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?

"Please help me go more often" - all I could think of when I read that is holding your hand and rubbing your lower back, which is what I do to my four year old when he's having trouble going. So... not sure if that's any use, but I'm here if you need me.

Have you always gone once a week? If so, that's your norm.

Fybogel religiously every morning - it’s not a laxative so it won’t cause dependence, but regularity is important for bowels & once you’re in a routine of emptying your bowels at a certain time each day it’s easier to maintain. You could use ground flaxseed instead, which is healthier, but I like the convenience of the fybogel sachets.

Coffee always gets me going within 30 mins.

Also, lifting your knees above your hips (so popping them up on a stool or similar) while sat on the loo makes a huge difference

I swear by liquorice but had to stop eating it when I had to give up wheat then I discovered these

groceries.aldi.co.uk/en-GB/p-dominion-sugar-free-sweet-liquorice-75g/4088600013770

You need to research soluble and insoluble fibre. You need to ensure you get some of each and approx 30g per day.

Yep, you need more fibre if you want to try to fix this on diet alone without resorting to laxatives. I see you’re trying to low carb, but how about:

• one or two apples per day - larger, more fibrous ones like pink ladies or braeburns. Very cleansing for the colon!
• try roasting a tray of broccoli and cauliflower florets. Roll it in turmeric/ cumin and olive oil before roasting, and then add a sprinkle of chilli flakes afterwards.
• a good old jacket potato and beans.
• make a veggie chilli packed with different types of beans.
• as PP have said, a bowl of All-Bran or similar in the morning.
• black coffee!

I know that’s not all low carb but it really is fibre you need. Good luck!

You are not eating enough fibre, you need more fruit, veg, and things like oats, pulses.

Personally if I eat eggs more than two days in a row, I get really clogged up! Try cutting them out maybe if you’re desperate?

When I tried low carb I had huge problems going to the toilet. You need more
Fibre

Tescos do some really tasty dried Apple slices, they have a marshmallow like texture.

I ate loads after having my DD and having a small tear/stitches. My friends had made me terrified of the first post birth poop, and with these Apple slices I was absolutely fine.

I don't need more than two or three slices to loosen things up, but I do suffer from IBS, so have a tendency towards loose stools anyway, so pace yourself!!

Laxido is great. If you take 2 sachets every day for a little while it will help to clear things out and retrain your bowels. I took it when I suffered the most horrendous long term constipation from having to take strong cocodamol for a while (for lupus pain) and it really helped. I then went into eating more fruit, veg and fibre and it’s been okay since - now I go once a day.

Prunes with Greek yogurt. The food of gods! Eat around 6 or 8 daily.

Really coffee

If you get flaxseed it's good to blitz it into a powder in the coffee grinder. You can put a tablespoon on your brekkie.

You could try some probiotic's maybe too? Might be your gut flora is out of sorts.

Magnesium is also very good for loosening things.

Magnesium helps. I know a few people who use it.

Strong black coffee and a fag every morning?

also a magnesium supplement seems to help (I take one each night to sleep but this is a well known side effect).

I go less if I'm on a low carb diet, but flax seeds, brown bread and the rest wouldn't particularly help me. I don't think.

Anyway, yes coffee. Fewer eggs because they're pretty binding.

Weetabix for breakfast.

Seaweed. You can buy it in capsules. No calories to worry about.

Drink lots of water

Have been constipated all during my pregnancy, despite eating healthy and increasing fibre nothing helped.
Fybogel works- cheaper on Amazon in bulk but you can get 10 sachets (I think) for about £4 from supermarkets

Prune juice. Small glass every day. Disgusting. Effective. My go to when taking iron tablets. Works

Same happens to me if I go low carb. Coffee always gets things moving, but you need to start eating a slice of multigrain bread, a baked potato, sweet potatoes, some brown rice as well as plenty of veg.

Tomato juice. Good glass a day. Absolute game changer for me!!!

I had the worst constipation of my life when low carbing. Put me off for life. I nearly fainted when I eventually went it was so painful. And too many eggs/high fat diet is really bad for your digestion.

I always have Vogel soya and linseed bread toasted for breakfast. It's lower carb than normal bread due to the seeds/grain and keeps me regular as clockwork.

I find checking my bank account or credit card bill does the trick

On a more serious note, there’s a low carb/high fibre bread. Livlife I think it’s called; Waitrose sell it.

Probiotics every day and hot baths with Epsom salts