TMI but why am I having major bathroom issues now that I’m eating healthy????
2O2OisMyYear
Posts: 27 Member
I’ll spare the details but I have been eating and logging for about a week now, lots of fruits, veggies, meats and nuts, cheese etc and lots more water than my body is used to. I also have cut soda completely. And for the past few days I have had bathroom issues that have kept me in and out of the bathroom all day. It’s very annoying. I am feeling discouraged because it’s not a good way to spend my weekend confined to my house. My good friend tells me it’s my body clearing out all the toxins (my old diet??) but it doesn’t make sense. Anyone know anything about this? 😬
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Replies
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You’re right to be skeptical of your friend’s advice. The idea of “detoxing” is a myth.
In general, anytime you dramatically change your diet, you might introduce some new factor that changes your digestive process. Drinking a lot of water is going to cause you to pee a lot because all that water has to come out eventually. Some people get constipation if they suddenly start eating more fiber than usual, but others get diarrhea. If you are eating foods with sugar alcohols in them (common sweeteners in some protein bars, shakes, etc. and other low calorie foods), these ingredients cause stomach upset in some people. Eating more dairy than usual might reveal problems with digesting lactose that you weren’t aware of before.
In short, it could be a lot of different things you mentioned, but it’s not your body detoxing.24 -
Your body is not cleaning out toxins, it's just not used to digesting the diet you're giving it. Generally, it's usually better to make slow changes to your diet to avoid this sort of thing.
When I get backed up, strong coffee and more walking usually does the trick.14 -
Ugh. I feel like I had less gut issues when I WASNT eating healthy. So discouraging. I hope it doesn’t last because this is a lifestyle change I can’t deal with 😐2
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2O19isMyYear wrote: »Ugh. I feel like I had less gut issues when I WASNT eating healthy. So discouraging. I hope it doesn’t last because this is a lifestyle change I can’t deal with 😐
Your not having gut issues, your constipated. If your new diet is much higher in either fiber, protein, or fat you might want to back off that category a little bit and slowly work up to how much you intend to consume, as they all can cause discomfort when your body isn't used to digesting them.8 -
Cheese and meat can be constipating, at least for me.2
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2O19isMyYear wrote: »Ugh. I feel like I had less gut issues when I WASNT eating healthy. So discouraging. I hope it doesn’t last because this is a lifestyle change I can’t deal with 😐
Your not having gut issues, your constipated. If your new diet is much higher in either fiber, protein, or fat you might want to back off that category a little bit and slowly work up to how much you intend to consume, as they all can cause discomfort when your body isn't used to digesting them.
I interpreted it as she's having diarrhea.
Either way, OP, your body isn't used to the foods it's getting right now. It will adjust over time, but yes, a slower transition would have made this easier.19 -
I am not sure why so many people think that constipation would have OP in and out of the bathroom all day.
OP, this is your body adjusting to your new fiber intake. It sounds like you made a sudden change to your diet. Also, you mention fruits first. Try to limit fruits to one serving a day until you get adjusted, and stick to things like berries that are lower in fruit sugars that can push things through your system faster than fiber itself.
Another thing you mention is "lots more water than my body is used to." Too much water can lead to getting rid of it through the digestive track, rather than absorbing it and processing it through the kidneys, as well. Make sure you are drinking reasonable amounts of water, maybe try a half way point between where you used to be and where you have been this week.
Be aware that you can still be allergic to "healthy" as well. Spinach gives me the runs, and something in my husband's favorite kale mix gives me loose stools, although not diarrhea. Bananas trigger an asthma attack. This is not an excuse to go back to a low fiber, low veg diet, just a reason to keep an eye on how certain foods might affect you.10 -
You said it's only been a week with the new changes in your eating habits? Give it some time. Things will settle and normalize in that department. In my experience, once the body gets used to the new routine, bathroom habits become pretty much like clockwork... - just MY EXPERIENCE ONLY. I'm not a doctor...
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The increase in fiber coupled with a likely change in your gut flora due to the influx of different food is probably the cause of your diarrhea.
Saying that, it's entirely possible that you are having a reaction to one of the foods you're eating. Before I had IBS, I never got along particularly well with spinach, for example. My mother was always saying how she never got along well with corn.
Saying that, it's usually best to increase one's fiber intake slowly. So maybe do a mix of your old and new diet, gradually increasing the ratio of fiber-rich foods and seeing if that helps.
