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Constipation problem never solved


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Hi,

 

I tried to do Whole30 but usually quit at day 4 or day 5 because I was feeling so awful like a poop carrier bag...

 

I have been on extremely low-carb+low-fat diet for 6 months to lose weight and I succeeded (with regular workout, of course). But I have been suffering from severe constipation which never happened before I went on that diet. Then last fall I learned about paleo eating so I added a lot of healthy fat to my meals. I felt more satisfied after eating fat-boosted meals and my body felts a lot better, but still constipation remained.

 

During those periods I found no solutions work for me. Bananas, yogurt (probotics), tons of water, a lot of naturally occurred fiber, eating enough fat, sauerkraut, etc. Something works but more like a laxative (300g kiwis a day or Natural Calm recommended by the Whole30 community). Interestingly they either cause diarrhea or do not work at all (like if I eat 200g kiwis, nothing happened).

 

The only cure I have ever found so far is whole grains. Whenever I ordered a dish called 'pepper-crusted sirloin with whole grains' in Applebee's my bowel came back to work again. I exhaustively tried all carbs allowed in whole 30 and sometimes eating too much of them make me feel sick but none of them work (I tried sweet potatoes and even white potatoes but my body just refuse to work)

 

I am now eating according to Whole30 guidelines, except that I allow myself some Ezekiel bread everyday. I would make my own 100% sprouted grain bread as well.

 

Background: grown up in an Asian country eating rice-based diet, never had constipation concerns until getting on the low-carb weight-loss diet in college. Used to eat bread for every breakfast for more than 10 years with no problem. Not a fan of fruits because eating those provides much less satiety than eating a full healthy meal.

Drink at least 1.5 L water everyday, eat tons of veggies (like 1 lbs of spinach per meal), and get a lot of healthy fat (cook organic chicken, beef and pork). And have regular workout in my daily life (just hit 210 miles of jogging/running year to date).

Prior to my learning about Whole30 I already excluded dairy products and most processed meat (hormone intolerance) and legumes from my diet (bloating issue).

 

I am really, really looking forward to doing a 100% Whole30, and I just love the idea about dropping calorie counting and listen to our bodies. But with the constipation problem sticking around I really can't do it. The only cure I have never tried is the beef gelatin, but I don't have much expectation on that.

Any suggestions? Thank you very much for helping.

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Natural Calm is actually okay to take on a regular basis - I've been taking it daily for well over a year. Most of us are magnesium defiicient because modern farming techniques deplete the soil of magnesium, and since magnesium acts as a muscle relaxant it can really help with bowel movements, as well as sleep.

I'd wonder if the pepper crusted sirloin got things moving if there aren't other foods that would have the same effect - like peppers for instance? Quite often the skin can be a bit of an irritant which helps or hinders depending on how you look at it.

Other than that many people swear by flaxseeds (aka linseeds) which are high in soluble fibre and should be eaten ground & mixed in water - allow to sit for a while & thicken until the mixture has a gloopy consistency...

And then of course there are options such as the >squatty potty< (other brands are available!) which I believe is fairly widely available and encourages the pelvis into the most natural position for elimination.

Hope this helps  :)

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Natural Calm is actually okay to take on a regular basis - I've been taking it daily for well over a year. Most of us are magnesium defiicient because modern farming techniques deplete the soil of magnesium, and since magnesium acts as a muscle relaxant it can really help with bowel movements, as well as sleep.

I'd wonder if the pepper crusted sirloin got things moving if there aren't other foods that would have the same effect - like peppers for instance? Quite often the skin can be a bit of an irritant which helps or hinders depending on how you look at it.

Other than that many people swear by flaxseeds (aka linseeds) which are high in soluble fibre and should be eaten ground & mixed in water - allow to sit for a while & thicken until the mixture has a gloopy consistency...

And then of course there are options such as the >squatty potty< (other brands are available!) which I believe is fairly widely available and encourages the pelvis into the most natural position for elimination.

Hope this helps  :)

Magnesium and my squatty potty are seriously the two best things (after Whole30) to have ever happened to me!

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Natural Calm is actually okay to take on a regular basis - I've been taking it daily for well over a year. Most of us are magnesium defiicient because modern farming techniques deplete the soil of magnesium, and since magnesium acts as a muscle relaxant it can really help with bowel movements, as well as sleep.

I'd wonder if the pepper crusted sirloin got things moving if there aren't other foods that would have the same effect - like peppers for instance? Quite often the skin can be a bit of an irritant which helps or hinders depending on how you look at it.

Other than that many people swear by flaxseeds (aka linseeds) which are high in soluble fibre and should be eaten ground & mixed in water - allow to sit for a while & thicken until the mixture has a gloopy consistency...

And then of course there are options such as the >squatty potty< (other brands are available!) which I believe is fairly widely available and encourages the pelvis into the most natural position for elimination.

Hope this helps  :)

 

 

Thank you! Ordered Natural Calm again and I guess this time I would try use less per day.

Other ingredients in that dish is pretty regular...mushrooms, tomatoes and spinach seared in bone broth.

I am making my own bone broth now and hope that would help, too.

Speaking about flaxseed, I believe Whole30 ask us to avoid seeds at all?

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The unflavored Natural Calm.

Just got it from ThriveMarket, the one with calcium+magnesium for more complete nutrition supplement.

Had 3/4 tsp last night, with a little bit diarrhea this morning...would reduce to 1/2 tsp and see how it goes.

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bowel movement stopped completely on day 9. Took a full teaspoon of Nat Calm and had a small diarrhea and that's it. Nothing more.

 

Guess I should add more carbs to my meals? Was having rutabaga/carrot noodles for lunch and dinner with chicken, pork or chicken liver in the past week.

Hard to swing to sweet potatoes because I am still afraid of the extremely high sugar content of it...

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bowel movement stopped completely on day 9. Took a full teaspoon of Nat Calm and had a small diarrhea and that's it. Nothing more.

 

Guess I should add more carbs to my meals? Was having rutabaga/carrot noodles for lunch and dinner with chicken, pork or chicken liver in the past week.

Hard to swing to sweet potatoes because I am still afraid of the extremely high sugar content of it...

You could always try the flaxseed... And for me personally I find that green veg such as kale keep me more 'regular'.

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