Fibers?

[Turbo6PGT]

This is more of a general nutrition question. I eat my fair share of protein from chicken, turkey, veggies and whey. Im having some intestinal issues. Just as a prime example I dropped a duece Sunday morning and hadnt gone again since this morning. Seems like Im getting a little backed up. My system has always taken a day longer than the average person to digest food. Apparently Im not eating right, if I were I wouldnt be able to go 3-5 days w/out a bowel movement. I even tried taking some fiber pills with meals thinking that would help but I think it actually made it worse so I stopped. People say to eat fiberous foods to help digestion but Ive also heard fiber can cause your digestion to slow down. So what the heck is the deal? What are you folks eating when you bulk that allows you to smoothly digest all that food?

[in10city]

This is more of a general nutrition question. I eat my fair share of protein from chicken, turkey, veggies and whey. Im having some intestinal issues. Just as a prime example I dropped a duece Sunday morning and hadnt gone again since this morning. Seems like Im getting a little backed up. My system has always taken a day longer than the average person to digest food. Apparently Im not eating right, if I were I wouldnt be able to go 3-5 days w/out a bowel movement. I even tried taking some fiber pills with meals thinking that would help but I think it actually made it worse so I stopped. People say to eat fiberous foods to help digestion but Ive also heard fiber can cause your digestion to slow down. So what the heck is the deal? What are you folks eating when you bulk that allows you to smoothly digest all that food?

lol... 3-5 days

You get your protein from veggies?

A fiber pill or two probably won't do much. How much fiber are you consuming overall and from what sources - and soluble vs. insoluble? What is your carb intake like? On a low carb diet your fiber is probably going to be very low so bowel movement frequency would be low.

[willldabeast]

veggies keep stuff moving; but you are bulking? that is weird, when i cut too many calories i hardly ever went but when i am bulking i take dumps like its my job.

[camaleom]

x2... :-D

[dvsness]

Proper hydration, green leafy fibrous vegetables, psyllium husks.

[Dr. Horse]

Has the frequency of your bowel movements changed? Are they large/dry/hard and difficult to pass? If not, then you might not be consitpated. For some people, it is normal to just have a BM every few days.

If you truly are constipated, then eat more fibrous foods as was suggested. Any and all fruits and vegetables. Eat apricots, peaches, mangos etc. Dried food is good cause you can eat more; dried apricots will really get things moving if you eat a bunch. Spinach, broccoli, etc. Dark green leafy veggies are best.

[Saturnal]

Unless it's painful when you have a bowel movement, you're probably fine. Some people have them every day, and some people have them every few days. Mine varies greatly depending on the types of foods I eat. I've found that if I get most of my fats from nuts, my bm's are much less frequent than when I use oils or peanut butter. They'll also be less frequent when my fat intake drops below 20%.

[Turbo6PGT]

My BM's have always been every couple days at best. When I eat something I shouldnt have its almost exactly 24 hours before it upsets me and it shoots out like fireballs. So my system is slower than average. Still, some of the BM's are hard and are tough to pass. I think the diet just needs address. I need to start making myself focus more on veggies and fruit, like one piece a day at least to help suppliment the protein. Fruit and veggies really wont hurt anyone.

[DriftMonster]

Try to record how much fiber you are getting each day and come back with that. If I remember correctly, you need around 10-15g per 1000calories. If you are bulking, this number will be (should be) exceptionally high. Fiber is probably the most overlooked nutrient for most people, and unless you want to poop into a bag when you're older, eat your fiber (plus countless number of other benefits you get from it).

[CPX]

I seriously am starting to feel that all the information I give out centers around beans... But really beans are going to be your best bet. A cup of beans has around 13g of fiber and it also has the benefit of having around the same amount of protein. It's win win! You'd have to eat around 3 pounds of leaves to get that amount of fiber. Not saying they don't help, just that the best source is beans and 2 servings a day will definitely help you out.
Fiber definitely does not slow down digestion. I get 60-80g a day and have 2-3 BM of fully digested food. And don't waste your money on fiber supplements, they have insignificant amounts of fiber in them.

Hope you get things moving!

[Dave P]

I have a tendency to only go once every two or three days. I eat tons of fiber, veggies, and drink tons of water.

Sometimes its just genetic.

[Turbo6PGT]

I just wanted to post an update to my situation in case anyone else ever searched for it. I've added more fruits and veggies into my diet and eat a container of dannon activia yogurt every other day and it really has helped me. So I just make sure to compliment the protien with the good fibers and Im doing 100% better than before. No more IBS flare ups and the BMs are more frequent and less annoying. So thanks for the advice all!