Digestive Problems with Low Carb Diet AND a Fibercon Question

[Zoso]

ok.. I might as well just get to the facts and not "beat around the bush"..... I'm having some problems taking a crap :)

First of all, since I've been on this diet what comes out never seems close to the quantity of what goes in. How is this? How can I eat 2 lbs of beef and only a small thing comes out?

Second... I heard you can get constipated on this diet... well not me. Things are way too soft to be normal. I've been eating well and having fiber in the form on salad.

To get more regular and less soft, I started taking some Fiber Laxative pills (the CVS alternative to Fibercon)... and this helped to solidify things (if you know what I mean). The quantity problem was still there however.

Can anyone suggest anything or comment?

Looking at the back of the bottle of fiber, I noticed something that scared me. It says "Active Ingredient - PolyCARBOphil". The "carb" in that ingredient scares me! There is also some "Caramel" in the inactive ingredient list. This scares me... could I have been taking Fibercon and screwing up my diet for weeks now?

[DebPenny]

Does the bottle have a nutrition statement? If so, it should tell you if there are carbs. Caramel color is not a food and should have no carbs, the other ingredient I don't know about.

As far as quantity, your body is using the food you eat much more efficiently so that's why there is less coming out the other end. It's perfectly normal.

Personally, I have never taken laxatives, and after a couple months things got quite regular. If you are eating enough vegetables, you shouldn't have any trouble.

;-Deb

[tofi]

There seem to be two kinds of people who go on Atkins: those who get constipated for a while but eventually get 'regular' and the other ones like me who get diarrhea.

Low carbing is a much 'lower residue' diet than the usual North American diet. Meat is mostly processed for the protein and fat and there's nothing else. The fat is what makes the stool so soft. The amount of fibre in the veggies is pretty low so it can take a few days to pass through your system.

When I was in hospital for a couple of operations in the last 3 years, I was 'forced' to eat carbs (because protein is too expensive for an institution) and I got 'regular' really quickly.

Do not panic. Laxatives are the LAST thing you should take. However, Psyllium husks act on both constipation and diarrhea. For constipation, they add bulk and absorb water to 'move things along'. For diarrhea, they absorb the water in your intestines and firm things up into a kind of 'gel'. (Sorry if that's too graphic. :blush: )

I take one psyllium capsule every morning and I'm much happier. (For the first 2 days, I took one capsule morning and evening.)

Hope this helps. :wave:

[Jan C]

Don't fret - your body is going through a big adjustment right now. Give it some time to adjust.

I noticed a change in my bowel movements the first couple of weeks, but eventually they returned to "normal". Vegetables for fibre are a good idea.

[Zoso]

thanks for the advice... I stopped taking the fiber...

DebPenny, unfortunately it doesn't have a nutritional statement so I don't know if it had carbs in it. Perhaps the fiber is why I have been on this diet for a month now and I've only lost 10 lbs even though I've been taking in ~20g of (known) carbs per day. I lost the 10 lbs in the first week and haven't lost anything since. In the past when I was on the diet I had no problems loosing weight continuously. Is it possible to plateau after the first week??

again, thanks!

[SlimShAdY]

Originally posted by Zoso

First of all, since I've been on this diet what comes out never seems close to the quantity of what goes in. How is this? How can I eat 2 lbs of beef and only a small thing comes out?


:lol:

Sorry that sounded funny ;)

Anyways, I know what yer saying on that part :o I just figured that on a high carb diet, you're eating alot of crapfood that your body has to turn into waste and get rid of. But on a lowcarb diet, you're not eating so much crap so theres not so much waste..Since waste is crap...lol...=/ :daze:

I don't even get what people mean by "constipated" Sometimes I go everyotherday, or just a little everyday...... But I never get constipation cramps or anything. :confused: Weird.

[Fumih_81]

i do get that kind of 'constipated' situation when i go on induction...

is it really bad to go all on sole proteins and rare vege intake?

will it harm our intestinal health?

