What is making me constipated? Is it protein powder?

Sorry for the TMI! I've been on my fitness journey for 6 or 7 weeks now and taking JD Nutricals Double Vanilla Protein Powder for about 4 weeks. The inly other time this happened to me was when I was younger and had a bit of an eating disorder (mainly I just didn't eat!) I wonder if anyone else has this issue? Is it the protein powder or could it just be my low calorie diet? I'm on 1200 a day and hit that about 4 days a week. I'm 81kgs (have lost 5 kgs) and have a healthy diet. Occasional splurge may be corn chips or big portion size of a healthy meal.... I'm in fiber supplements and am super bloated from them :( nasty stuff. Help!
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Replies

  • chapiano
    chapiano Posts: 331 Member
    Try adding foods higher in fiber, Cabbage is a good one
  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,195 Member
    I can't seem to find the ingredients for that particular protein powder online. Could you list them?

    Many people are sensitive to either whey or soy, so either of those could be part of the problem. The only way to really tell is to switch to a different powder with a different protein base or to cut it out of your diet entirely and see what happens.
  • Electric_Warfare
    Electric_Warfare Posts: 30 Member
    Why do you need a protein powder anyway?
  • vanessaaorth717
    vanessaaorth717 Posts: 44 Member
    edited August 2016
    @samkills3 I'm using weights to lose fat and gain muscle. My personal trainer said to aim for 100gms of protein a day. Muscle recovery/building. She suggested powder or protein mousse so I went and bought it.... It took a while for her to convince me I needed it, but I did a bit of reading up on it. I probably don't need quite as much as she has recommended, she's big on 'the gains' though so maybe that's part of it?!
    Also, I kinda thought everyone took some sort of protein supplement? Can you tell I'm new to this? :)
  • TarikOktay
    TarikOktay Posts: 8 Member
    edited August 2016
    Try to split it up over the day 25gr at morning, 25gr afternoon, 25gr at night? And check out how that feels for you. Btw howmany gr of protein shake you drink?
  • vanessaaorth717
    vanessaaorth717 Posts: 44 Member
  • vanessaaorth717
    vanessaaorth717 Posts: 44 Member
    edited August 2016
    @azuvioleta6 It's instantized cross flow micro filtered and ultra filtered whey protein isolate. Flavours, emulsifiers, sweetners, 950, 955... Sounds appetizing huh?
  • vanessaaorth717
    vanessaaorth717 Posts: 44 Member
    edited August 2016
    TarikOktay wrote: »
    Try to split it up over the day 25gr at morning, 25gr afternoon, 25gr at night? And check out how that feels for you. Btw howmany gr of protein shake you drink?

    Thanks @TarikOktay My PT said 100-120gms but I'm sitting on around 80gms per day. One scoop of the powder is 30gms and I stick to one a day (with added powdered fiber!) and the rest I get from lean meats (mostly chicken) and Greek yoghurt.
  • amgaylord
    amgaylord Posts: 9 Member
    Are you getting enough fat? When I have this issue, I increase my fat intake.
  • TarikOktay
    TarikOktay Posts: 8 Member
    edited August 2016
    TarikOktay wrote: »
    Try to split it up over the day 25gr at morning, 25gr afternoon, 25gr at night? And check out how that feels for you. Btw howmany gr of protein shake you drink?

    Thanks @TarikOktay My PT said 100-120gms but I'm sitting on around 80gms per day. One scoop of the powder is 30gms and I stick to one a day (with added powdered fiber!) and the rest I get from lean meats (mostly chicken) and Greek yoghurt.

    If you drink one shake of 30gms, i would still try to split up and mix it with skim milk (no fats but still contains protein). Plus you could try to add unroasted almonds to your greek yoghurt? Also contains allot of protein. So you could try to get some more protein out of easy food mixing it together with small amounts and split up drinking the shake like i said before. See if that makes a difference for you.
  • vanessaaorth717
    vanessaaorth717 Posts: 44 Member
    Thank you so much for taking the time to reply to me. Much appreciated @TarikOktay. Will definitely give that a go!
  • vanessaaorth717
    vanessaaorth717 Posts: 44 Member
    amgaylord wrote: »
    Are you getting enough fat? When I have this issue, I increase my fat intake.

