[tmi] Having issues "going" when eating healthy.

EmptyCokeCan · May 2012

Ok, so I've never been a "normal" amount of regular.. I'd go a few times a week, probably every 3 to 4 days. That was fine by me since I'm not a fan of #2 anyway.. well now that I'm trying to lose weight I started actually tracking my #2s and trying to get "normal" regular and become an every day type of gal. Well no sooner than I start eating healthy and cut out all the junk, start parking my meals for work and I literally could not go at all... I went 2 weeks without going, resorted to a laxative (which I'll never do again) and then didn't go for another week and resorted to an enema which helped a lot but didn't fully clear it out. Well the past couple days I haven't had a chance to go shopping, and took my kid to the zoo today so I ate like utter ****.. and low and behold I can poo again.

I started tracking fiber which when I was eating like **** I was getting not a lot of fiber as one can imagine... now that I saw my fiber levels I slowly increased it aiming for roughly 25g a day. So, I should have been getting enough fiber through my foods right? The constant pressure feeling that I had when I couldn't go was almost painful (hence why I resorted to enemas and laxatives) Any ideas? I want to eat healthy AND be able to go #2... Plus if its all building up I'm not losing any weight since its just sitting there. Gross.

theartichoke · May 2012

I posted the exact topic when I first started MFP. I began eating clean and things just stopped. It was awful. I took Dulcolax...never again!
It turned out I wasn't getting enough fats. I take one tablespoon of whole flax seeds (the already ground ones don't work for me) and toast them in a dry pan until they start to pop. Put them into a spice/coffee grinder and pulse for 10 seconds. I mix them into freshly ground peanut or almond butter, spread it on Ezekiel toast and top with half a banana. I haven't had a problem since and I was NEVER regular either.
I hope this helps!

incywincyspida · May 2012

Yep, more fiber and keep things like white bread, cheese, and refined sugars low.

I eat about 30 grams of fiber a day and rather enjoy the normality and ease of 'going'.

Make sure you are drinking enough also.

Psyllium husk can be great for helping things get moving also, should be able to find it in most health stores or health sections in supermarkets.

khedl85 · May 2012

I posted the exact topic when I first started MFP. I began eating clean and things just stopped. It was awful. I took Dulcolax...never again!
It turned out I wasn't getting enough fats. I take one tablespoon of whole flax seeds (the already ground ones don't work for me) and toast them in a dry pan until they start to pop. Put them into a spice/coffee grinder and pulse for 10 seconds. I mix them into freshly ground peanut or almond butter, spread it on Ezekiel toast and top with half a banana. I haven't had a problem since and I was NEVER regular either.
I hope this helps!

Im DEF going to try this. where do you get the flax seeds?

iKapuniai · May 2012

Be careful when incorporating more fiber into your diet, as sometimes it might have a counteractive effect. If you increase your fiber too much, it might bloat you and evoke constipation instead of helping you. Ease it into your diet if you aren't used to having a lot of it. Also, eat lots of fruits and veggies.

My son suffered from chronic constipation for 3 years, and we decided it may have to do with his dairy consumption. He drank a LOT of cows milk. Since we took dairy out of his diet, he was going regularly, and it wasn't the hard, painful balls of matter that it was before.

Also, try the Activia yogurt. My boyfriend eats it and he says it's helped... of course it could very well be a placebo type of thing, but yogurt is always a good diet choice anyway.

Other than that... I would suggest, when taking your fiber and such, maybe incorporate some mineral oil into your diet as well... it's considered to be a sort of intestinal lubricant that may help in decongesting your bowels.

If all else fails... talk to your doctor to see what s/he recommends.

Good luck!

Love and Alohas,
Ihilani Kapuniai

Symonep · May 2012

I found when I was eating at 1200 calories I just wasn't going as much as I should. Now that I have upped it, I am fine again

theartichoke · May 2012

Bob's Red Mill makes the ones I buy. They're in the specialty flour section. You can also get them from bulk bins in the healthy section of most grocery stores.

