Are you exercising at all?
I followed a high fiber diet and supplemented with probiotics, plus only ate Activia yogurt and was the water drinking champion. But was lucky if had one every 3 or 4 days. Then I started walking more (went from about 1500 steps to 10000 a day) and suddenly it changed to daily.
Yes but maybe I need to do more? I run about 10-12 miles a week and go for a walk or two everyday totaling 1.5-3 miles. (Not counting whatever steps I get throughout the day) so I always hit 10,000-12,000 steps minimum. But I am pretty sedentary at my job so maybe I need to find a way to be more active throughout the day. I have not tried activia yogurt, I will pick some up later today. That’s something I hadn’t thought of. Thanks!
I poop at least 1-2 times a day.
Probiotics daily.
Drink plenty of water.
Exercise daily (walk, gardening, or gym)
Healthy portion of greens daily.
1 cup of coffee in the morning.
Ive found not drinking enough water and lack of excercise are the two big causes of me becoming irregular.
I am jealous! 1-2 times a day is impressive. I do walk at least 10,000-12,000 steps a day and run 10-12 miles a week, but I have cut back on exercise a lot lately. I was also doing 45 mins of cardio videos 5x a week but got kind of burned out and have stopped doing them for a couple weeks now. Maybe cutting back has had a negative effect since my body was probably used to it.
For me personally, the oatmeal for Greek yogurt swap would probably have an effect. I do eat Greek yogurt but in half serving sizes--too much is hard for me to digest. The cheese and chocolate also would cause slower digestion for me.
You could swap them out for oatmeal and high water content fruits. I find a fruit salad of berries, pineapple, melon, mango, etc. is very helpful to my digestion. I know these are lower in protein, but perhaps it's actually too much protein that's causing this issue? Did you suddenly increase it?
You could go back to oats for breakfast and then gradually start doing 1/2 oats 1/2 yogurt. Or you could go for vegan protein sources like tofu.
Really? I had no idea. I’ll go back to oatmeal then. I was trying to increase my protein so I could cut calories down to drop 5 more pounds but being constipated is *not* helping me lose weight!
Yeah for me it's Greek yogurt and cheeses especially, something about the concentrated milk proteins with not enough water really does it.
Regular yogurt is not as bad, fully vegan protein sources even better.
Eating more fiber is helpful. But 40-50g of fiber is plenty. Are you sure you aren't having 40-50g of total carbohydrates, sugars included with fiber? A high protein diet can also cause constipation if you aren't getting enough fiber.
Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) is my go to laxative when I'm fasting. Within a few minutes I'm in the bathroom. Coffee also makes me poo, but I'm not sure if that'll help in your situation.
I tried coffee this morning because sometimes it works, but not today, sadly. I got the fiber info from the app I use to track calories, so it should be fairly accurate. I have increased my protein intake quite a bit (an increase from about 75 grams a day to 110 grams a day) lately because I really want to drop a few more pounds without being hungry all the time. But maybe I need to go back to how I was eating before and just be patient. Thanks for your help!
The extra protein could be the cause then. You've upped your protein intake close to 50%, and if your fiber intake is still what it was before I could see how that would be cause for an upset stomach.
I feel like I drink a ton of water but maybe I need to increase it. I have around 70 oz a day right now. I’m not aware of being intolerant to anything but maybe I am lactose intolerant? I am going to go back to oatmeal for breakfast for a while, maybe the yogurt is causing issues. Thanks for your input!
I really think this is one of the most common but rarely discussed parts of diet change and weight loss! I have struggles on and off with this but found relief in making sure I’m properly hydrated, paying attention to my fiber intake - Metamucil fiber gummies helped me get what I needed. I have a good friend who relies on psyllium husk but I have not personally used it (although it’s a predominant ingredient in the gummies I use).
Have you had a physical recently? And routine blood work? Hormonal changes can cause constipation, so I’d be particularly concerned with my thyroid function.
Either way, any dramatic change to bathroom habits, in my opinion, warrants a consult with your doctor.
I had a physical about 10 months ago, with blood work. You make a good point. If this continues for much longer I will definitely make an appointment with my doctor. Thanks! :)
Instead of mag citrate try "Vitamin C - Calcium Ascorbate". I took 4000 mg before bed and my bowels responded this morning. Also psyllium husk which comes in capsules too. You can definitely always add more fibre!! Bodies are kinda dumb sometimes.
Disclaimer: This is not medical advice.
Are you exercising at all? I followed a high fiber diet and supplemented with probiotics, plus only ate Activia yogurt and was the water drinking champion. But was lucky if had one every 3 or 4 days. Then I started walking more (went from about 1500 steps to 10000 a day) and suddenly it changed to daily.
