umm.. bathroom habits

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klsnell1981
klsnell1981 Posts: 48 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
ok, kind of an embarassing topic here, but important none the less... i have only been heavily dieting for about a mth or two. i have noticed that the frequency and umm, amount, of bowel movements has decreased markedly. I eat anywhere from 1200 to 1700 cal per day, so would this be considered normal? I used to be an everyday gal, now it's more like every 2 or 3 days.... Kinda worried?
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  • SWEETS1234
    SWEETS1234 Posts: 243 Member
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    ummm... maybe you need more fiber and water. Once a day is good but only every 2-3 days that doesn't sound so good. Maybe you're just stalled and need a jump start.
  • rileamoyer
    rileamoyer Posts: 2,411 Member
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    Lots of water and lots of fiber help.
  • bikermike5094
    bikermike5094 Posts: 1,752 Member
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    suprisingly, in 3 weeks of mfp'ing, I've cut down from 2-3 times a day to maybe once a day, every other day for sure. Less food = less waste i guess. Just keeping it real....
  • DeniseNichole76
    DeniseNichole76 Posts: 303 Member
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    You eat less, You poop less. =)
  • klsnell1981
    klsnell1981 Posts: 48 Member
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    i drink at least 6c of water a day, if not more... i hate to take a laxative cuz they are so harsh! I am eating lots of fruit and veggies, plus a fiber one bar everyday
  • salmanajmal
    salmanajmal Posts: 93 Member
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    even twice a week is normal. if you reduce your intake below 1200 you may suffer from sever constipation so be careful plz
  • JodaNord
    JodaNord Posts: 496 Member
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    Everyones system is different for how often they go and its actually a fallacy that healthy is once a day every day. For some people, every 3 days is the norm, so long as its something regular, and you aren't getting consitpated and unable to pass anything or vice versa... SO every other day, every third day, or every day, so long as you eat the right types of foods, your body will get rid of the waste. As we diet too, we have less to waste, our bodies get used to using more of what we eat as we tend to make better choices of food as well.
  • mandygal13
    mandygal13 Posts: 219 Member
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    I've had that problem myself, and increasing fiber seemed to make it worse - depending on what type of fiber. Keep your water intake up and try a stool softener - one that does NOT have added laxative. Just pure docusate sodium. That has helped me. I take two in the morning with my other vitamins, because I realized one was not enough for me. Start with one and see how it works for you. Or, have shredded wheat for supper every nigh! :wink:
  • sarah44254
    sarah44254 Posts: 3,078 Member
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    You eat less, You poop less. =)

    And I eat more now that I use this site, you can make a guess as to how often I use the bathroom.

    Try and be sure to get a good bit of fiber as well as lots of water in each day. This will assist things in moving along.
  • klsnell1981
    klsnell1981 Posts: 48 Member
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    suprisingly, in 3 weeks of mfp'ing, I've cut down from 2-3 times a day to maybe once a day, every other day for sure. Less food = less waste i guess. Just keeping it real....

    thats what i was thinking.... just wanted some other opinions!
  • Corby86
    Corby86 Posts: 43 Member
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    Agree that with a decrease in food you will poop less, but you really need to be going at least daily - don't want that crap (excuse the pun) sitting in your body any longer than what it needs to. . .

    Look at your diet & water intake. You want to be having lots of fiber and water.

    Since being on MFP & doing a MAJOR cut back on calories I have remained regular.
  • MarandaPanda86
    MarandaPanda86 Posts: 112
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    More water and more fiber. You should definitely try to go at least every other day, if not every day. Once every 3 days is no good. If you are having trouble meeting you water or fiber intake, take a fiber supplement and try some water mix-ins like Crystal Light or Moi (it's new and quite good) just to help you get more fluids in. 6 cups a day is not enough to properly pack your poop! lol
  • zeeeb
    zeeeb Posts: 805 Member
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    i eat prunes every day to help with that. it's one of my little snack foods, i'll just have 3-4 dried prunes some time thoughtout the day.

    i did find that i was not going as much as when i was eating too much. but the prunes have solved it. if you think you don't like prunes, try them again, they are really quite nice, they may not look nice, but it might just be that you haven't tried them since you were a kid.
  • tjradd73
    tjradd73 Posts: 3,495 Member
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    Sometimes I only go once/week!!!! Someone said it best...you eat less, you poop less!! LOL But upping your fiber and water should help, and maybe try that Activia yogurt a few times a week too....that's what I do!! But simply...you are only eating what your body needs...so it won't have as much that is wants or needs to "waste"!
  • melmck2011
    melmck2011 Posts: 56
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    I was in the same boat as you. Noticed it wasn't happening as often as before so I started adding foods with more fiber. If you kept your calories settings the way they recommend them then it is only telling you you need like 15g of fiber per day. Really you should be having 25g a day.

    I am in LOVE with fiber one oats and chocolate bars. They are delicious! Apples also have a lot of fiber, 5g. If you're a cereal eater then you can try adding a couple scoops of the plain fiber one bran cereal to your regular cereal and you should be more regular in no time :)
  • rhazelwood
    rhazelwood Posts: 42 Member
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    I actually talked to my Doctor about regularity and I was told that it is not a sign of trouble to go less than once a day. If you are concerned you should talk to your own Doctor, though.
  • Corby86
    Corby86 Posts: 43 Member
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    If I don't go everyday I'd be concerned. . . the only time when not going daily would be ok is if you were fasting or doing a juice detox
  • Corby86
    Corby86 Posts: 43 Member
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    I actually talked to my Doctor about regularity and I was told that it is not a sign of trouble to go less than once a day. If you are concerned you should talk to your own Doctor, though.

    Agree that it doesn't mean that there is dysfunction (what doctors deal with) but it definately means that function is less than optimal (not in the realm of allopathic "modern" medicine)
  • shesblossoming
    shesblossoming Posts: 426
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    I go to the bathroom a lot less. Firstly, it depends on the consistency of your... waste. If it has a nice consistency, that's great. Secondly, if your diet has changed drastically, and you're mainly eating foods that your body can actually use, you're going to go to the bathroom a lot less. I was so worried, because I was only going to the bathroom once a day, sometimes once every two days. It's actually completely normal considering what kind of foods I eat. I'm eating a lot less and most of what I eat my body can use!

    The truth is that normal is what your body decides when you give it certain foods. Some people go to the bathroom two to three times a day with a healthy diet. Some people only go once every two days. I have a co-worker who spends an hour in the bathroom every single morning. For said co-worker, this is normal. Unless you're feeling pain or discomfort, I doubt this is something to worry about. If you are, I think you should talk to a doctor and figure out what's going on.
  • kapeluza
    kapeluza Posts: 3,434 Member
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    I go 2-3 a day still! But I am drinking a herbal tea to help in that area!

    Amy's herbal tea! Ammmmmmazzzing!

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