Where has all the poop gone?

I know it's disguisting but we all do it or hope to but my poop is gone! I drink 8 to 10 glasses of water a day and for the most part eat well. I exercise 6 days a week and have lost 32 pounds since January 09 but now the weight loss has stopped. I am not gaining thankfully but not losing either. I have pretty much been on a plateau for the last month and have had very little to no poop in that same time period. I don't feel constipated and there is no pain - I just have no poop! Could I not be eating enough? Is it being burned during exercise? Has anyone else had this problem?

I did start taking Psyllium Husks last night but so far - nothing!

I have this problem where I won't poop for 3 days or so.  I don't know where it goes. I just figure that most of it is somewhere in my intestines and that it will eventually come out because I dont eat enough. I find that if I eat a whole bunch I poop more. But I don't eat as much as I once did, so I have less waste. Less taste,less waste. I am not constipated because I don't have difficulty or blood in my stool.

I suppose if you are not turning yellow there is no significance difference or discomfort, you should be fine. 

we could really use a poop forum! LMAO

I'm flummoxed. You didn't change anything? Weird!

Good luck. Hope everything comes out okay. ;)

Take miralax every day until you have a BM. You can get it at walgreen's. It isn't a regular laxative; it is a medication that works by drawing extra water to your bowels. So you have to take it for a few days before it works, it doesn't give you a big tummy ache like most regular laxatives. That should get things moving along again!

I take miralax all the time because of the pain medications I am on. They all cause constipation, which no amount of water, fiber, or anything but miralax seems to fix.

It does seem to be a major topic lately. LOL

I haven't changed a thing. I have increased my workout a little as my stamina increases but that is it.

I guess less taste does equal less waste. I am trying to stick to 1400 cals which means I eat about 1600 - kind of like setting the alarm clock 30 minutes early so you can hit the snooze!

Try eating a lot more vegetables and fruit as part of your 1400-1600 cals.   Fruit and vegetables are bulky, fibrous and contain a lot of fluid so they bulk up the stools and make them softer and easier to pass.  Kiwifruit is a natural laxative as well as a good source of vitamin C, for example.   You need at least 5 x 4oz portions vegetables/salads/fresh fruit each day... 1lb+ of greenery has to go somewhere.

Also make sure your diet contains enough fats.....  oily fish, olive oils, nuts, seeds, red meats, whole eggs.   Oils/fats act as an internal lubricant and fat intake often drops too low when someone is trying to lose weight. 

If it continues for much longer and especially if you get any abdominal pains or find that you're straining to go to the toilet, do see your doctor.

Thanks for the input. I struggle with veggies because I don't like them much but we are going to try a new vegetable each week until we find more that we like. I am pretty much limited to carrots, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, zuchinni, onions, peppers, green beans, sweet potatos, corn. I eat a lot of fruit. I only eat brown bread and brown rice. I only use EVOO to cook with (And now to clean my face with according to a previous long-running post!)  I eat my fair share of nuts and oats too. As for meat, typically its only chicken, turkey and fish. My sugar is limited to the usual 3:00 binge of a reese's cup and my only glass of tea with dinner.

Perhaps my body is getting used to not having so much fat?!

Your list of vegetables is fine... are you getting more than a lb a day of them?  Fruit is good.  And brown rice and bread... great... but are you getting them in big amounts or very small emounts?  If the fish you eat is oily fish and if you use olive oil, that should be enough fats? 

A very good technique if you've been dieting for a while and you've hit a plateau is to have a day or two where you get your full energy needs...  If you've been losing weight on 1400-1600 calories that's going to be a day with 2200-2500 calories.  A larger amount of food from time to time gives your body something to work on... both your metabolism and your digestion can benefit.

psyllium husks = GREAT IDEA!!!!....

try getting all bran buds - psyllium (44% of your daily fibre in a 1/3 cup and only 80 calories)

personally i mix the all bran buds with fat free yogurt.....the probiotics and the fibre really help get things moving - i also mix quite a bit of frensh fruit and cinnamin

if you are eating fruits and veggies try eating them in "mono meals". ie. it fruit by itself...and eat veggies by themselves - they'll digest faster

.....is the food your eating processed? do you eat a lot of fruits and veggies?

also try drinking more hot water...this helps me.  i exercise A LOT....so i generally drink about 20 glasses of water a day....and try to make quite a bit of it hot water...

