink lots of water too!
    I know it's a horrible feeling, maybe once your body gets used to the extra fiber, it will regulate. I don't know, I'm not a doctor. The above is what has helped me in the past.
    Good luck!
  • emdeesea
    emdeesea Posts: 1,823 Member
    Try some wheat bran. I buy Bob's Red Mill and have about 5 grams every day mixed in to my oatmeal or some cottage cheese or yogurt. That's been the best thing ever for me.
  • itsbasschick
    itsbasschick Posts: 1,584 Member
    i was having that problem. i discovered a serving of apple sauce every time i ate took care of it for me. prunes, too.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited May 2016
    How many days? By the 5th day if no bm without lax, get to a doctor.

    Are the lax working? I really do not like to talk poop, but are you getting the feeling that you are emptying your bowls with the lax when you go, and do not feel like a blockage?

    Do not consume any more fiber than what is in your foods. When I felt like this, I did not feel like consuming a lot of food unless it was warm soup, part of it was I was bit nauseated, the other part was I just did not want to digest more food on top of food still in there.

    Do you drink coffee or hot tea. This is my morning trick and although it might not be yours, have you or can you give it a try? Preferrably a stong cup of coffee?

    This is going to sound gross, but if you do not want to ingest more lax by mouth (stimulants), a saline enema like Fleet (and these work great) are really cheap and work in 10 - 15 minutes or even a Fleet Glycerin Suppository.

    My biggest thing was if I could just get it to move a bit on its own it would eventually start going and it will eventually, I went 5 days or so. I do not have trouble like this any more.

    Drink water or something like Pedia Lite. I cannot stress staying hydrated during this. If you are on day 1, 2, or 3 try these out. But get to the doc if cannot go naturally by the 5th day..

    Goal 1 is to get it do it on its own
    Goal 2 find what may be going on in your diet that may have caused this. I am going to assume not on low carb diet, you are not taking fiber supplements,not on medications, etc..
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    15-20g Psyllium husk powder and/or Magnesium capsules work for me, make sure you drink plenty of water. If i don't go everyday I feel horrible.
  • CorneliusPhoton
    CorneliusPhoton Posts: 965 Member
    Put 1 T chia seeds in your cereal. Add them to anything, actually. Good fiber there.
    Also, try some lentil dishes. And beans and chickpeas. Tons of fiber there.
    You can also take magnesium supplements and some fish oil to lube everything up.
  • srecupid
    srecupid Posts: 660 Member
    More jack Daniels in your diet
  • 85Cardinals
    85Cardinals Posts: 733 Member
    srecupid wrote: »
    More jack Daniels in your diet

    Make sure you weigh it and log it first though.

  • maxit
    maxit Posts: 880 Member
    The cucumber might be responsible for the gas (it has that effect on many people). You could try 500 mg of Vitamin C twice a day, plus 500 mg of magnesium at night. Don't take laxatives - they actually are counter productive in the long run.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    maxit wrote: »
    The cucumber might be responsible for the gas (it has that effect on many people). You could try 500 mg of Vitamin C twice a day, plus 500 mg of magnesium at night. Don't take laxatives - they actually are counter productive in the long run.

    Yes, and the last thing you want is to become reliant on laxatives. They should be the last resort.

  • absentmindedhousewife
    absentmindedhousewife Posts: 68 Member
    Too much fiber without a lot of water and not enough fats in your diet is going to plug you up and give you gas.

    You're an engine. You gotta have some oil in the pan.
  • williammuney
    williammuney Posts: 2,895 Member
    srecupid wrote: »
    More jack Daniels in your diet

    Make sure you weigh it and log it first though.

