Having bathroom issues...

you also need to keep your fat intake up if you're increasing your fiber by a large amount. water will help lubricate things, but so does fat. gotta keep everything in balance!

and don't forget your leafy veggies, you need 'scrubbers' to help everything move along too

Mine has slowed down too, but that was a blessing! I have IBS so not going to the bathroom 15 times a day is fantastic!!!! Now I just go once maybe twice :blushing: .
I don't know if you are using anything like metamucil, but those fiber supplements wreck me!!!! I eat a cup of fiber one cereal in the morning, followed by a cup of coffee and bam!!!! Like clockwork! Try upping your daily fiber to about 30g. A day. See if that doesn't get ya going pretty regular. Eat your fiber in good food form!

I have had bowel issues ever since I could remember. I always take magnesium and vitamin C everyday to help keep me regular. Extra fiber from Metamucil or other fiber supplements have never helped me. They actually make the situation worse. The vitamin C and magnesium works for me in conjuction with bananas, avocado, butternut squash, oatmeal, etc...

Thanks everyone! I appreciate the advise and the non-judgement!! :blushing:

Girl! Everybody poops!

:laugh: I'm so glad this subject was brought up. I had that problem also. I just did not know what to do. Being a newly diagnosis diabetic I did not know what to take. Sooooo..... I just asked my pharmacist. She suggested increasing my fiber, eating more green veggies. I was already drinking 1/2 my body weight in water. I just could not get going. She also suggest that I take Miralax (what they give you for colonoscopys) to clean myself out. After that, flaxseed oil capsules daily. I have increase my fiber with eating Fiber One Cereal, eating more fruits and veggies.

Also she said it was okay to take a stool softner daily.

After doing all that, I must say I feel like a new person, I was just so uncomfortable.

Thank you so much for bring up the subject. I wanted to but just did not know how:laugh:

Oh yes, how could I forget, exercise, exercise, and more exercise. After a good walk for 60 to 90 minutes I have not trouble

First of all, stop with the laxatives. You can become dependent on them.

Second, contact your doctor if you are feeling particularly uncomfortable or if it has been a few days.


Some tips that have helped me are:

[1] running and prolonged physical activity does the trick for me.
[2] My friend's doctor told her to drink a lukewarm cup of water right when she woke up before eating because she was having issues when she was pregnant.
[3] Low sodium and low water intake can cause problems too.
[4] How large is your calorie deficit? I notice that when I have a day where I eat a lot things get moving again. This is obviously counter productive to weight loss but it may be worth considering.
[5] too much protein can slow things up

These are just the factors I am aware of. I would seriously recommend talking to your doctor and stopping the laxatives immediately. Most have warnings about prolonged use on the box, even if they are "natural", and you do not want to do any permanent damage.

If you are using laxatives regularly, and are unable to go to the bathroom without them then you need to call your doctor. Even short term regular laxative use can lead to dependence, your bowel will not contract and you will not be able to go to the bathroom yourself. You have to go through a process of retraining your bowel.

If that is not the case then all you can do is eat plenty of fiber, especially natural fiber, with plenty of fluids and exercise.

I had issues for about 2ish weeks. I thought, like everyone else that it was fibre and water shortage, I was wrong. After another couple days of suffering and feeling bloated I finally gave in and started cooking again with high fat things (ie butter), now everything has cleared up, so to speak. Basically, make sure you're getting enough fats and oils in your diet as well as fibre and water!

On this note...

When I started taking an omega-3 supplement I saw huge improvements. Maybe your fat intake is too low? If so, try and get more healthy fats.

Just reading this thread caused me to have to go....

Thanks everyone! I appreciate the advise and the non-judgement!! :blushing:

Non-judgement?! Did not anyone mention that regularity issues usually stem from not treating your mother as nicely as you ought?