For some people, having a BM only 3 or 4 times a week isn't unusual.  That's pretty much the norm for me.  But as GI-Jane stated, if it continues for much longer in conjunction with abdominal pains, see a doctor.

I eat a healthy diet full of fruits and veggies.... I just don't happen to have a BM every day.  But what's normal for me, isn't necessarily normal for others.

Boy have I ever had your problem! I feel your pain because it's SO annoying!!! There are some ways to sort of "push things through" which might help you get off your plateau... 

- Have you ever tried those "miracle noodles"? Yea, they are ALL fiber, so if you eat them they will just come right out, along with other stuff stuck in there!

- Camomile &/or Peppermint Tea tend to help me get things going... but it's relatively mild so I would do this on top of something else...

- Have you tried eating flaxseeds? Those bad boys are full of fiber & healthy fat and typically are good at getting things going

- Magnesium Oxide is pretty good too - take 2 to 4 pills (500 mg per pill) but proceed with caution because they will cause a weird tummy ache before the "event" occurs - and it may cause diarrhea & copious amounts of time on the toilet (bring some magazines, crossword puzzles, a book, etc)

- Get Walking because it helps things digest and flow (when I was in the hospital I was made to walk all the time because when my colon "woke up" things started to work again - walking is like an alarm clock for your colon! ha ha!

- Aloe Vera is a laxative - never tried it but I know it works. Same goes for Dandelion Root which you can get in tea form 

- Ah yes and then there is of course good old figs, prunes, raspberries, etc! 

fiber one really helps.  the honey oat clusters taste good too.

I have a history of chronic constipation and the best thing I found that helps is extra vitamin C - whether taken in supplements or in food.

I eat more than 40 grams of fiber a day and make sure to drink lots of water. 

Milled flax seed added to some oatmeal does wonders.  It has a great fiber and fat combo. If you just do flax seeds, although good it doesn't provide the healthy fats ( omegas) unless ground.

Also for severe problems I'll take "Colon Clenz" its in the vitamin aisle at most drug stores ( walmart to)

Thanks for all of the advice!

I am going to try to eat more fruit today and my lunch will have mostly veggies since it is leftovers. May try to find some salmon for supper tonight. And eating 2200 calories SOUNDS great but I have gotten to the point where I hate that full filling!

Giasbash - I have never heard of miracle noodles - will have to do some research on that. I do throw a handfull of ground flaxseed in everything that I can.

Since there is no pain I will wait it out and see what happens.

Wish me luck!

A random note. Cleaning your face with EVOO can be smelly so I recommend safflower oil. It has no smell and works great all over the body. My legs have no more razor burn! :) OH and yeah everyones advice is great about the poop thing. Basically, if there isn't a noticable problem, don't worry about it. If you have symptoms, use one of the methods suggested.

This is in response to any colon cleanse. My very best friend works for poison conrol. She warns against any colon cleanse that contains worm wood.  IIt can cause toxcity of the nervous system which causes serious headaches.  She gets many a call from hospitals due to patients checking in due to a colon cleanse. When I told her (a while back) she flipped.  Luckily I did not have this in my cleanse, so she felt better.

I have to suggest acidophiles pills! I love my Megadophiles. It's a-freakin-mazing. I used to have terrible tummy aches and I'd get chronic UTIs. Since I started taking acidophiles and cranberry supplements, I've been right as rain.

Buy a bottle at the chemist and keep that sucker in your fridge, take one everyday, and your missing poop will reappear. Like magic!

xo Ari

It hasn't gone anywhere, it's all full in your colon lol.;;

on a kinda gross note, I felt something around my stomach (left side).. I figured that's where it was so I asked my doctor what it was -_-;; he was like "have you been to the bathroom lately?"

my 2nd doctor also asked me the same thing when he was doing a check up on me after feeling my stomach.

I ate fiber one everyday which fixed it but I still couldn't empty it out urgh