Kinda gross question, please be sensitive!
I feel really weird asking this... but I imagine that there are a lot of other people like me here...
my bowels haven't been regular in a long time... but mainly because I wasnt eating any fiber or good stuff, only junk food. I've been eating my veggies and fruits, and lots of water for over a week now and still no signs of a regular bowel routine. How long does this take? I really don't want to take fiber suppliments(laxitive).
don't know... when I got constipated it took about a week, but I was taking miralax and also changed my diet... I think it's different for everyone... good luck
How many grams of fiber are you getting a day? If you're getting less than 25, try to up your fiber in SOME manner (whole grains if not a supplement). And, don't feel shy about adding some benefiber or something to help you get the necessary daily amount.
Happy pooping!
After having a baby, everything can kind of freeze up, so I'll tell you what nurses advised me. Lots of water. Lots and lots. Your body can only use so much, and any extra heads right in to the intestines and keeps things loose. The other thing they pushed on me was stool softeners.
Hope this helps!
Original Post by kthompson92:
How many grams of fiber are you getting a day? If you're getting less than 25, try to up your fiber in SOME manner (whole grains if not a supplement). And, don't feel shy about adding some benefiber or something to help you get the necessary daily amount.
Happy pooping!
Im not sure how many grams I get :S... I eat at least 1 cup carrots, 1 apple, 1 banana and some grapes(about 10)... all in one day
You probably aren't getting enough then. Try eating whole grains in some form. I haven't tried it but I hear Fiber One cereals and snack bars are pretty good. I got some high fiber oatmeal I'm going to try. Whole grain breads are good, etc.
Are there non laxitive tablets? Like the ones I've seen you take 3 a day to help constipation and then non when you aren't. Im not constipated.. but Im not regular.. does that make sence? i want a tablet i can take daily and not give me the runs.. lol is there such?
Well that's what they advertise the activa yogurt as doing - according to the ads eating one a day will make you never irregular again.
I don't usually have a problem - but the foods that "soften" me up the most are beets and blueberries.
Good luck!
You are definitely not alone on this one! I tried fiber, fiber, fiber and water, water, water but what finally did the trick for me were the Enzyme tablets they sell at the local health food store. I went through a bottle of 50 tablets taking 2 with breakfast and 2 more with dinner. The bottle has been gone for a week now and I am still pretty darn close to regular. I'm started taking "green food" supplements to try to even out my pH level (my body is WAY to acidic) and they also make me "go", but tend to give me gas in the process.
going regularly is one of the great gifts of life, so don't feel bad about asking. I used to be really regular, but since changing my eating, I seem to be a different kind of regular, little bit one and alot the next. I think benefiber is excellent and it doesn't have a taste plus its desolves. so up your fiber and maybe try that. Good luck and great question.
Have you had a thyroid panel done? I was having terrible problems with that until I went on meds. Make sure and have the whole panel done - many doctors don't know how to test properly and will only check tsh.
Hope this helps!
Original Post by tmck99:
Well that's what they advertise the activa yogurt as doing - according to the ads eating one a day will make you never irregular again.
I don't usually have a problem - but the foods that "soften" me up the most are beets and blueberries.
Good luck!
I've tried that activia stuff and it makes my tummy hurt :( Maybe I will look into the benefiber... I'll check it out the next time I go to the store. And enzyme, like those dairy pills for lactose intolerance? I don't want to be tied down with pills...
An enzyme pill is probably a prebiotic. I have taken them but they made only a slight difference. A product containing prebiotics is usually very inaffective as your stomach is designed to kill bacteria - and it cannot differenciate good and bad. As for supplements, you can really get your fibre up through diet.
Try monitoring your fibre intake. Are you getting enough? The recommended average for fibre is somewhere around 30g for men, 25g for women. From the American Heart Association: Dietary fiber intake among adults in the United States averages about 15 grams. The Institute of Medicine recommends consuming 14 grams of fiber for every 1,000 calories you need. (Source Link Here) This can vary from person to person - sometimes, one person may need more than this number - but it is a good minimum.