[Zoso]

Fumih_81,

According to Dr. Atkin's books, his diet is never about eating only protein. From what I have read in the book, he always suggests eating vegetables.

Personally, I save a good portion my 20g of carbs per day for vegetables. (ok... sometimes I spend 12g of my 20g of carbs on a 1/2 cup of Breyers No-Sugar Added Vanilla Ice Cream)

(oh... just a warning to people out there.... earlier this wee I saved all my carbs for a milkshake. I used 1 cup of no sugar added ice cream -24g of carbs-, used a carton of heavy cream -0g of carbs-, and a little bit of splenda to give it a little more sweetness. It was delicious... but it really hurt my stomach after a few hours. So in conclusion, don't drink too much heavy cream)

[Tikerberi]

I haven't felt particularly constipated, but some mornings when I've gotten up feeling a bit "heavy" and haven't gone in a few days, I just pop in a glycerin suppository, get results within 15 minutes or so, feel better and go about my day just fine.

Why haven't I heard suppositories mentioned on this forum when it comes to such discussions. Is there something wrong with occasionally using a glycerin suppository instead of laxatives?

I have a sugar free psyllium fiber laxative called Konsyl, but I quit using it because it is gross. I just use the suppositories now. Anyone else?

AJ

[ginkirk]

Originally posted by Tikerberi
I have a sugar free psyllium fiber laxative called Konsyl, but I quit using it because it is gross. I just use the suppositories now. Anyone else?


Oh my Gosh! You are NOT kidding. That stuff is GROSS! It's a total waste of $$. (Gagging just thinking about it --- REALLY!)

As for the gylcerin: our doctor told us that Over Use of suppositories can cause the body to require them over time for normal bowel movements. I guess your body will take the path of least resistance sometimes, if it can.

[Tikerberi]

Hi Ginger,

I'm glad I'm not the only one who gags at the thought of Konsyl!

If overuse is the only concern about suppositories, then I'll stick with them. I only use one about every two or three weeks and only if I need it. I don't think this would be considered overuse.

Thanks for the support.

AJ

[fridayeyes]

Incidentally, I am 99% certain that the CARB in polycarbophil is a carbon marker, not a carbohydrate thing. Both of them get their names from the element 'carbon', so things like CO2 (carbon dioxide - usu in 'carbonated' soda), calcium carbonate (common calcium supplement), and bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) will all have the root-word 'carb' in their names and yet not be the kind of 'carb' we need to avoid.

To get really chemical on you, carbo-hydrate is a molecule with carbon, oxygen and hydrogen, and it's a fairly long, complex chain. These other things that have carbon in them, but without the 'hydrate' part (the oxygen-hydrogen combo), they're not anything to be concerned about. :)

It's good detective work to have found it and asked about it!

Cheers,

Friday

[Zoso]

TGIF :)

Thanks for the definitive answer on the polycarbophil.

[doreen T]

Polycarbophil is a synthetic fiber ... It's made by chemically altering the cellulose fiber from plants/ vegetation so that it becomes resistant to being broken down by bacteria which normally live in our large intestines. It's similar in some ways to methylcellulose. Yes, it is a carbohydrate, just like any fiber .. but is not absorbed and therefore doesn't contribute any calories, nor does it affect blood sugar or insulin. It's sole function is to absorb water and swell up, thereby creating bulk and also helps to soften the stools .. as long as you drink PLENTY of water with it.

You can read more about polycarbophil (http://www.supplementwatch.com/supatoz/supplement.asp?supplementId=217) from supplementwatch.com

Be aware that bulk-forming fiber laxatives such as polycarbophil and psyllium can interfere with the absorption of some nutrients (calcium and iron especially) .. and prescription medicines, especially hormones (thyroid, BCP's etc). It's best to take any fiber supplement one hour before or two hours after you take other supplements and medications.

Doreen