Constipated, but not uncomfortable

[Robin Shep]

So I'm on day 17 of Whole30 and I find that I've been getting constipated, or rather just not really going that often...sometimes 2-3 day in between a BM.

I have always eaten lots of veggies and nuts before doing Whole30. I also don't typically eat a lot of processed foods. I've always made my own dressings, marinates, etc. The biggest adjustment in committing to Whole30 was skipping the cheese once in a while (again, I don't usually eat dairy products anyways), taking my coffee black more often (I used to drink 2-3 cups, of which only 1 or 2 were with coconut creamer, the others were black).  I have found oddly enough, that now that I drink it black, I have increased the number of cups of coffee to about 4-5 a day though... 

I'm not uncomfortable, nor do I feel bloated... it's just that I stopped going to the bathroom on a regular basis. Seems odd, and I wasn't sure if that's a common issue? I drink plenty of water, close to a gallon a day.  I just ordered some Natural calm with magnesium supplements, I had read that might help. Any other thoughts or suggestions? 

[SugarcubeOD]

4 minutes ago, Robin Shep said:

So I'm on day 17 of Whole30 and I find that I've been getting constipated, or rather just not really going that often...sometimes 2-3 day in between a BM.

I have always eaten lots of veggies and nuts before doing Whole30. I also don't typically eat a lot of processed foods. I've always made my own dressings, marinates, etc. The biggest adjustment in committing to Whole30 was skipping the cheese once in a while (again, I don't usually eat dairy products anyways), taking my coffee black more often (I used to drink 2-3 cups, of which only 1 or 2 were with coconut creamer, the others were black).  I have found oddly enough, that now that I drink it black, I have increased the number of cups of coffee to about 4-5 a day though... 

I'm not uncomfortable, nor do I feel bloated... it's just that I stopped going to the bathroom on a regular basis. Seems odd, and I wasn't sure if that's a common issue? I drink plenty of water, close to a gallon a day.  I just ordered some Natural calm with magnesium supplements, I had read that might help. Any other thoughts or suggestions? 

Usually when people aren't going to the bathroom every day but they aren't uncomfortable it's because they are undereating and there's nothing in the system to push through... coffee is an appetite suppressant so if you're drinking 4-5 cups a day it's possible you're undereating... give us a rundown on what you eat including portion sizes, specific veggies, fruit, fat and protein, meal timing etc... and we'll see what stands out.

Also, you may want to cut that coffee back... the recommendation is no more than two cups (a pot doesn't count as one big cup  ) drank before noon.

[Robin Shep]

Yeah, that's kind of what I had thought--that my body is just utilizing all the foods I'm putting into it. 

Here's a 'typical' W30 food day:

10am Breakfast--2 eggs scrambled cooked in 1 Tblspn Ghee, mixed with 1 slice bacon, 1/4 cup peppers and handful of spinach. 2 cups of coffee.

12pm Lunch -- 8-10oz mixed salad greens with sliced carrots, cucumber, celery, red onions, topped with 1/4 cup of mixed nuts, or 4oz of grilled chicken, 2 Tblspn homemade dressing (vinegar/oil/seasonings). 1 cup of coffee, a piece of fruit (either banana or orange). 

2pm Snack--Rx bar or handful of mixed nuts, 1 cup of coffee

6pm Dinner--chicken cooked with buffalo sauce or salsa, roasted veggies (broccoli or greenbeans), with salad.

And I drink about 4-5 servings from my 16oz water bottle throughout the day. 

I should mention this isn't too varying from what I would have had prior to W30...except I would have 2-3 glasses of wine in the evening as well. I'm wondering if the reason I was more "regular" prior to W30 was because of the wine?? 

[SugarcubeOD]

Okay great... a couple things:

Your breakfast when it's eggs as the sole source of protein are as many as you can hold in one hand without dropping... that would be more like 3-4 for most people to start so you're not eating enough at breakfast and your veggies are probably quite light... handful of spinach is nothing once chewed down.

Again, the mixed salad greens are going to be chewed down to almost nothing so that's not much veggies altho the heartier veggies in there are a great addition.  1/4 cup of nuts is a LOT... they're suggested to be limited and our general metric of 'limited' is a closed handful every other day at most... so think like 7-8 almonds every other day.

How much is 4oz of chicken when matched to your palm size (length x width x thickness).  

The fact that you're snacking is a clear indication that you're not eating enough unless you're snacking out of habit and not hunger.  Bars are meant to be for emergencies only so a daily snack is not an emergency, not to mention that it also has nuts in it.  Again, the snack of nuts is not ideal and if you're eating out of hunger then you're better off putting protein and fat up instead of bars and nuts so maybe a hard boiled egg and mayo or some leftover chicken and guacamole etc...

How much chicken did you eat at dinner?

I think you're close to being there but I don't think you're eating enough overall and I don't think you're eating enough veggies... Nuts can also back you up, so cut the nuts, increase the veggies, make sure there's fat and sufficient protein at every meal and report back in a day or two?

[Robin Shep]

Hmm, I didn't even think that 2 eggs wouldn't be enough--I've never really been a breakfast person. So having anything at all every day for breakfast is definitely another adjustment for W30. I really only have been eating it since I know I should  

And I actually don't have a snack every day--maybe 1 or 2 times a week. Usually only on the days when I've gone for a run or workout,  and I know it might be many more hours til dinner.  Sometimes due to schedules, I won't have dinner until 7/7:30.  I had included it just since it's something I do have once in a while--definitely not daily though. 

So you think that's too much nuts? I've actually decreased the amount of nuts I usually eat since starting W30. Are they constipating? I didn't realize there was a recommendation on the limit of them--good to know!! Mine are usually a mix of almonds, pistachios and cashews (if that matters)...

4 oz of chicken that I have at lunch is probably close to the size of my palm, slightly smaller.  Also, I  just checked the usual tupperware container I put my salad in and it's 24oz (not 8-10oz)...oops!  Some days I take leftovers from the night before's dinner...for example, today I will have a leftover 1/2 stuffed green pepper--stuffed with 1/3 cup of taco meat, 1/4 cup riced cauliflower, mixed with spinach and red peppers, topped with salsa. 

At dinner time, I have maybe 6oz (probably more accurately the size of my palm) of either chicken or pork. And I eat a LOT of veggies at dinner--it covers about 3/4 of my dinner plate. And it actually varies a lot...we have salad almost every night, but I love to cook so I am usually doing some different kind of meal for dinners. The types of veggies I cook are: broccoli, spinach, peppers, onions, green beans, snowpeas, carrots, cauliflower, sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, spaghetti squash. 
 

So you think adding in more veggies--maybe at lunch time--might help? I also drink soda water often at night time.... 

[Robin Shep]

Oh and I know you're not supposed to weigh yourself--but that was/is a hard habit to break. I've always liked to see what foods/activities effect my weight, so I used to weigh myself every morning. Since starting W30 I have weighed myself only 3 times... I'm down about 6lbs so far, think that has anything to do with my not going to the bathroom regularly?