Day 6 on keto question about #2

So let's talk constipation

Replies

  • jessicastanfill
    jessicastanfill Posts: 69 Member
    It seems to have cut off my question! Sorry! The rest of it was - what are your strategies to get it back to normal again :) thanks!
  • AlexandraCarlyle
    AlexandraCarlyle Posts: 1,603 Member
    Some people suffer, some go the other way.
    What's your current intake?

    Carbs?

    Fibre?
  • canadjineh
    canadjineh Posts: 5,396 Member
    Getting enough magnesium??
  • Sunny_Bunny_
    Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
    edited September 2017
    First thing to figure out is, is it constipation?
    Do you have pain or a heavy uncomfortable feeling in your gut?
    Do you have to strain or have pain when you do finally go?
    OR do you go less frequently than before but have no discomfort in the gut or during?
    It's normal to go less often when you aren't eating all the grain and starches that you used to eat. That stuff is literally filler. It bulks up your stool and we were all taught that going daily is normal because it is when you eat like that.
    When you eat more whole foods you don't have fillers and there is less to get rid of. The more vegetables you eat the more solid waste you will have because they aren't 100% broken down and there will be more to get rid of.
    So, assuming you have no pain and are not actually constipated, if you still want to poop more, you just need to eat more food that provides nothing but solid waste for your body.
  • Xerogs
    Xerogs Posts: 328 Member
    Hmmm. What is normal? Once a day? Three times a day? I know everyone is different. Before LCHF it was normally three times a day. Since going LCHF its probably two times a day depending on the amount of leafy greens I am eating as well as other fiber sources.

    Strategies that help me are to make sure I am drinking enough water, eating enough fiber, and getting enough exercise. Walking will help get things moving in your gut. Water and fiber just help keeping everything moving. I am from New Mexico so we put green and red chile on just about everything and that seems to keep me pretty regular.

    It's pretty gross but you can tell a lot about what things look like after you've gone which can help you resolve issues.

    qbd84c666it4.jpg

  • AlexandraCarlyle
    AlexandraCarlyle Posts: 1,603 Member
    Much as it may be gross to admit it - those illustrations are really helpful!
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    Red poop... needs to add the effect of beets. Had some fresh beets a couple of days ago, and then I had a...moment. LOL

    Magnesium softens things up for me. Coconut oil will also improve things for me.

    I tend not to add fibre when constipated because it adds bulk, and bulk is sometimes part of the problem. That's why poops are often smaller when you cut back on plant matter (flours, rice, fruit, etc) - less fibre = less bulk.
  • andysport1
    andysport1 Posts: 590 Member
    edited September 2017
    @xerogs1
    Love it
  • wanderinjack
    wanderinjack Posts: 248 Member
    I posted this elsewhere so please excuse the duplication. Just trying to help.
    I had forgotten how much this was a problem when I went keto. As I look back on it I think it was a gut biom problem. I realized that the more quality probiotics and prebiotic foods I consumed the better things got. Today I’m eat fermented foods at almost every meal, make my own Kim chi and yogurt etc. good luck.
  • gorillababyface
    gorillababyface Posts: 14 Member
    Kombucha has helped me become regular like clock work. But lowering dairy and not supplementing to many vitamins is good strategy as well. Add some fiber at your last meal of the day before you sleep
  • AlexandraCarlyle
    AlexandraCarlyle Posts: 1,603 Member
    Kombucha has helped me become regular like clock work. But lowering dairy and not supplementing to many vitamins is good strategy as well. Add some fiber at your last meal of the day before you sleep

    I brew Kombucha by the gallon and have more SCOBYs than I can shake a stick at!