If it doesn't, try keeping a food journal to see if you notice any correlations between problem times and particular foods. The easiest way to do this is to eat a varied diet so that you're not eating the same foods all the time and it's easy to spot a likely culprit.4 -
Definitely not constipated. I was just wondering if anyone else has ever experienced this.1
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Sorry, quick read and missed the important sentence. Reasons are the same, but yeah coffee probably won't help.3
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What I mean by more than normal amounts is water is 8 cups. Before my big change I was probably having 1 cup a day and drinking soda. I don’t mean like I’m having super crazy amounts or anythingconcordancia wrote: »I am not sure why so many people think that constipation would have OP in and out of the bathroom all day.
OP, this is your body adjusting to your new fiber intake. It sounds like you made a sudden change to your diet. Also, you mention fruits first. Try to limit fruits to one serving a day until you get adjusted, and stick to things like berries that are lower in fruit sugars that can push things through your system faster than fiber itself.
Another thing you mention is "lots more water than my body is used to." Too much water can lead to getting rid of it through the digestive track, rather than absorbing it and processing it through the kidneys, as well. Make sure you are drinking reasonable amounts of water, maybe try a half way point between where you used to be and where you have been this week.
Be aware that you can still be allergic to "healthy" as well. Spinach gives me the runs, and something in my husband's favorite kale mix gives me loose stools, although not diarrhea. Bananas trigger an asthma attack. This is not an excuse to go back to a low fiber, low veg diet, just a reason to keep an eye on how certain foods might affect you.
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2O19isMyYear wrote: »Ugh. I feel like I had less gut issues when I WASNT eating healthy. So discouraging. I hope it doesn’t last because this is a lifestyle change I can’t deal with 😐
I eat a mostly whole foods woe (base of veg/fruit/whole grains/beans) and I'm 'regular' 2-3 times a day, but it's not bothersome-it's just my body processing things differently than with my old woe.1 -
Looking at my diary from the last week, I’ve had 14-19g of fiber a day.. which is way below the goal of 25g mfp chose for me.0
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2O19isMyYear wrote: »Looking at my diary from the last week, I’ve had 14-19g of fiber a day.. which is way below the goal of 25g mfp chose for me.
It isn't a question of what your goal should be, but where you are now compared to where you were a week ago. Changes in fat levels, fiber levels, starch levels, water levels, caffeine levels...will all affect your digestive system. Some people even vomit with sudden changes in either direction. Your body needs time to adapt.8 -
I assume you're having diarrhea, then? Things that might cause this, just off the top of my head:
- eating more insoluble fiber than usual. Insoluble fiber is found in many green vegetables, among other foods. Some "whole grain" foods are high in insoluble fiber. Swapping some of the insoluble fiber for soluble fiber may help. Many fruits have soluble fiber, as well as oats. Overall, it's generally best to increase fiber intake slowly.
- intolerance of sugar alcohols. Check for these ingredients: http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/food/what-can-i-eat/understanding-carbohydrates/sugar-alcohols.html
- eating more fat than usual, even if it's supposedly "healthy" fat
- consuming more caffeine than usual
- undiagnosed allergy or intolerance of some food you've recently introduced or started eating more of
- other undiagnosed medical concern, such as IBS
- drinking a LOT of water. You would have to be drinking far more water than needed, and/or your body would have to have some problem with excreting that water, for overhydration to occur. However, overhydration is a serious medical concern and diarrhea is a possible symptom, so it's something to be aware of.1 -
I'm gonna go out on a limb and say these sudden (good) changes on your part are a shock to your body. It's been used to eating one way, and you've likely introduced a lot of new things all at once (more water, more fiber, etc). This likely is going to pass pretty soon, so don't worry! If your symptoms do continue for a few more days, it's best to go see your doctor to see if there's an underlying medical reason.
Do continue to drink water, or drinks like Gatorade, to avoid dehydration from continued "tummy troubles". Get well soon!8 -
What does your sodium look like right now?
In addition to what others have said, keep in mind that sodium -- which can be found in canned veggies and in cheese, among other things -- can have laxative effects if you suddenly eat too much of it, or more than what your body was expecting.0 -
concordancia wrote: »2O19isMyYear wrote: »Looking at my diary from the last week, I’ve had 14-19g of fiber a day.. which is way below the goal of 25g mfp chose for me.
It isn't a question of what your goal should be, but where you are now compared to where you were a week ago. Changes in fat levels, fiber levels, starch levels, water levels, caffeine levels...will all affect your digestive system. Some people even vomit with sudden changes in either direction. Your body needs time to adapt.