GrettaBaker · May 2012

With any intake of fiber you have to make sure you re getting at least your 8 - 8 oz glasses of water daily. Flax seed is also good in oatmeal (1 tblspn) and can be purchased at Walmart or most grocery stores. Health food stores also carry it. Just be mindful of bloating/gas that can come with taking in the flax seed some people have a problem with it.. If all else fails, try Magnesium citrate supplements - all natural and good for BM, heart health, muscle function and absortion of vit D and Calcuim.

meshashesha2012 · May 2012

yep water and healthy fats to keep you moving.

healthy fats are found in seafood, nuts, egg yolk, avocados, olive oil, etc

Awkward30 · May 2012

You people that say fats, what intake amount is good for you? Ive tried high, medium, and low fiber. I've tried high, medium, low fats. Eating clean doesn't seem to agree with me.

theartichoke · May 2012

You people that say fats, what intake amount is good for you? Ive tried high, medium, and low fiber. I've tried high, medium, low fats. Eating clean doesn't seem to agree with me.

My fat goal is 65 grams a day and I eat 30 to 40 grams of fiber per day. Eating completely clean doesn't seem to agree with me either. I eat *mostly* clean and that works much better for me.

mamaparks87 · May 2012

Someone may or may not have already said this-
For me the same thing happened, but I found that as long as I was drinking plenty of water it helped me be regular.

EmptyCokeCan · May 2012

I've already been doing flax seeds (though I do not have the time to grind my own) and trying to drink a gallon of water a day (not that hard since its hot out)

I did increase my fiber intake slowly... I'll try the fats thing. I did see on Dr Oz that adding coconut oil to a glass of water was a good way to eat less, and coconut oil has tons of good fats and I just so happen to have a million ounces of coconut oil lying around (for other purposes besides cooking)

va_va_voom · May 2012

I was diagnosed with IBS more than 10 years ago and fluctuated between not going and running to the bathroom prior to that for most of my adult life. Fiber actually stops things up with me - it does NOT help get things moving, so be careful with that. I manage my IBS with my diet and have found that there are certain things that help me stay "regular".

Whole grains (I eat whole grain bread, use wheat germ, and ground flax seed).
Salad (it's a natural "roto-rooter")
Lots of water

If all else fails, a cup of coffee (for the caffeine) does the trick.

foster59803 · May 2012

Water
Fiber
Healthy Fats (flax and coconut oil are great sources)
Probiotic supplements are very helpful ( in my opinion much better than the sugar filled Activia type stuff)
For some reason roasted or raw beets seem to help me
Good old black coffee

winninga · May 2012

I've noticed that fruit usually helps me. I've had issues with eating healthy and not being able to go as well. Before, I would eat lots of veggies, and little fruit. Now that I eat more fruit, I can almost time myself every day. I know everyone is different, but it's what works for me.

now_or_never12 · May 2012

Ensure you are consuming enough fibre, water and healthy fats. All those things help to get things going.

More fibre without more water will be counter productive. You also need healthy fats as well.

ericarae33 · May 2012

Thanks for posting this, I've had a heck of a time...I'm hoping my weight gain this week is because of it!

TiffanyHarris4 · May 2012

Have you ever heard of Shakeology? It has helped many people I know with their regularity.

Mel2626 · May 2012

I was having this same awful issue and have tried all sorts of things to help to no avail: upping fiber AND water (can't have one without the other), eating more yogurt for live cultures, adding more leafy greens/ruffage, stool softener, you name it! I started using Schiff Digestive Advantage- Intensive bowel support and I've now gone every single day for the last week!!!! It's amazing and only one pill a day! Highly recommend!!!

Best of luck to you!!

jadedone · May 2012

After reducing my calories, I noticed I was less regular. It took about a month to go back to normalish. Now I am a little less than my old normal, but in a more regular pattern.

