Constipation affecting your weight loss?

livi

Committed Loser
Hey!

I know this isn't a particularly nice topic but I suffer from slow transit constipation (seeing a consultant and a bowel therapist for it) and apparently lots of women who are struggling to lose weight suffer from this and don't know it!

I'm keeping mine under control for the moment, (symptoms change) with the addition of LOADS more fibre to my diet. Kiwi fruit and bran are the best things apparently and have most definitely worked for me over the last ten days :)

Having suffered terribly with this for six months, I just want to hep anyone else avoid the discomfort and pain I went through :)
 
I suffer on and off and have bought Fibergel in the past which is orange flavour and you just mix with water - which worked ok'ish.

I've read recently that prunes are the answer either as juice or whole, and if the whole ones are warmed they are even more effevtive ;) Not sure on the point values for juice or whole :confused:

I wasn't aware kiwi fruit being effective. I love these and at only half a point for a medium one they may be the answer :)
 
Fibregel worked for me for a short amount of time then stopped...at the moment I'm waiting for another referral so I'll be on medication eventually :(

Bran is fab too...allbran is 1.5 for a 40g med bowl and 3 for an 80g large bowl!!! Juice is quite high points wise...I refuse to "waste" my points on it...lol
 
I sadly have the opposite........and go alot daily and it doesnt effect my loss,constipaton will effect your loss but not over along time as its fat you lose which the scales show,I do know if I cant go its water than makes it so you need to drink 2.5 litres of water a day maybe 3 litres.
Exercise helps too........But if you are having medical help they should be able to work out what will help you xx
 
Lol, I wish it was that easy. I've not been able to go out for six months mine has been that bad!! I exercise for at least half an hour every day and drink about 10 pints of water a day (not sure how that equates to litres but I drink more than anyone I know!!)...

In terms of affecting your loss, you won't feel the will to carry on if you're sacrificing things and not losing. You caan't be sensible enough to know that in 10 weeks it might start showing once the constipation is sorted!!! At least I couldn't...if I didn't see a loss I'd feel hardpushed to carry on, definitely :(
 
Hi I do know how you feel honestly,I cant go far as I need to go and that ruins my life ,Ive had mine 5 years this time and 5 years before.
I also have bad IBS and I dont lose anymore weight as you can see with having very IBS.......
You lost last week :D do you feel you wont this week?Have you taken a look at the scales?
If you dont lose at least you are eating sensibly and not gaining ,I know its really hard to stay focused on a plan when its not your fault you dont lose,my mum suffers as you do and lost 1lbs a week on ww and stuck to it losing 4 stone in the year and she was 58 with no thryiod function.
The other way to look at it is if you dont eat as plan then by christmas you could be 3 stone heavier as I knwo this easily happens? At least on plan you have a good chance of losing and not gaining?
Also cut out all processed foods takeaways etc eat home cooked foods and very low GI foods Porridge 0 point soup no mcdonalds etc and it may help?

Coukd I ask do you feel not doing the plan would make your constipation better?Just you said for 6 months its been bad before plan?xx
 
Hi I do know how you feel honestly,I cant go far as I need to go and that ruins my life ,Ive had mine 5 years this time and 5 years before.
I also have bad IBS and I dont lose anymore weight as you can see with having very IBS.......
You lost last week :D do you feel you wont this week?Have you taken a look at the scales?
If you dont lose at least you are eating sensibly and not gaining ,I know its really hard to stay focused on a plan when its not your fault you dont lose,my mum suffers as you do and lost 1lbs a week on ww and stuck to it losing 4 stone in the year and she was 58 with no thryiod function.
The other way to look at it is if you dont eat as plan then by christmas you could be 3 stone heavier as I knwo this easily happens? At least on plan you have a good chance of losing and not gaining?
Also cut out all processed foods takeaways etc eat home cooked foods and very low GI foods Porridge 0 point soup no mcdonalds etc and it may help?

Coukd I ask do you feel not doing the plan would make your constipation better?Just you said for 6 months its been bad before plan?xx

I don't feel any different this week than I did last week but the only reason I started the plan last week was because I "felt better" and could "go", there might have been a loss, which there was. I did the plan in October and it had little effect because of all that was going on. All in all, I had another (related) stomach issue for the previous 2 years so I never know what's going to happen. it makes it hard to plan anything and is the reason i'm avoiding diets like slimming world where certain foods are "required"...if that makes sense...:sigh:
I have had a sneaky look at the scales and since my WI monday there's a two lb decrease but with the 3lb a day fluctuation we all have I daren't get my hopes up too much!!! ;)
All stuff has been cut out of my diet at different times, either by doctors orders or by me attempting to make a difference as a "mere mortal" ;) but there is absolutely no difference and this has been supported by my lovely consultant. It seems my bowel isn't trained and I'm currently undergoing something called biofeedback to sort this out... Whatever I eat, unless bran or kiwi (I have food allergies too! Falling apart at 22) makes no difference...
 