    It's like 100 cals a shot, turns me into a werewolf
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    srecupid wrote: »
    More jack Daniels in your diet

    Too much of that stuff makes me vomit out both ends :confounded:

  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    edited May 2016
    My daily fiber total is similar to what you had yesterday. 44 is a bit over recommendations for a male. One type of fiber is soluble, one is not. Both are important, but problems can arise if a person has too much of either. I seem to have a good mix of fiber because I don't have the constipation problem. My breakfast tortilla is made with brown rice fiber and claims to have 11 mg insoluble fiber. I also have brown rice with one meal so I'm sure to be getting at least 12 mg insoluble. The fiber I get from the rest of my diet is probably soluble, but frankly it's hard for me to know for sure. With too much soluble, it collects a lot of water. With too little insoluble, pooh velocity is reduced. With too much insoluble, pooh velocity is so great that nutrient absorption is reduced.

    You might try moving some of your sources of fiber from the soluble side to the insoluble side.
  • vingogly
    vingogly Posts: 1,785 Member
    Cucumbers are a terrible source of fiber: a whole cuke has only 2g.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    My daily fiber total is similar to what you had yesterday. 44 is a bit over recommendations for a male. One type of fiber is soluble, one is not. Both are important, but problems can arise if a person has too much of either. I seem to have a good mix of fiber because I don't have the constipation problem. My breakfast tortilla is made with brown rice fiber and claims to have 11 mg insoluble fiber. I also have brown rice with one meal so I'm sure to be getting at least 12 mg insoluble. The fiber I get from the rest of my diet is probably soluble, but frankly it's hard for me to know for sure. With too much soluble, it collects a lot of water. With too little insoluble, pooh velocity is reduced. With too much insoluble, pooh velocity is so great that nutrient absorption is reduced.

    You might try moving some of your sources of fiber from the soluble side to the insoluble side.

    What a very informative poop and fibre post :+1:

  • Lunasash
    Lunasash Posts: 41 Member
    Some things we can use in the hospital setting that work well:
    1. Warm prune juice
    2. Hot tea
    3. Colace (over the counter stool softener, not a laxative).
    4. Senna laxative is mild and can be used for longer terms.
    5. EXERCISE!
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    Eat enough fat.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,203 Member
    Consider probiotics as well - they help some people. There are supplements, but I've done fine just by including probiotic foods (live-culture yogurt, fermented veggie products like sauerkraut & kim chi, etc.), along with the things others have mentioned (enough fat, exercise, plenty of water, soluble/insoluble fiber in food).
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    Another vote for fat. A post like this comes up often here - people start trying to lose weight and eat healthy and go all low- or no-fat everything. No bueno for more reasons that just the constipation, but that's another topic.

    Plenty of water and fiber/fruits/veggies as others have said, but check your fat as well. You need that too.
  • crzyone
    crzyone Posts: 872 Member
    Some people swear an orange is a natural laxative. I find watermelon works for me.
  • dhimaan
    dhimaan Posts: 774 Member
    srecupid wrote: »
    More jack Daniels in your diet

    Yeah usually a glass of Jack, Jim Beam or Fireball will get me going.
  • keand1
    keand1 Posts: 8 Member
    Take 400mg of magnesium oxide every night and drink lots of water. Water helps move things. Try a stool softener as well for a little while. I have gastritis and IBS so I am painfully familiar with tummy troubles.
  • megomerrett
    megomerrett Posts: 442 Member
    I've had constipation issues after babies and when it's hardcore and gets the piles stage it's so painful so I feel for you.

    Are you drinking enough water?
  • mitch16
    mitch16 Posts: 2,113 Member
    Lunasash wrote: »
    Some things we can use in the hospital setting that work well:
    1. Warm prune juice
    2. Hot tea
    3. Colace (over the counter stool softener, not a laxative).
    4. Senna laxative is mild and can be used for longer terms.
    5. EXERCISE!

    I'm a week out from ACL surgery and on pain meds--never thought that such teeny tiny pills could wreak such havoc! I'm doing 1-4 and the results are still marginal--kind of afraid to use higher doses since I can't make it to the bathroom really quickly!