Eating clean and BM's

[KimberAnn]

This is sort of an embarrassing topic but I wanted to know if it was normal to have decreased bowel movements since eating clean?

[barnetjs]

it has everything to do with the volume of food you are eating - if you are eating less food then you were before you will notice a decrease. If you are eating more foods they are just broc etc - then you should notice maybe a slight increase.

[KickBoxQueen]

If your worried about a BM decrease, I would check out your fiber! Remember the FDA reccommends 25 grams daily, but I know most of the women on here get much more than that... up to 35 and 40 grams per day. When eating clean, it isn't difficult to get this much from fiber-packed vegetables and whole grain complex carbohydrates like oats.

A few things that can cause a BM decrease include a high protein, low carbohydrate diet; being dehydrated (needs some water to move along, lol); and low fiber content.

If you're not getting ready for a competition or trying to do some serious cutting, adding some high fiber cereals may help... Kashi Go Lean, Fiber 1, and Shredded Wheat and Bran are some options that are pretty clean for food that comes in a box! I would though cluster these high carbohydrate foods in the morning or pre/post workout.

Hope that helps!

[MsFit]

You should be having 3 or more BMs a day. Actually, one after every meal. I would increse fiber intake and see if that helps.

[atherjen]

I agree, check your fiber intake.

lots of veges and whole grains, and WATER will help keep things moving.
I also add in a soluble fiber powder (Benefiber) to my shakes as well on days I fall a little short with fiber intake.
No need to be irregular from a clean diet!! even with my competition diet now I go on schedule everyday.

[fawn]

i know i eat the same, and eat lots of fiber (oatmeal and lots of veggies)

Is it possible that you're body is used to the amount of fiber that you don't do number 2 everyday?

[squat_princess]

I've had this problem in the past, and I still have it once in a while. Some times i have to give it a little push (no PUN INTENDED!) with a natural laxitive called experiance. I find if I get all my veggies in, i dont have as much of a problem. Its definatly the diet.

I do carb cycling, and some times I dont get enough fber, that's why I have my "problem" days. Broccoli, green beans, spinach really help. If you're not on a serious cut, then your daily oats, and whole wheat bread and brown rice will be very benificial to you.

[fish153]

A lot of women and men THINK that they are getting enough fiber every day, but very few actually get the recommended 25grams/day. Most actually only get 10 to 15grams. Like everyone has already said, keep drinking a lot of water, and look into a natural fiber supplement if you don't think you are able to meet your fiber needs through your diet. I have to take a fiber supplement with every meal due to IBS.

If you do start looking into fiber supplements, try at first to stay away from laxatives -- there are several safe-for-daily-use fiber supplements out there that are not laxatives. I take Yerba Prima Daily Fiber Caps. It has all five types of fiber in it, is natural, is safe and gentle enough for everyday use, and has really helped me get enough fiber every day.

Hope this helps some.

[KimberAnn]

Thanks for the info!! That must be it! Not enough fiber and water!!

[Kjay]

I'm experiencing the same problem at the moment. I've just had a look at the known high fibre foods in my diet and i'm consuming 34 grams of fibre a day - and that doesn't count such foods as apples, etc.

I drink about 3 litres of water a day.

I consume 3200 calories of food a day because i'm currently trying to gain.

In the past, when taking a natural fibre supplement type thing on a daily basis it has just clogged me up so I stay away from them.

So I'm not sure what it is - I go, but not properly. I've been experiencing stomach cramps for the last few days to the point where I couldn't go to gym last night. And I've been unable to stop myself from passing wind in some very embarassing situations.

