Constipation and zero carb

#1

I wanted to see if removing veg for a couple of days would have an impact on my regularity. I have a feeling insoluble fibre may be making my stool rather hard (veg has more insoluble than soluble). So for tuesday through thursday I ate no veg introducing only a small amount (maybe an oz per meal) on friday and yesterday.

I haven’t had a bowel movement since tuesday morning (i ate spinach with my breakfast and stopped after). I can’t say i’ve felt the need to, but even so I am concerned. this is absolutely not what I am used to.

#2

It varies from person to person, 1-10 days. Some people don’t go for three days, then go three times in one day. If you’d like to go more, there are three main things you can do, and you don’t have to do them all at once: eat fattier meat, increase salt, cut out dairy.

(Alan Williamson) #3

I eat baby carrots. For myself, 3-5 baby carrots is all I need to keep things moving. The fiber in them works well for me. The over the counter products cause me to fart and cause pain in the GI. Plus they are expensive. A person would have to eat 1.5 pounds of carrots to get an insulin response.

#4

are baby carrots just as the name suggests?

I don’t eat carrots anymore as they are fairly carb heavy.

(Chris) #5

They’re carrots trimmed to snack size…I’d continue avoiding…

#6

I’ve read contradictory things regarding water and constipation. A jonhopkins article says that it can be caused by too much water slowing down the gut, while others say drink lots.

I had a movement today and it was a strain.

(Chris) #7

Just drink when thirsty.

It’s only been a few days, right? Still could have some plant gunk in the works. I go once ever 2-3 days, if I go crazy with added fat it adds to the volume.

#8

insoluble fibre is said to ease constipation though.

and hard stool has been a problem for a few weeks now.

(Chris) #9

If you are eating carbs.

Right, but you said in the OP you’ve only been ZC a few days. Give it time.

#10

I tried cutting veg to see if it helped.

Why would insoluble fibre only work if you ate carbs?

(Chris) #11

Meat is liquefied in the stomach and immediately absorbed in the small intestine. There’s not much at all that gets to the colon, this is why some poop less overall. There’s nothing that gets stuck in there so there’s no use for indigestible fiber.

(bulkbiker) #12

In other words… less crap in leads to less crap out…

#13

not really sure i understand all this.

i’m not seeing how only a few g fibre a day would be a problem when eating a lot more (prior to keto) never was.

#14

Read the book Fiber Menace by Konstantin Monastyrsky. The story is more complex than could be discussed here. The book explains that insoluble fiber actually causes constipation which sounds very unintuitive but makes sense after reading it. - Read the book as it is important for doing low carb or no carb. But if you don’t have the time, a quick solution is to take a magnesium supplement daily when you drastically reduce carbs. After a few weeks on no/low carb, your body will adapt to the situation.

(Dan Dan) #15

Here are two of my goto guys on IF/EF Keto WOE :thinking:

Taking a prebiotic with a probiotic increases the frequency of bowel movements, and improves

stool consistency :hushed:

Eat sour Kraut or pickles in addition to your veggies :yum:

Quick fix Eat Plain Yogurt and Black berries :yum:

Another problem is too much saturated fat which can cause too much bile :astonished:

Good luck and much success in your journey in IF/EF Keto WOE :grin:

#16

Probiotics cause constipation for me. More fat cures it.

#17

I have tried sauer kraut but i can’t say it made any difference. Maybe you need to eat a certain amount.

I eat NLY, but again haven’t noticed a difference. It also contains carbs and is dairy which may actually be counter productive though I can’t say for sure.

Are these two credible sources? I’m not convinced about Eric Berg as he has some very odd views, iirc he’s an antivaxxer. I don’t know who the other guy is, but do these people have science backing them up?

Both these videos are contradictory. Berg is anti fibre, the other guy isn’t.

#18

I have not read that book and it’s certainly possible that it’s credible, but i’ve heard so many people debunk its claims and claim otherwise that I’m highly sceptical. Does it cite credible evidence?

(Tanya) #19

Warm water with fresh lemon juice in a morning works for me perfectly.

(Dan Dan) #20

LOL I Think you need to listen better :thinking: