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What exactly is "regular"?

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lauragreenbaum
lauragreenbaum Posts: 1,017 Member
in Debate Club
I hope this isn't TMI, but I have a question about BM's. I have one every morning, right around the same time and that's it for the day. It's like clockwork. A friend of mine tells me she has one pretty much after every meal and that is what being "regular" means. Three times a day?? My system has been like this as long as I can remember and I thought most people only went once a day. Or is it just different for everyone?
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Replies

  • kali31337
    kali31337 Posts: 1,048 Member
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    I'd say it's different for everyone. I DEFINITELY don't go three times a day and am more of a once a dayer unless I've eaten something to throw my body off. I have a friend that she goes 3 times a day if not more....we are all very different
  • dfranch
    dfranch Posts: 207 Member
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    once a day like clockwork sounds like the definition of regular. I think it depends on how much you eat. When I was heavy (260lbs) I'd go at least once or twice a day. Now that I've lost weight (175lbs) and eat considerably less each day, I go closer to once a day, though it is more like 5 out of seven days a week.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    I would say anything that his basically happening on a schedule is "regular"...once per day, 2-3 times per day, every couple of days, etc.

    I'd think anything less than a few times per week would be irregular or if things were happening totally randomly, that would be irregular.
  • tbright1965
    tbright1965 Posts: 852 Member
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    lauragreenbaum wrote: »
    I hope this isn't TMI, but I have a question about BM's. I have one every morning, right around the same time and that's it for the day. It's like clockwork. A friend of mine tells me she has one pretty much after every meal and that is what being "regular" means. Three times a day?? My system has been like this as long as I can remember and I thought most people only went once a day. Or is it just different for everyone?

    Oh, have I got a podcast for you....

    Look Before You Flush
  • Keto_Vampire
    Keto_Vampire Posts: 1,670 Member
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    Normal is defined as 3BMs per week up to 3BMs per day - Rome Criteria (IBS)
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,178 Member
    edited February 2019
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    Keto_Vampire wrote: »
    Normal is defined as 3BMs per week up to 3BMs per day - Rome Criteria (IBS)

    Then I'm very regularly irregular (while eating big ol' boatloads of veggies/fruits daily plus maintaining healthy weight and good health markers) at more than 3 x daily. I remember I counted once, for a couple of days . . . the answer was "almost every time I urinate, maybe 6x daily" (no urgency or diarrhea) IIRC.

    Speaking of TMI . . . . ;)
  • Susieq_1994
    Susieq_1994 Posts: 5,361 Member
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    NorthCascades wrote: »
    The last president of North Korea never had a BM, so says his autobiography. If that was actually true I don't know if it would be incredibly convenient, or incredibly painful.

    Pretty sure he would have been incredibly dead, incredibly fast, if that were true. :D
  • MikePTY
    MikePTY Posts: 3,814 Member
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    Keto_Vampire wrote: »
    Normal is defined as 3BMs per week up to 3BMs per day - Rome Criteria (IBS)

    This. There is a generally accepted medical definition of what normal is when it comes to bowel movements, and this is it. As you can see that's a pretty wide degree of variance, so what is normal for one may be very different than is normal for another.
  • lauragreenbaum
    lauragreenbaum Posts: 1,017 Member
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    Interesting. I guess it varies by person and diet. I've been a once a day gal for as long as I can remember. My dog, on the other hand goes about 5 times a day!
  • magnusthenerd
    magnusthenerd Posts: 1,207 Member
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    nvmomketo wrote: »
    Love that chart.
    kristingjertsen wrote: »
    Depends a lot on your diet. A plant based diet will make you very, very regular 3 to 4 times per day. If you eat a low fiber diet then you may go only once per day. Every person is different. Don't stress about this.

    I disagree. This is an individual thing. For me, plant based diet leads to constipation, and the fibre adds bulk... which doesn't help the constipation.
    Sounds similar to what happens in retentive encopresis. Ultimately, bulk has to lead an increase in at least the sheer volume of elimination, wouldn't it? And eventually, wouldn't volume eventually require increased frequency if the body's own rhythm is followed? I can see how initially bulk could cause constipation, but it seems like that just can't be the case if the diet is sustained.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    lauragreenbaum wrote: »
    I hope this isn't TMI, but I have a question about BM's. I have one every morning, right around the same time and that's it for the day. It's like clockwork. A friend of mine tells me she has one pretty much after every meal and that is what being "regular" means. Three times a day?? My system has been like this as long as I can remember and I thought most people only went once a day. Or is it just different for everyone?

    You might get a kick out of this item from the "MFP Classics" vault:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10630582/the-poo-thread/p1
  • lauragreenbaum
    lauragreenbaum Posts: 1,017 Member
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    kimny72 wrote: »
    lauragreenbaum wrote: »
    I hope this isn't TMI, but I have a question about BM's. I have one every morning, right around the same time and that's it for the day. It's like clockwork. A friend of mine tells me she has one pretty much after every meal and that is what being "regular" means. Three times a day?? My system has been like this as long as I can remember and I thought most people only went once a day. Or is it just different for everyone?

    You might get a kick out of this item from the "MFP Classics" vault:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10630582/the-poo-thread/p1

    That was awesome thanks!!! Wow a whole thread dedicated to poo!
  • HoneyBadger302
    HoneyBadger302 Posts: 1,974 Member
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    "Regular" varies widely as you've seen.

    For me, it's about 2-3 "good" ones a day, and a couple smaller ones aren't uncommon.

    If it's only once a day, THAT'S when I've got an issue - usually just means I've been eating horribly, but it's one of the first real signs that my diet has not been very good.
  • dsboohead
    dsboohead Posts: 1,900 Member
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    Once a day exactly the same time every day......my diet is varied and healthy thankyou ;)
  • lauragreenbaum
    lauragreenbaum Posts: 1,017 Member
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    dsboohead wrote: »
    Once a day exactly the same time every day......my diet is varied and healthy thankyou ;)

    Same.

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