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?

Strong black coffee first thing in the morning, followed by a high fibre breakfast, such as All Bran, if the coffee doesn't get things going.

Do you work outside of your house during the week? I find it harder to go at work.

I think if I was eating as you do,I'd only poo once a week! It sounds like you don't have enough carbohydrates in your diet. I need to eat a small tin of baked beans every couple of days,2 or 3 slices wholemeal bread per day or a bowl of porridge to keep me regular and 'going' once a day.

I am desperate to lose a bit of weight as I hold it all on my tummy
That's not weight you need to lose, it's only pooing once a week that's causing a bloated stomach.

You need to eat loads more vegetables. Proper roughage - carrots, parnips, swede, cabbage, broccoli, green beans, celery, all that sort of thing. And what my DH calls 'combine harvester' bread. The rustic wholemeal type with loads of bits and pieces in it, seeds on top, the lot. And bran flakes.

Eggs and milk makes me constipated. Try cutting out your eggs? A filter coffee and plenty of water helps me go to the toilet.

Get your thyroid checked?

I’m surprised how most of the recommendations are for diet changes

I only poo once a week, my GP calls it a “lazy bowel”, mines made worse by long term medication

I know I eat healthy food and do eat fibre (muesli, brown rice, pulses as well as lots of kale and fruit) but diet doesn’t really do it for me

I have random successes which then wear off, ie my gut seems to get immune. Coffee, prunes, oranges, hardly touch it

Sometimes I find yoga or doing really intense squats triggers a movement, try abdominal twists, like canoeing. In fact canoeing made me go !!

pickled beetroot/fresh orange juice eat more fruit and veg

Prunes! Remedy as old as the hills.
You need more fibre perhaps

Hi.
I had constipation for decades. The G.P.s weren't much use. Usual advice of 'eat more fibre'.
I had a sphincterectomy. It cured the constipation.
I had an anal fissure and I was in serious pain.
I advise you to look into an operation. Apparently a sphincterectomy is extremely common.
I wish you well. I can't believe how much discomfort and pain I went through before the operation. ( under sedation. )

A strong coffee and a walk

@Thighdentitycrisis

I’m surprised how most of the recommendations are for diet changes

I only poo once a week, my GP calls it a “lazy bowel”, mines made worse by long term medication

I know I eat healthy food and do eat fibre (muesli, brown rice, pulses as well as lots of kale and fruit) but diet doesn’t really do it for me

I have random successes which then wear off, ie my gut seems to get immune. Coffee, prunes, oranges, hardly touch it

Sometimes I find yoga or doing really intense squats triggers a movement, try abdominal twists, like canoeing. In fact canoeing made me go !!

Yes, the diet doesn't work for me either.

I have had success with kiwi fruit though. Apparently some sort of enzyme in it, or other. It doesn't give you squits if you don't need it either. Magic.

Also, Pilates.

No wonder you don’t poo you don’t eat enough!

@Standrewsschool

My thought reading your food diary is you’re not actually eating much, so there is nothing to poo out, so to speak. Also, there’s very little, almost none, fibre.

How can there be no fibre when she's having salad every day?

Guinness!! Works wonders.

The less sugar you eat, the harder it is to go, IME. It’s no coincidence that lactulose is basically a sugar, it draws water into the bowel. Sugar is way better at relieving constipation than fibre IME, tho not great for other reasons, and your GP won’t recommend it, of course!

Regular consumption of prunes and oats and avoiding bananas should help. Also, have you added a probiotic and fermented foods into your diet? Symprove and sauerkraut should help up your frequency. Magnesium citrate is great for drawing water into the bowel and making movements softer and more regular.

Canned sardines in oil. Works for my cat.

Have look at this factsheet, I didn't have time to read all comments and you may have something applicable to your situation.
And remember - occasional use of laxatives is OK.
gutscharity.org.uk/advice-and-information/symptoms/constipation/

Proper veg, every day, not just salad leaves and a couple of slices of pepper. Green stuff like broccoli, kale, spinach, peas etc. Sweet potatoes with the skin. Lentils. Drink more water throughout the day. Don't skip breakfast. You need to eat regularly to stimulate your gut.

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.

Taking large amounts of vit c, eating a ton of acidic fruit or drinking prune juice might help short term, but isn't going to help your health and digestion long term tbh. Depends what you want.

You must factor some greens and fibre into your diet otherwise you will get seriously ill later in life. No joke. You should poo like clockwork once or twice a day at least. Maybe start by eating some healthy cereal every morning.
For a quick fix though I drink a lot of fruit juice and eat a date or two.

Once a week?! How is that even possible? I think I am constipated if I only go once a day rather than after every meal.

More fibre? Go veggie/vegan? You poo loads then!

Not read thread.

Kiwi fruit. Including the skin if you can cope with it.

It's brilliant.

Senna leaf tea or supplements, available in Holland and Barrett and similar
Coffee...

Talk to your doctor. It could be a symptom of something more serious. And stop eating so many eggs.

Lose the eggs. If that doesn't work, use dried apricots.

What's Hilt training?

You need to add fibre, whole grains like brown rice, cereals etc. Unsweetened muesli perhaps. Grapes are quite good too