Constipation always stops me dieting

[MrsMeanwhile]

I'm overweight and my body hates it. I feel lethargic, my back hurts, my blood sugars are not ideal, my legs swell.

I know what I need to do but every time I give up fast carbs I get too constipated. I have tried everything: magnesium, chia seeds, more insoluble fibre, more soluble fibre. I end up with constipation and stomach aches. So I have to stop and get back on the bran flakes and bread, get my bowels regular again - and the weight sky rockets.

I always thought I had IBS-C type but it turns out it my IBS was just an intolerance to dairy. So now not IBS but just constipation. I think it runs in my family tbh.

When I eat fast carbs my body go hypoglycemic so I need to keep eating to stop myself having low blood sugar.... More weight gain.

I'm praying someone here reads this, has been in the same position and has a magic solution (preferably an easy to follow meal plan!!).

Help me, my clothes don't fit and my self esteem is plummeting. Praying for colder weather so I can hide under a coat again.

Why are you giving up bran flakes and wholemeal bread? If I cut those from my diet I too would be constipated ( actually I take oatbran in yoghurt rather then bran flakes ) and Ive lost 2 stone and am maintaining

A balanced diet you have to have fibre so I also include wholewheat pasta, brown rice, and lots of beans and lentils - none of which are "fast carbs", all are filling foods and keep me full for longer - so I eat less

Fast carbs are sugar - glucose - so sweeties, white bread, white rice , white flour - those are what you need to be avoiding

Im old school and dont do cutting carbs, its unsustainable for long term, what I have done is swap them for the whole grain version so I can still get my pasta fix for example

I can easily eat a whole loaf of white bread in a day, but wholemeal? Nope doesn't have the appeal so its easy to limit myself to a couple of slices a day, usually a wholemeal pitta stuffed to the gills with whatever I fancy or a couple of slices made into open sandwiches , topped sky high with salad and pickles and protein of choice

Actually now the only time I get constipated is when I go overboard with the spinach. Such an easy veg to chuck into everything I can get through a couple of bags a week then I will be in trouble :)

Hi OP. So what are you eating in the periods that you try to give up the fast carbs, also, what do you mean by this? Junk food? White carbohydrates?

@suki1964 thanks, even wholemeal makes causes a bit of a sugar crash tbh. and bran flakes have sugar in them. but what you've said is useful.

@Smittenkitchen so for breakfast I'd have a chia pudding (chia seeds with coconut yoghurt and maybe some protein powder). Lunch a salad with boiled eggs and dinner some protein with a load of veg.

Fast carbs I mean any bread, pasta. We have only ever eaten wholemeal in our house but it's glycemic index isn't much better than white. I just prefer the taste to wholemeal. Bran flakes and Weetabix. But the my bloods will crash so I'll need biscuits etc to get me through to the next meal.

Edit to above - I prefer the taste of wholemeal. I hate white bread

Are you eating hard boiled eggs every day?

So when you are talking about soluble and insoluble fibre, have you tried fybogel? Movicol also helps some people though might be a step too far.

But I do agree with the people above that you shouldn't need to cut out carbs entirely in order to reduce your overall calorific intake.

You can eat low carb and still have 100g of carbs a day

So my breakfast is usually porridge with prunes and then the rest of the day protein and veg, the veg is made up of legumes and pulses which also provide fibre (and carbs)

You have to be careful with eggs for binding and very green leafy veg due to the iron

Ive never heard the term fast carbs by the way.

Hi OP

Had similar myself but seem to have cracked it now.

This YouTube channel is good for understanding sugar spikes. Basicallly if you can add protein and or fats to a meal this lessons the impact of the carbs.

https://youtube.com/@insulinresistant1?si=8DK8pqrOT8SDD4hg

Other things that helped me was increasing vitamin C through strawberries, blueberries etc, Eating some nuts and dried fruits such as figs, apricots and prunes.

Also exercise seems to loosen things up.

I've lost 3st and now maintaining for 2 months (so still early days) mostly by cutting calories by reducing the processed carbs I eat.