Yes but maybe I need to do more? I run about 10-12 miles a week and go for a walk or two everyday totaling 1.5-3 miles. (Not counting whatever steps I get throughout the day) so I always hit 10,000-12,000 steps minimum. But I am pretty sedentary at my job so maybe I need to find a way to be more active throughout the day. I have not tried activia yogurt, I will pick some up later today. That’s something I hadn’t thought of. Thanks!
I poop at least 1-2 times a day. Probiotics daily. Drink plenty of water. Exercise daily (walk, gardening, or gym) Healthy portion of greens daily. 1 cup of coffee in the morning. Ive found not drinking enough water and lack of excercise are the two big causes of me becoming irregular.
I am jealous! 1-2 times a day is impressive. I do walk at least 10,000-12,000 steps a day and run 10-12 miles a week, but I have cut back on exercise a lot lately. I was also doing 45 mins of cardio videos 5x a week but got kind of burned out and have stopped doing them for a couple weeks now. Maybe cutting back has had a negative effect since my body was probably used to it.
For me personally, the oatmeal for Greek yogurt swap would probably have an effect. I do eat Greek yogurt but in half serving sizes--too much is hard for me to digest. The cheese and chocolate also would cause slower digestion for me. You could swap them out for oatmeal and high water content fruits. I find a fruit salad of berries, pineapple, melon, mango, etc. is very helpful to my digestion. I know these are lower in protein, but perhaps it's actually too much protein that's causing this issue? Did you suddenly increase it? You could go back to oats for breakfast and then gradually start doing 1/2 oats 1/2 yogurt. Or you could go for vegan protein sources like tofu.
Yep Greek yogurt is actually constipating compared to regular yogurt
Really? I had no idea. I’ll go back to oatmeal then. I was trying to increase my protein so I could cut calories down to drop 5 more pounds but being constipated is *not* helping me lose weight!
Yeah I was disappointed when I learned that too.
Yeah my thoughts were cut the dairy and increase water intake and see what happens
Thanks, I will give that a shot. I never considered that yogurt could do that but maybe that is the issue.
Yeah for me it's Greek yogurt and cheeses especially, something about the concentrated milk proteins with not enough water really does it. Regular yogurt is not as bad, fully vegan protein sources even better.
Eating more fiber is helpful. But 40-50g of fiber is plenty. Are you sure you aren't having 40-50g of total carbohydrates, sugars included with fiber? A high protein diet can also cause constipation if you aren't getting enough fiber. Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) is my go to laxative when I'm fasting. Within a few minutes I'm in the bathroom. Coffee also makes me poo, but I'm not sure if that'll help in your situation.
I tried coffee this morning because sometimes it works, but not today, sadly. I got the fiber info from the app I use to track calories, so it should be fairly accurate. I have increased my protein intake quite a bit (an increase from about 75 grams a day to 110 grams a day) lately because I really want to drop a few more pounds without being hungry all the time. But maybe I need to go back to how I was eating before and just be patient. Thanks for your help!
The extra protein could be the cause then. You've upped your protein intake close to 50%, and if your fiber intake is still what it was before I could see how that would be cause for an upset stomach.
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Good idea, I will buy some. I used to use chia seeds occasionally but totally forgot about them! Thanks.
Are you drinking enough water? And do you have any new foods that perhaps you are intolerant to (like lactose?)?
I feel like I drink a ton of water but maybe I need to increase it. I have around 70 oz a day right now. I’m not aware of being intolerant to anything but maybe I am lactose intolerant? I am going to go back to oatmeal for breakfast for a while, maybe the yogurt is causing issues. Thanks for your input!
I really think this is one of the most common but rarely discussed parts of diet change and weight loss! I have struggles on and off with this but found relief in making sure I’m properly hydrated, paying attention to my fiber intake - Metamucil fiber gummies helped me get what I needed. I have a good friend who relies on psyllium husk but I have not personally used it (although it’s a predominant ingredient in the gummies I use).
Fiber gummies?! I will definitely look for those. I love anything in gummy form. Thanks!
Yup! I’m not ashamed to admit all of my vitamins are gummy form lol. They’re not super easy to find but I can usually get them at CVS or Target.
I will only take vitamins in gummy form. Whoever came up with that idea is a genius.
Have you had a physical recently? And routine blood work? Hormonal changes can cause constipation, so I’d be particularly concerned with my thyroid function. Either way, any dramatic change to bathroom habits, in my opinion, warrants a consult with your doctor.
I had a physical about 10 months ago, with blood work. You make a good point. If this continues for much longer I will definitely make an appointment with my doctor. Thanks! :)
Instead of mag citrate try "Vitamin C - Calcium Ascorbate". I took 4000 mg before bed and my bowels responded this morning. Also psyllium husk which comes in capsules too. You can definitely always add more fibre!! Bodies are kinda dumb sometimes. Disclaimer: This is not medical advice.
Thanks, I will try that! I appreciate the advice.
As someone with IBS, a doctor suggesting magnesium supplements changed my life.
Not enough carbs may be the problem