too much fiber?

can you eat too much fiber?  i have added a lot to my diet in the past week and i feel soooo sick to my stomach today.  really, really, really bad cramping.  ugh.

drink more watewr to balance it

Yes you can.
its not just how much you eat, its how you introduce it.
You should introduce it slowly. Its not absorbed into your body, so it flushes out stuff

Yes, you can definitely eat too much fiber. If you've recently increased your fiber intake by a significant amount, you'll probably be bloated and constipated. It will pass! Hang in there, cut back on the fiber until you feel better, then *slowly* increase your fiber intake. After a week or two you'll be able to eat a ton of fiber and not really notice. You'll have better digestion. But, until then, be prepared to *ahem* clear the room for a few days. 

thank you- i didn't really make a conscious decision to up my intake that much... but i accidentally found out that "fiber one" is my favorite cereal!  i have it now for almost every snack (60 cal. per serving).  well, i am really paying for it now - so painful. 

The recommendation for women is 25g of fibre per day.
If you eat a low fibre diet, and suddenly starting eating a high fibre diet of around 20-30g per day, your body may not be able to handle the drastic change as bacteria needs to ferment that fibre. It's better to start slower. Maybe start at your normal level of intake and add 3-5g more per day? and slowly build it up.

There is an upper limit to daily fibre intake but it is very very high and difficult to reach.

Your body does need to adjust,  but I've been eating between 30 and 40 grams of fibre every day for nearly a month, and, well, let's just say that everything comes out fine in the end.     *blush*

olive --- I did the exact same thing! I discovered Fiber One and started eating it -- a LOT. Man, that was a bad few days! But, after it was over, I was more regular than I've ever been in my life! And I can easily eat 2 cups of Fiber One a day *and* a ton of fruits/veggies, with only positive side effects! So, cut back for now, but slowly ramp it up over the course of a week, and you'll be so happy! I eat at least 50g of fiber a day, and I'm lovin' it! =)

25 g is the reccomended minimum but i average about 35 in a day. You're body does get used to it so give it time and drink plenty of water. You're body will also miss it if it doesn't get it for awhile. I just returned from Cuba where veggies were a bit hard to come by except on the black market :) I won't go into the gory details of my digestive issues during that time but since I've been back...2 days now...I think I've eaten my own weight in spinach and raw veggies. Hello regularity!

Cramps and weird stomach feelings when you start eating a proper amount of fiber is normal.  Having it persist for more than a day or 2 is not.

How much fiber are you eating?

I am taking in around 30-35 on average per day for around a week now.  let me just say - the past few hours I havn't been posting for a reason... i don't think i need to go into the details... : {
anyway - if i was taking in around 35 this whole week, what should i bring it down to so that I don't have to deal with this again????  I actually had to leave work early!!!  gross.  I certainly do not want to deal with this again!!!!!!  (um, ever!)
Also, I was eating lunch when suddenly an onset of stomach cramps followed by (ahem) several trips to the restroom took place (omg, sorry - i am so disgusted by this whole thing right now!)... so anyway, please don't tell me those calories from lunch didn't count!  I have heard that when people have taken laxatives to lose weight the calories are absorbed before they, um, are passed through.  I am hoping that is the same with a "fiber one" and spinach overdose!!!  Thank you guys for helping me with my embarrassing/painful/crampy day!!!!

You definitely get used to it. Last year, I was getting hardly any fiber, so I started eating apples and using a supplement. I went up to 12g, then worked up to 25g, and now I'm at 50-60g a day without even really noticing that I was working up my fiber intake. So your body definitely adjusts... but water is VERY important or everything will get stuck on the way out... ew.

You maybe should start with a smaller amount and once you get used to that, add a little bit more, then repeat. That should help avoid what made you have to leave work early XD.

Also, you said after eating lunch you immediately had to go to the bathroom... well, that was probably the meal you ate BEFORE lunch pushing it's way out. When you have a good, regular digestive system, once you eat another meal, the one you ate before will be expelled.