If you’re used to eating carbs all the time you will feel like your bloods are all wrong. They call it carb flu. Takes about 3 days to get over it so just power though those feelings. You’re not hungry - just your body telling you to give it another fix.
What does constipation look like to you? If you eat less you might go less. People who start low carb often add something like psyllium husk to manage that.

How much are you trying to lose. I have their mpression from your op, that it was a t least a couple of stone. I think small changed and cutting back is the good start. Smaller portions.

I know what you mean about feeling hungry easily,but biscuits are not compulsory,just convenient.

You need to eat way more veg and fruit OP. Raw carrots, pears and plums will get your bowel moving far quicker than wholemeal bread will. Your issue isnt the cutting out 'fast carbs' its that you aren't eating enough raw veggies and fruit.
Also dont underestimate the impact of hormonal cycles - your gut does slow at certain times of the month.

Are you drinking enough water? At least 2 litres a day? That will help with leg swelling as well.

The amount of fluid I drink makes no difference to my legs swelling up to be honest

However, OP have you had your bloods tested to determine the sugar levels, how have they done this to determine you are hypoglycemic after eating, as its quite a rare condition

And having be diagnosed, what is the treatment?

Have you tried stool softeners? That might be the only way to go if fibre supplements don't help.
That being said, I've known people who were taking fiber and found it didn't work and I've told them to be sure to have at least two full glasses of water with it. It made all the difference for them. Without enough water the fibre does not work.

Food aside (I’m 4 stone overweight so not a good example), what works for me is having established a toilet routine (like a toddler, sorry). The only time I
have for myself is the early morning so coffee and a bit of free screen time and off I go without fail!

I'm similar OP. I can't eat a lot of wholemeal bread so I get my fibre intake from fruit and veg and eat white bread. I'm okay with wholemeal pasta though so it's a bit trial and error learning how much and what type of fibre is okay.

Also, fibre acts like a sponge in your gut so drink more water. A lot more water!

Swap out the biscuits with fruit.

Extra virgin cold pressed Castor oil. Have a little teaspoon at first, its very good for constipation.

I think you just have to get through it. So more veg, protein and wholemeal carbs.

Lots more veg. We eat a lot of home made coleslaw, with an oil and vinegar or Thai style dressing. Shredded cabbage, carrots, peppers, fennel etc with seeds or nuts. Have with grilled chicken and skin on potatoes or brown rice with some broccoli too and maybe roasted veg.

Drink more fluids.

Move more.

I have suffered from constipation my whole life. Recently DH was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and we had to review our whole eating pattern. I needed to lose weight anyway so was happy to go along with it. I now have very few bowl issues in fact my whole gut is working so much better.
We have reduced carbs, cut out loads of pasta and rice but replaced these with fruit and veg and protein served in simpler ways. And cutting out snacks has made a huge difference. I can't have biscuits in the house without finishing them. Now I just don't buy them.
So a typical day for me would be…
Breakfast- a piece of fruit with natural yoghurt sprinkled with seeds and a handful of almonds.
Lunch (main meal) salmon with pesto/ spicy chicken with veg
Supper - hummus with veg sticks or maybe some crackers and another piece of fruit. Or a salad.
We're not hair shirt about it. We have curries and tray bakes a lot but I use spices to bump the flavour now rather than creamy sauces that I might have done in the past. I've lost a load of.weight and feel less hungry than I used to do!

How much plain water and leafy green veg do you consume in a day?

A cup of coffee first thing with an apple and a couple of squares 90% chocolate do it for me OP. Then the rest of the day I can stick to low carb without getting bunged up. Also ground flaxseeds in full fat yogurt.

Thanks, yes I've tried both fybogel (results in painful trapped wind) and movicol (results in very loose stools!)

2.5 stone I'd like to lose

Hi @soupfiend yes been diagnosed with reactive hypoglycemia. it was a 5 hour test! I think it's pre-pre-diabetes tbh from the research I've done as my insulin is being a bit too overzealous when I eat anything sweet.

no treatment though apart from "don't eat lots of carbs" lol so off I went trying to do low carb and bam constipation.

Sorry you have swollen legs too - have you found anything helps?