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

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EmptyCokeCan
EmptyCokeCan Posts: 22 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
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.
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Replies

  • theartichoke
    theartichoke Posts: 816 Member
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    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
    incywincyspida Posts: 3
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    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
    khedl85 Posts: 196 Member
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    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
    iKapuniai Posts: 594 Member
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    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
    Symonep Posts: 181 Member
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    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
    theartichoke Posts: 816 Member
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    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
    GrettaBaker Posts: 9
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    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
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    yep water and healthy fats to keep you moving.

    healthy fats are found in seafood, nuts, egg yolk, avocados, olive oil, etc
  • Awkward30
    Awkward30 Posts: 1,927 Member
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    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
    theartichoke Posts: 816 Member
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    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
    mamaparks87 Posts: 54 Member
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    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
    EmptyCokeCan Posts: 22 Member
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    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
    va_va_voom Posts: 467 Member
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    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
    foster59803 Posts: 439 Member
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    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
    winninga Posts: 77 Member
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    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
    now_or_never12 Posts: 849 Member
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    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
    ericarae33 Posts: 211 Member
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    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
    TiffanyHarris4 Posts: 6
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    Have you ever heard of Shakeology? It has helped many people I know with their regularity.
  • Mel2626
    Mel2626 Posts: 342 Member
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    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!! :smile: :smile:
  • jadedone
    jadedone Posts: 2,449 Member
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    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.

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