I only poo once a week. Please help me go more often

[Cheeseandlobster]

I should be going more often. A typical days diet involves - no breakfast, lunch is a spicy scrambled egg but really more like vegetables binded together with 1 egg ( courgette, mushroom, pepper, spinach and jalapenos) followed by grapes. Dinner is usually a mega salad with chicken, fish, quiche. Small bar of chocolate, another fruit portion and maybe a yogurt. I drink at least 1.5 litres of water daily. Do Hiit training for 20 mins daily.

Yet the only thing that gets me going is having a beer at the weekend and then I think I poo for the whole week, though only once so its uncomfortable and unpleasant.

I have tried a colonic. The lady told me I will be more susceptible to bowel cancer (jeez thanks lady)

I really don't want to become dependant on laxatives but I think I might have to .

Can anyone advise me please?

"You must factor some greens and fibre into your diet otherwise you will get seriously ill later in life. No joke. "

She said she has salad every day FFS.

"How much exercise do you do? Need to get moving to keep things moving... Even just a 20-30 min walk once a day should help."

She said she does HIIT every day FFS.

Popcorn works for me!

As PP have said.

• exercise
• All bran, tastes like cardboard, get the branded stuff if you can
• Prunes (I ate 12 in one sitting in desperation when I was particularly constipated and had explosive diarrhea, I suggest you don't do this)
• Coffee

I suggest cooking a batch of brown rice and freezing into portions (it takes longer to cook) and stir fry ing with your veg and egg at lunch time 3x a week.

Are you in pain? is this a new thing? have you been like this for years or since you started the lo carb? That's the questions that need answering first of all to rule out if you need to see GP. I can't understand why there's 9 pages of diet tips with only half a dozen people asking these particular questions and OP ignoring them!

@Gwenhwyfar

"You must factor some greens and fibre into your diet otherwise you will get seriously ill later in life. No joke. "

She said she has salad every day FFS.

"How much exercise do you do? Need to get moving to keep things moving... Even just a 20-30 min walk once a day should help."

She said she does HIIT every day FFS.

Its going to be the dust diet all over again in a minute, OP needs to eat less move more. I see your FFS and second it!!

You’re not eating enough. Try eating more fruit and veg, but cut down on the eggs — they’re healthy, but seven a week is probably making your constipation worse.

Forget about dried fruit and bran etc that can just make it worse.

My son has Ehlers Danlos and chronic constipation, low gut motility (which is want you describe) is part of that.

He used to poo once a week.

The only thing that worked is a teaspoon of psyllium husks in at least 8 ounces of water first thing every morning. Ensure you drink plenty of water.

That worked when nothing else did.

You should poo like clockwork once or twice a day at least.

OK , that's scared me. I go 2x per week at most, but in my case it's down to being on amitriptyline which apparently is notorious for this. Only ever go twice in a given day if I've popped a laxative. Reading this thread has been useful actually, it's reminded me how many things I could be doing, and don't do, to help matters along. Anything to avoid the evil lactulose farts.

OP I was going to ask if you're on any meds that have this as a side effect?

Not enough fluids and lack of carbs. Read up on soluble and insoluble fibre.

Wholemeal toast, Weetabix or Bran flakes with orange juice for breakfast.

Skipping breakfast doesn't help you lose weight.

We had a talk about this the other day at work and I can’t believe how little some people poo, I poo every morning sometimes at night too.

I’ve been vegetarian since my teens now vegan so don’t know if that helps, if I ever need help dried fruit especially apricots really helps, I can’t believe some people only go once a week. I honestly thought everyone went daily.

Coffee
Get excited about an idea (sorry, that works for me for some weird reason)
Reduce your gluten

Coffee first thing in the morning

Porridge oats

Soluble magnesium

Eggs are very binding and I vividly remember reading an account of John Henry Newman's constipation when he tried a more monastic, meat-free Lenten regime in the 1800s (for my degree - funny how these moments repeat). Maybe tofu or sprouted legumes instead for lunch sometimes?

Another vote for flaxseed...in your yogurt, on your cereal. Make sure it’s ground though. It has transformed my life! And good for regulating hormones too.

Had lots of emergency surgery under GA lately. Guts went to sleep. Tried chemist remedies...none worked. Then I did a glass of prune juice daily...that was the one solution.

Tinned pears in juice. Drink the juice too. Worked for me when on massive amounts of codeine!

Another fan of milled flaxseed with pruned, all bran & apple juice mixed together- yum

Dried figs are wonderful, two a day for really comfortable shit. (Well formed but soft enough to be comfortable)

OP, where's the fibre, the roughage? The things that actually make you poo? First thing is, I noticed you don't have breakfast. That's a bad start. Have a bowl of bran flakes or porridge with fresh fruit. You shouldn't eat eggs every day. I'm sure the recommended allowance is something like 2 a week? (Please check this.) Your diet also doesn't seem varied enough. Do you drink coffee or tea? These can help, they certainly help me! I can go 2-3 times a day most days! Even when I've done the 5:2 diet I've gone every day. Don't know if it's because I'm vegetarian? Have a look on the NHS website. You are suffering from constipation and there's loads of advice on there. I hope you can sort it out, but definitely recommend breakfast, less eggs and more fibre/roughage.

Magnesium - that will get you moving!

If you want to be healthy, try the F plan diet

Is that still around? I am old and used to follow that when it was new!!

Please contact your GP to have a FIT (poo) test and full blood count done hopefully nothing major but I'd get that checked out x

Look up low FODMAP eating. I had similar long term problems and my Gastroenterologist suggested I try following it. Essentially there are specific food groups that your body struggles to absorb which can cause havoc with gut and bowel symptoms IBS etc. initially you cut all high FODMAPS from your diet then slowly reintroduce one group at a time to determine which cause issues. I've discovered I am not good with any types of legumes and wheat but different things trigger different people for others it might be garlic and onion. There is a great app by Monash University that provides heaps of information and eating plans. On top of that I can also attest to the power of kiwi fruits. They are fantastic for your gut as well as starting the day with a coffee. You may also need to consider short or even long term introduction of Movicol or similar. Best of luck OP gut and bowel issues are miserable, I hope you find a solution that works for you.

@aintnocoffeebigenough

Cut out scrambled egg and quiche, I think eggs can lead to constipation if consumed everyday by those susceptible. And two kiwis with skin on!

I've never heard of eggs causing constipation.