I just recently found that Fiber One makes snack bars- each bar has only 140 calories and 9 grams of fiber- the Oat and chocolate one is excellent.... but I do notice that I sure do get lots of gas! And it's a good thing that right now I'm sitting here at work all by myself!  With 45 more minutes to go.... I'm glad our office cats don't care how noisy I am.... ha ha...

ha!!! jen32966 - i just giggled so loud that i thought i woke my daughter up! 

whoa, i didn't mean to make that a link!  didn't even know i could do that.  hmm.

Oh, I have no issues with it but I have to control myself around Fiber One too!

I eat 13g of fiber each morning, lol. I thought it was 7g at first (cereal), but it turns out that the frozen mixed berries I put in my yogurt contain about 6g. So together that's 13g! And wow was I sick when I first started. I was almost late for work for a couple of days because I couldn't get out of the bathroom, but my body is slowly adjusting, and now I don't feel sick anymore from it.

Just to add to this post, I too have a most uncomfortable system, but I appear to have a major blockage.

My increase in fibre is mainly in wholemeal bread as I have always eaten massive amounts of veggies and normal amounts of fruits.

I have taken medication last night (I'm in France, bear with me its 11.41am here) and it produced a result, but still have a very tight tummy and want someone to tell me if drinking water will solve this problem, or am I eating too much bread (even though it's calorie counted)?

I had 39 grams of fiber yesterday and was feeling like you all mention above. Sueshaw, drinking water helped a TON!

haifley, thanks. I have been drinking 2 litres a day since then and problem is solved.

Take note anyone else, don't forget your water intake!!!

Yippee pain and problem gone.

I've heard from many different sources that eating over 35 grams of fiber a day is BAD. It not only makes things..move..a little faster and can possibly cause horrible stomach pain to the fiber intolerant, but guess what it takes with it? Nutrients..yup..you basically end up not absorbing a lot of the nutrients in the food you eat.

20 - 35 grams of fiber is the amount I would aim for.

I'm going to go ahead and put this out there for any future and fellow sufferers of Fiber One mishaps.  Please note everyone that this stuff packs 14 grams of fiber per 1/2 cup (over 50% of your daily need of fiber into one tiny bowl). 

So day one I eat half a cup of fiber one, I feel OK a little gas discomfort.

About day three of eating this stuff I eat about 3/4 to 1 cup of fiber one, I feel OK and begin having regular bowel movements that are lighter in color (about the color of cardboard) and float (healthy BM signs)-sorry about putting in those details but I freaked out a little bit when the consistency, color, and frequency changed---only to find out that these were in fact signs of a HEALTHY BM.

So on about day four I figure what the heck, I've missed breakfast, I'm starving and have too much school work to do to go to the grocery store.  I have strawberries, fiber one, and soy milk readily available so I eat 1 1/2 to 2 cups of the stuff (without thinking about that nutritional label).  Oh My God!!!  I can only tell you that I spent the next two days in the bathroom doubled over in pain and creating rather explosive noises.  It makes perfect sense though when you do the math:

I normally eat about 20-25 grams of fiber per day as I eat very healthy anyway (berries, nuts, whole grains, etc.).  Add to that 2 cups of Fiber One cereal; this equals 70-76 grams of fiber in one day (56 grams from 2 cups of Fiber One alone-eaten all at once)!!!

The moral of the story folks is that Fiber One is a lovely invention.  It's a fantastic cereal that has a mere 60 calories per serving, a ton of fiber, and a ton of other vitamins and minerals BUT BE CAREFUL!  You can definitely have too much of a good thing.  General Mills needs to consider putting a warning label on the stuff if you ask me.

My heart goes out to anyone suffering from this terrible error in judgment, I recommend baby wipes and vitamin E as the constant wiping is going to irritate you.  Look on the bright side, you're getting rid of anything that might have been hanging around in there (bad bacteria, meat, etc.).