Get a decent balance of insoluble (the fibre that forms bulk and regulates acidity and PH in the gut) and soluble (the fibre that helps regulate blood sugar and cholesterol) fibre and you should be okay. :]
Insoluble fibre:
-- Whole-wheat pastas, breads, etc
-- Quinoa
-- Brown rice
-- Bran products
-- Fruit and vegetable skins, such as potato skins, tomato skins, plum/prune skins, apple skins, pear skins
-- Nuts and seeds, particularly flax, almonds, brazil nuts and walnuts
Soluble fibre:
-- Oats
-- Rye
-- Barley
-- Potatoes of all varieties
-- Psyillium husks
-- Legumes and pulses, especially lentils, garbanzo beans (chickpeas), kidney beans, pinto beans and soybeans
And pretty much all fruits and vegetables. Particularly raspberries, plums, bananas, prunes, apples, pears, blackberries, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels, asparagus, artichokes and dried fruit. Don't suddenly introduce a lot of fibre at once, though, as it can make things worse, and drink PLENTY of fluid alongside to help it along. There are more fibre sources listed here, and I hope they might help in the future. If you'd like advice for high fibre meals tell me, I know a few.
- See how much fibre you get already - you may not be getting enough. (However, most people consuming a healthy balanced diet manage, but it's worth a look)
- Never increase your fibre intake without adequate water intake too, as it can worsen constipation otherwise.
- Aim for the right balance of soluble and insoluble fibre as they both do different things.
If you have not had a BM in about four days, take a MILD over the counter laxative. If this does not help you, or hurts you, or if your constipation just returns after the laxative use talk to a doctor. If your constipation or regularity has been a problem for a long time, talk to a doctor. And, obviously, I am not a doctor - so you may also want to consult one on taking on a higher than usual fibre diet. Otherwise, good luck!
Hi there...
I can relate to this situation aswell as I had constipation a few weeks ago and it lasted about one week.
The reason I got it, according to my doctor, was a lack of fibre AND stress. As it got quite painful, I took one laxative... and within 12 hours it improved. And after that, I didnt take any more laxatives, just gradually introduced more fibre into my diet and it completely went away.
Good luck.... I know you are reluctant to take the laxative... and I understand that... but it is a short term fix... if it is a serious case of constipation, then maybe take a small dose. :)
Activia always does the trick for me. But if there's no sign of progress in 2 weeks DO see your doctor
I do get BM's daily... but they aren't regular.. or healthy? I think oprah had a segment about it looking like a banana? well mine are more like... uhhh.. meat balls... lol... And it doesnt hurt to go and it happens at a different time each day, and varies is quantity. Yeah, if I was to ever not have a BM for 4 days I would definately take a laxitive. Im trying to up my fiber naturally.. banana and beans have a good amount that I've found.
Barbara's Shredded Oats!
I found that for me, it wasn't necessary fiber that helped so much; sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. The thing that I found and I feel like it is a miracle is a product made by a company called nutrition now ( http://www.nutritionnow.com/PB8.htm ) called PB8. You can get it at Whole Foods and health food stores; they also have it at GNC, but it is called something else. In any event, it is filled with 'friendly' bacteria that help your colon work properly. I take one with breakfast and one with dinner and have been using it for months and the constipation problem cleared up almost immediately and has never recurred. These products have been around for a while, but most have to be refrigerated which is inconvenient if you travel or want to keep the product in your purse; this product is heat resistant and doesn't require refrigerated; it comes in a vegetarian and regular version.
Gradually increase your fiber intake or you will become bloated and constipated.
My doctor recommend I take salba (has a different name in the US but I don't know what it is) for fibre and as a appetite suppressant. It works wonders and has lots of omega 3 and antioxidants in it as well.
Otherwise if you can't seem to get enough fibre try jogging, that always gets my internal mechanisms going . If you can't find salba try the fibre supliments that are on the market that are tasteless and can be added to soup or drinks. They work well they just don't have the same benefits as salba.
Fiber One cereal is easy and surprisingly good. It won't help you in the short term, however, with you needing to go NOW. I agree with the other posters about taking a laxative just once, to get things going.
I struggle with diarrhea and constipation - I'm never at a happy medium. I have found that water is the key. 72 ounces of water is too much for me, personally. But 36 ounces is not enough. I try to keep it between those two numbers and I am able to go every day and most of the time it's formed.
Activia messed up my stomach the first couple of days I ate it, but I always hear so much about yogurt so I kept up with it and am able to eat it daily. I crave it now.
Also, metamucil once daily is a good idea too.
LOL, I sound like I have OCD. I know WAY to much about this topic, it's sad. I have some health issues related to this, though, so I've had to figure out my body. I feel so much better since I've found some sort of a peace with my bowels.
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