Agreed. Also, I wouldn't take the data entries as fact regarding fiber. They are user generated and not wildly accurate for all the elements.
As others have said, you've increased your fiber intake and your body is adjusting. Give it a few weeks.0 -
There's always the possibility you could have a stomach bug.
Probably it's just the unusual diet, but the universe is full of coincidences and you could very well have caught something at the same time you changed diets.7 -
A drastic change in your diet is a drastic change in the diet of your gut flora. You had a healthy population of bacteria that lived well on your previous diet. It was optimal for them. A drastic change in your diet means that what they were good at consuming is no longer available or only available in smaller quantities. It takes time for the population to change over to a new population that is well adapted to consuming (breaking down) your new diet composition.
This is likely what is happening and you'll feel better when this turnover is complete. If it doesn't clear up within a week, consider speaking to a professional about it.4 -
In addition to everything that the others have said, you might be eating more food (but less calories) than you were before, and perhaps this is also upsetting your system. Since you are used to eating junkfood, which tends to take up less space but is calorie dense, the body may be challenged at first.
I usually ate healthy but when I was at my highest weight, I was packing in probably 3000 calories a day. I did also eat some sweets which were calorie dense. But still it was too much food for my digestive system--I had terrible digestion, all kinds of stomach and intestinal issues. (including diarrhea sometimes). When I cut back my calories when I started to lose weight, ALL of those issues disappeared once I lost about 20 lbs. (about 3 months). Just a few times since then I've overeaten (by volume) I have had a digestive symptom--now I know that I ate too much.
Back to you--it may be the intestinal flora,etc. but could also be you are eating more volume with the healthy food. You will have to see if your body adjusts to the different diet soon, and if not perhaps, cut back on the volume (but not the calories). Vegetables in particular have very few calories but if I eat 10 brussel sprouts or a pound of brocolli I'm going to have an upset stomach. Meanwhile 3-4 brussel sprouts and a couple of brocoli spears will not bother me.0 -
rheddmobile wrote: »There's always the possibility you could have a stomach bug.
Probably it's just the unusual diet, but the universe is full of coincidences and you could very well have caught something at the same time you changed diets.
We’ve had a pretty epic stomach bug hitting ppl at work - so it’s entirely possible1 -
2O19isMyYear wrote: »Ugh. I feel like I had less gut issues when I WASNT eating healthy. So discouraging. I hope it doesn’t last because this is a lifestyle change I can’t deal with 😐
Your not having gut issues, your constipated. If your new diet is much higher in either fiber, protein, or fat you might want to back off that category a little bit and slowly work up to how much you intend to consume, as they all can cause discomfort when your body isn't used to digesting them.
I think you've made an unwarranted assumption here. OP says she's been in and out of the bathroom all day. I suppose those could be unproductive visits, or visits caused by taking a laxative, but since there's no mention of either, a more reasonable assumption is diarrhea.
Never mind, I see someone else made the same point.1 -
My entire family has been in the toilet 4 times a day for a week. And bombing the car. So nasty.1
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But. Drastic diet changes can effect gut processing. Usually I eat really well, so 2 days of restaurant foods will send me to the bathroom for a full clean out.0
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Or depending b your diet, choose one meal a month to healthy up, or 1/2 healthy up.1
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Yep. I have the same exact reaction. It happens when I eat a lot of vegetables and drink a lot of water. I found that adding popcorn and oats or psyllium husk helps a lot. I tried to find an explanation for it online and couldn't find one. Based on what I read about fibers there are 2 kinds. I think I ate too much of one kind but not the other. Once I got them balanced I feel better. I'm not sure if that's the reason for the frequent bathroom breaks but it did work for me. Hope that can help u too.0
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I'm having a similar problem. I'm trying to eat more fibre for its satiating effect but I've gone from a once a day girl to 3 times a day! I don't mind that much but I hope I'm not losing nutrients by being so regular.
Major TMI coming up, I do apologise.
If I look at my BM I can see undigested food from less than 12 hours before. Is this too quick? Also do I need to chew more thoroughly?0 -
Sure, it is very common for this to happen with sudden increases in fiber.2O19isMyYear wrote: »Definitely not constipated. I was just wondering if anyone else has ever experienced this.
Do you happen to know what your fiber was before this change? Or were you not logging then?2O19isMyYear wrote: »Looking at my diary from the last week, I’ve had 14-19g of fiber a day.. which is way below the goal of 25g mfp chose for me.0
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