[mandat28]

I have the same problem. I'm lucky if I go 3 times a week, let alone 3 times a day. I eat at least 25g of fiber/day and drink 3 liters of water, I eat clean and am calorie cycling so I eat between 1600-2300/day. I have read that too much fiber is not good for you, but after reading some of these posts I may try to up my intake and see what comes out...(pun intended)

[fish153]

mandat28, Kjay, KimberAnn -

Don't forget that there are several kinds of fiber - one of the best kinds for people with trouble with constipation/diarrhea is soluble fiber (like what is in Metamucil or those other fiber supplements) ... psyllium husk is a bit rough on some people's stomachs and sometimes causes bloating/gas, so that may not be ideal. You can also read up on vegetable gums -- like acacia gum (Heather's Tummy Fiber) and guar gum (Benefiber) ... like I said, the kind I take has all five types of fiber, and I've had great success with it (but I also have irritable bowel syndrome, so these problems that you guys are having are like, everyday things for me!) ... not fun!

Anyway, remember, your diet should have both soluble and insoluble fiber (the stuff mentioned above is soluble fiber).

Soluble fiber = makes a "gel" in the intestines by absorbing water, helps keep the intestines calm by slowing things down a bit and allowing the nutrients to be absored (as opposed to shooting through the intestines before the nutrients have a chance to be absorbed like when you have diarrhea) - in foods like flax seed, whole wheat, corn bran, green beans, fruit skins

Insoluble fiber = bulk that doesn't change much in the body but moves things more speedily through the intestines - in foods like oats, nuts, fruits, veggies, psyllium husk

As you can see, those two main types of fiber work well together, so if you aren't getting enough of one, you may have trouble with constipation and/or diarrhea.

here are some sites regarding the differences:

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/e...ages/19531.htm
http://www.healthcastle.com/fiber-so...nsoluble.shtml
http://www.helpforibs.com/diet/fiber1.asp -- soluble fiber
http://www.helpforibs.com/diet/fiber2.asp -- insoluble fiber

I hope this helps a bit -- I know how miserable it can be when you're having these types of problems.


EDIT: mandat28, the only reason I can think of that fiber could be harmful is if you are getting too much insoluble fiber without a similar amount of soluble fiber. If you get too much insoluble fiber, then things are going to go very speedily through your intestines, which means reduced absorption of vitamins, minerals, etc. This is where soluble fiber's importance comes in, in that it slows the process down so that your body has a chance to absorb all of the nutrients from the food. One way this can be avoided is, again, make sure your soluble fiber intake is high as well, or if it isn't and you are worried, simply take your multivitamin at a different time of the day than your high-fiber meals. (but this shouldn't be a problem -- most websites say that for the average adult, even an excess in insoluble fiber shouldn't actually cause a noticeable problem with this)

[KimberAnn]

Kjay!! Me too. I look pretty good everywhere except my belly. I look and feel like I'm 3 months pregnant...I'm not!! But the gas is killing me. It seems like I'm passing it so often now. And I have also had to skip workouts because of cramps. Could it be my Soy Protein Shakes? Should I switch to Whey?

[fish153]

Kjay!! Me too. I look pretty good everywhere except my belly. I look and feel like I'm 3 months pregnant...I'm not!! But the gas is killing me. It seems like I'm passing it so often now. And I have also had to skip workouts because of cramps. Could it be my Soy Protein Shakes? Should I switch to Whey?

If you switch to whey, make sure you get an isolate (as opposed to a concentrate) because if you're having gas from the soy protein already, then you might as well avoid the issues to be had with a whey concentrate. The isolate is wayyyy easier on your stomach.

(sorry, know you weren't addressing me, but thought I'd reply too, hope you don't mind)

[KimberAnn]

I absolutely appreciate all the advice I can get!!! Thanks! Whey isolate it is. What do you think about Beano? I bought some yesterday. I haven't taken any yet though.

[darkangel]

Food reactions can cause the belly bloating due to constipation, gas and water retention in the trunk and abdominal area. Check out The False Fat Diet by Elson Haas. It was an eye opener for me.

A side note, I got to the point where even whey protein isolate bothered me. I'm using an egg white protein powder now.

[fish153]

I absolutely appreciate all the advice I can get!!! Thanks! Whey isolate it is. What do you think about Beano? I bought some yesterday. I haven't taken any yet though.

I've never used Beano, but my mom has said it has helped her a lot.