    @amgaylord Wow. That's something I hadn't thought of. Actually my fat intake is pretty low....perhaps coconut oil or avocado to bump it up? What sort of fats helps you?
    Thanks :smile:
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    There's generally three reasons this happens:

    fat
    fiber
    water


    Increase these and you should be good to go. this is, UNLESS, you have some sort of intolerance to whey in which case taking it out might help. I doubt it though, considering it's whey isolate (which removes most of the possible allergen/intolerance products like lactose).
  • vanessaaorth717
    vanessaaorth717 Posts: 44 Member
    rainbowbow wrote: »
    There's generally three reasons this happens:

    fat
    fiber
    water


    Increase these and you should be good to go. this is, UNLESS, you have some sort of intolerance to whey in which case taking it out might help. I doubt it though, considering it's whey isolate (which removes most of the possible allergen/intolerance products like lactose).

    Ok... Well I'm DEFINITELY killing it in daily fiber intake, I almost drink TOO much water. It must be the fat..... My old arch nemesis. Thanks @rainbowbow
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    rainbowbow wrote: »
    There's generally three reasons this happens:

    fat
    fiber
    water


    Increase these and you should be good to go. this is, UNLESS, you have some sort of intolerance to whey in which case taking it out might help. I doubt it though, considering it's whey isolate (which removes most of the possible allergen/intolerance products like lactose).

    Ok... Well I'm DEFINITELY killing it in daily fiber intake, I almost drink TOO much water. It must be the fat..... My old arch nemesis. Thanks @rainbowbow

    you're welcome!

    I just want to mention that if you want to get things going really fast mixing fat with something like a VERY mild laxative (think coffee). Some people have great success adding coconut oil to their morning cup o' coffee.
  • vanessaaorth717
    vanessaaorth717 Posts: 44 Member
    rainbowbow wrote: »
    rainbowbow wrote: »
    There's generally three reasons this happens:

    fat
    fiber
    water


    Increase these and you should be good to go. this is, UNLESS, you have some sort of intolerance to whey in which case taking it out might help. I doubt it though, considering it's whey isolate (which removes most of the possible allergen/intolerance products like lactose).

    Ok... Well I'm DEFINITELY killing it in daily fiber intake, I almost drink TOO much water. It must be the fat..... My old arch nemesis. Thanks @rainbowbow

    you're welcome!

    I just want to mention that if you want to get things going really fast mixing fat with something like a VERY mild laxative (think coffee). Some people have great success adding coconut oil to their morning cup o' coffee.

    Worth a try! ;)
  • Carlos_421
    Carlos_421 Posts: 5,132 Member
    amgaylord wrote: »
    Are you getting enough fat? When I have this issue, I increase my fat intake.

    @amgaylord Wow. That's something I hadn't thought of. Actually my fat intake is pretty low....perhaps coconut oil or avocado to bump it up? What sort of fats helps you?
    Thanks :smile:

    I would suspect this before I would suspect the protein as the culprit.

    Shoot for .35-.42 grams of fat per pound of lean body weight per day (so someone who weighs 140 at 25% body fat would have 105 lbs of lean weight x .35 grams = ~37 grams of fat).
    Shoot for mostly mono and polyunsaturated fats.
  • Chef_Barbell
    Chef_Barbell Posts: 6,644 Member
    That's some expensive protein powder. And yes more fats.
  • joelo_83
    joelo_83 Posts: 218 Member
    rainbowbow wrote: »
    rainbowbow wrote: »
    There's generally three reasons this happens:

    fat
    fiber
    water


    Increase these and you should be good to go. this is, UNLESS, you have some sort of intolerance to whey in which case taking it out might help. I doubt it though, considering it's whey isolate (which removes most of the possible allergen/intolerance products like lactose).

    Ok... Well I'm DEFINITELY killing it in daily fiber intake, I almost drink TOO much water. It must be the fat..... My old arch nemesis. Thanks @rainbowbow

    you're welcome!

    I just want to mention that if you want to get things going really fast mixing fat with something like a VERY mild laxative (think coffee). Some people have great success adding coconut oil to their morning cup o' coffee.