I do know I cant do sw as I cant eat all the fruit and veg in large quanties like I cant eat the 0 point soup,I have to 'go' to the loo 10 times before 12 so you can imagion I know how you feel.
I know what you are saying you are doing plan to help you go but it now doesnt seem to be helping,but what will you do if you go off plan? Think back to when you were a couple of stones lighter,then think how long did it take to get those stones on? I am only saying this as I know after 22 years of yoyoing I had many many reasons not to stick to plan,my dad was an alcoholic,my ex husband was too,I tried 8 years for a baby,I was cheated on when pregnant,I have very bad IBS and plan makes it no better,I lose slow ,I have no help with my children,I have had bad depression.......These are a few reasons why I started at 8 stone and wanted to be 7 and half in 1988,yoyoing.....
I know by sticking to plan long term the weight will come off gradually I will get slimmer and I wont gain,I was 11 stone 3 in 2006,from then to 1st March I lost and gained 14+stone as I just didnt feel the plan would help me,it wont over 3-4 weeks but over 6-12 months it will.

Do you feel that going back to how you were before ww will be better? I understand you feel this is a waste of time atm as your tum is the same,but you are losing weight,your tum I feel will get helped by doctors and they will be impressed if you have lost weight hey?Then they cant blame that like they may do?
xx
 
I'm going to stick to it, definitely...it's more food than I would have eaten before! I'm just trying to talk myself round that if I have a bad week with my tummy, it might show on the scales. It's all a ploy to make me not get disheartened!!! :)
 
:) Good ,we all get disheartened alot of people stick 100% at it and do exercise ,water etc and dont lose,our bodies do as they like
What day is your weigh-in?x
 
Mondays :) Plenty of time yet! I eat slightly more on a Monday and tuesday (instead of saving all my points and binging the day before WI...its never made sense to me) and then level them out with excerise points and 1 or 2 points saved a day :)
 
Im Monday too :)
Maybe dont use AP I dont until I am under 20 points aday as Im on 23 points aday now and its enough tbh?
Good luck keep my fingers crossed for us xx
 
Hi livi

Just been reading your thread and have had issues in the past but usually like 102b the opposite to yourself.

One thing occurred to me when reading - when I was a student nurse (many moons ago) I did an assignment on the use of abdominal massage as an alternative to using laxatives. There wasnt a lot of research on it but what I did read was positive. Abdominal massage can help move the bowel. You would need to use massage oil and gently massage your abdomen going the same direction as your bowel. Maybe worth googling it to see if it will help.
 
Thanks for the idea vanda but it's already been tried...literally have tried everything :(
 
Hi Livi!
I know exactly how you feel!!! I debated starting a similar thread but wasn't sure how others would feel about 'poo talk'! lol

I've suffered with horrendous constipation since I was a little girl. I've often asked my Doctor for help but to no avail. I've had agonising stomach cramps for as long as I can remember, I even remember being force fed bran as a little girl and all it did was make it more difficult (and harder) for me to go. This is pretty gross but I probably only go about once every 14-20days! I've even gone a month without going and had to go to hospital to be 'helped' which was awful! During both my labours with my children, my bottom was so impacted/compacted (sorry mental block can't remember the correct word! lol) that I had to have enemas and sit on a pot for half an hour whilst in fullblown labour. SOOOOOO embarrasing!

It takes forever for food to get through my stomach and bowel and it's often extremely difficult to pass... as the poop is so old and hard! So sorry this is so gross everyone!!! I hardly ever get the urge to 'go'. What are your problems like Livi? Apart from bran and kiwis (I'll def try those) has anything else helped you?

I understand what you are getting at. If you've been really 'good' on your diet and are expecting a good loss, but you haven't pooed all week, then you don't lose weight and it is so demotivating! You feel like giving up. I gained 3lb purely from not going to the loo one week, and the very next day after going to the loo, I lost the 3lb. So yes it won't affect your long-term weightloss, but it can affect your weekly weigh-in's therefore causing you to feel defeated. When I thought I'd gained I went on a HUGE binge. But saying all that WW does work, I've lost 2stone to date. But I do wonder if I'd of lost more if it wasn't for the problems.
 
You are exactly the same as me... I've just been referred to a bowel therapist for what its called "biofeedback"...I haven't had it yet as i'm still waiting for the appointment to come through (NHS dont rush). It's supposed to be some kind of miracle, non-invasive stuff that train your bowels how to work properly. I'm obviously just going by what I've been told, and there's very very very little on the net about it but it might be worth mentioning it to your GP to see if you can get it...

Well done on your weight loss to date :)
 
Sorry, I'm not a sufferer of this but I know when I have followed low carb diets, there have been times when I've needed a bit of help!!
And that help came in the form of Golden linseed also known as flaxseed.
Have either of you tried this at all as a perfectly natural solution?
Google it or look on Holland and Barratt and read what it is and how it works.
Hope that helps a little
 
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