I find everything impacts me: water consumption, exercise levels and coffee consumption.

steadk · May 2012

Fiber needs water to work properly, so if you're getting too much fiber you need more water. also, i would suggest insoluble fiber, such as the white on oranges, the strings in celery and the oatmeal that is whole oat, not quick cooking. Lots of green veggies.. Hope you get relief soon

MariaLivingFit · May 2012

Water
Fiber
Healthy Fats (flax and coconut oil are great sources)
Probiotic supplements are very helpful ( in my opinion much better than the sugar filled Activia type stuff)
For some reason roasted or raw beets seem to help me
Good old black coffee

I agree with this this poster. I was having the same issues, and slowly started altering my diet to add a little more fiber (I take a fiber supplement with probiotics and try to eat all-bran as a snack). This seemed to do the trick, but I think everybody is different and you need to experiment with what will work for you. Good Luck!

ajohn252 · May 2012

I had the same problem and I eventually ended up
doing a Bodylogix cleanse with my fiancée and since
completing it I've been back to regular everyday.

The cleanse for two days had really gross drinks you had
to take twice a day but that was the only downside and it didn't
have any effects like a laxative.

Linda_Darlene · May 2012

I eat a lot of fresh veggies and fruits and legumes now, and as long as I am hydrated, I now longer have a problem with 'that'! Good luck!

You need to be drinking enough water! If you are increasing your fiber and you are not drinking enough fluids, you will 'stop up'.

Dr Oz like to talk "poop" a lot. You could see what he has to say on his website!

mes1119 · May 2012

This used to happen to me back in the day when I had a borderline ED. Burning almost everything you eat makes it hard to go-->which may be the case if you are only eating 1200 calories a day. You may just not be eating enough.

LadyNeshoba · May 2012

I have IBS-C with a tendency to flop to D whenever my body feels like torturing me. I also have G occasionally and it's extremely painful.

I take meds to help me go. What they do is pull water to your intestine to make things easier to pass. While I've been on it for a while and have even had my meds upped I still don't go regularly.

I've done just about anything you can come up with to help me go and none of it helps. Even incorporating things in slowly I end up with extremely painful gas that has me almost in tears and looking like I'm about to pop out triplets!

The only thing I can recommend to help is taking MIralax. It does the same thing my meds do but it's in a crystal form and you add it to your drinks. But you HAVE to make sure you drink A LOT of water.

Prettylittlelotus · May 2012

I can't see your diary, so I don't know what your fiber intake looks like. However, this is fairly common for any diet change. your system gets backed up, you need roughage!

Nuts, whole grains, broccoli, and apples just to name a few. Avoid red meat, go easy on the cheese, and start exercising. AND DRINK YOUR WATER, it keeps things buoyant. Start adding some fiber one powder to foods you cook, or better yet to your morning water.

It's not a fun problem to have but the solution is pretty self explanatory, it might take a few days (or more :ohwell:), but you will notice a difference, and when that waste is cleaned out, you will be less bloated and feel way better.

lavieboheme1229 · May 2012

It doesn't seem healthy to me that you were only going every 2-3 days before! I would say this is a question for a doctor.

BUT- because you asked- I agree with water and veggies and yogurt. of ANY kind. I like Stoneyfield non fat french vanilla. Spinach. Apples. Nuts. More water. More dark greens.

Truthfully, I go every morning and every afternoon. You can review my diary if you think it would help. Good luck- and I still think a doctor is a good idea!

reddintx · May 2012

Drinking LOTS of water (six glasses per day) and taking a daily probiotic has helped me tremendously, along with lots of salad. I think its pretty normal to get constipated when you increase your protein and decrease your fat intake

spiralated · May 2012

Normally I'm pretty good at going but if I think I'm having trouble I also try upping the amount of berries and soft fruit I'm eating. I find they help you go pretty thoroughly!

[tmi] Having issues "going" when eating healthy.

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