    Yep, preworkout will do the same lol

    Increasing your protein intake while reducing calories will often increase GI transit time. As long as you're having a BM a few times a week you're good.
  • sfcrocker
    sfcrocker Posts: 163 Member
    edited August 2016
    The other answers about fiber, etc. are good, as is the suggestion to drink coffee. If you're eating a lot of fiber, though, and not getting enough water or liquids that could cause constipation also. Another thing to think of, is constipation a side effect of any medication you're taking? Iron can cause constipation if there's a lot of it in any supplements your taking. Here's a list of meds that can cause it: getconstipationrelief.com/medications-causing-constipation/ Hope this helps!
  • Ultima_Morpha
    Ultima_Morpha Posts: 892 Member
    rainbowbow wrote: »
    rainbowbow wrote: »
    There's generally three reasons this happens:

    fat
    fiber
    water


    Increase these and you should be good to go. this is, UNLESS, you have some sort of intolerance to whey in which case taking it out might help. I doubt it though, considering it's whey isolate (which removes most of the possible allergen/intolerance products like lactose).

    Ok... Well I'm DEFINITELY killing it in daily fiber intake, I almost drink TOO much water. It must be the fat..... My old arch nemesis. Thanks @rainbowbow

    you're welcome!

    I just want to mention that if you want to get things going really fast mixing fat with something like a VERY mild laxative (think coffee). Some people have great success adding coconut oil to their morning cup o' coffee.

    This is very effective for me!
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    Get the fats anywhere you want: butter, almond oil, coconut oil. Add them to the protein if you want.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    When I was getting most of my calories on a liquid diet (Premier Protein) I had constipation issues. I went from a once-a-day regular gal to once-every-other-day. It's just that the calorie sources are so compact, the bowels don't have enough volume to keep things moving. I agree with the fiber-water-fat solutions offered above, and suspect adding a little fat will do you the most good. It also sounds like a great idea to space out your protein drink.

    For low calorie high volume try having popcorn.
  • Neanbean13
    Neanbean13 Posts: 211 Member
    Whey protein is basically made by scraping the left over milk scum on side of pasture milk vat. My nutritionalist said whey can effect digestion esp if you might be lactose intolerant. Can effect down there. Try using diff source of protein powder not whey. But honestly, unless you lifting 3 or 4 times a week heavy protein powder is waste of money. You can get adequately through your diet.
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    Neanbean13 wrote: »
    Whey protein is basically made by scraping the left over milk scum on side of pasture milk vat. My nutritionalist said whey can effect digestion esp if you might be lactose intolerant. Can effect down there. Try using diff source of protein powder not whey. But honestly, unless you lifting 3 or 4 times a week heavy protein powder is waste of money. You can get adequately through your diet.

    i just want to mention for those who are unaware....

    whey protein isolate is 99% lactose free.
  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,195 Member
    It could very well be the whey--it is very low in lactose, but lot of people have a hard time with it anyhow. You might want to open your diary if you want specific feedback on your diet. Lack of fat could be the issue, or you could be eating other constipating foods, such as hard cheeses.

    Protein powder really isn't necessary in order to get to 100G of protein a day. Pre-track your meals and you should be able to put together a daily plan that meets that goal.
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    There are several things that can cause constipation.

    Many people say "low fat consumption". I don't argue with that, but I also don't notice it affecting my regularity.
    I say "magnesium supplement (250 mg), water consumption (64 oz or 2 qt or 2 l), insoluble fiber (33%-50%) and soluble fiber (50%-67%).

    It is difficult to find authoritative data on precise distribution of insoluble vs soluble fiber in foods. I choose to use foods that proclaim their insoluble fiber content to get to 1/3 of my total fiber, then hope that the other fiber-y things I eat meet the overall ratio of my objective.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    That's some expensive protein powder. And yes more fats.

    I wonder if OP is in Australia. $60-70 for a small tub (2lb) of decent protein powder is the norm. I pay $60 for Quest and optimum Nutrition protein powder. Isolates range from $70-100 :mad: A small tub lasts me less than a month, it's probably the most priciest food item i buy.