Weird, TMI question...

Ok, so I already warned you..TMI. Anyways, I always notice that when I've been more active, and burn a ton of calories...I um, do my business less. For instance, the past 2 days I've burned a lot more at work than normal. And I haven't been regular. (my normal burning is like 1800 at work) But, I've been so worn out...and sleeping like a baby, too. lol But I was wondering if it makes sense that when you burn more, more of the food is converted to energy and it makes you irregular for a while? (as in, way less..um..'whatnot') Plausable?

Just curious.

i think there's some truth to your theory.. it has happened to me in the past..

Not really..... There's only so much useable energy in food.  When it's gone, it's gone and what's left is waste.  The most probable causes of constipation & digestion problems are dehydration, lack of fibrous bulk in the diet and things like stress, fatigue.... So if your work is more energetic and tiring than normal, make sure you're getting enough fluids and that your intake of fruit and vegetables hasn't dropped.   The stress and fatigue you just have to deal with.

Yes gi-jane.  Those were my thoughts.

I agree with gi-jane. How much water do you regularly get? With exercise, you need to replenish your fluids. I also know that, without enough water, I get constipated fast.

How much fibre do you average? It's important to get a balance of both kinds of fibre, though in generally healthy diet that's done fairly easily.

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. As said, it's pretty easy to be getting enough fibre on a healthy diet, but not always of both kinds! And never introduce lots more fibre without drinking enough water to compensate. There is a more detailed list of fibre sources There are more fibre sources listed here. 

Does this help at all? If you've got any more questions or if you are getting enough fibre and water, say so! And if that is the case, it's probably something more to do with stress.

Hmm. Well, I guess maybe....sweating more + not drinking as much = constipation? I see. That indeed makes sense. Because it would take more water out of your..business.

I've been getting my usual 25ish grams of fiber. But, I guess my drinking was probably cut down a lot. I didn't have time to go get much. I think in a 5 hour period I had a bottle and a half of water.

Thanks!

lalabanana and gi-jane pretty much have the solution to constipation. Also Ive found that when I have a diet thats low in fat I tend to go less. Fats for some reason aid one way or another. Try and find out foods that make you constipated, because for example, for me, if I had apples too often , they make me constipated, real bad. If I have prunes, I go a bit more, but not as much if I have flaxseed. When I used to have this really good cereal every morning that had flaxseed and even wheat germ in it, I was having a pretty good and regular tmi. I think the secret to all this constipation thing is that you need to have a regular diet, of enough fiber intake, fats, etc, and lots of water (at least 2 liters a day)....if you keep your foods balanced, with water intake, im sure constipation wont worry you anymore ;)

 

Similar problem....well not really a 'problem'.

Not constipated at all.....I just don't 'go' everyday anymore.  I go maybe 3 times a week which is totally different to me.  Again, not constipated in the least bit...just don't have to go as much...

~H~

Haley: I'd follow the same advice: make sure your water intake is enough to your activity level and in general, make sure you're getting the right kinds of fibre as well as the right grams, and mind your stresses! :D

It makes sense that if you are sweating more you'll risk constipation.

I've noticed since I started running in July I'm not going as frequently though it hasn't caused a problem for me.

Thanks for the post!!! And all of you whom responded!