I had to do 3 things to get my intestinal track right. Note that you can buy these products off the internet. Just google them or try amazon or some really good natural foods markets.
First, I started taking this particular intestinal flora. I tried other flora brands and none had an impact like this brand. Actually i can't really say I had ANY impact at all using any other brand of typically lesser strength.
I started off with this 200 billion version for 1 week. The box contains only 7 packets, which you take 1 a day mixed with any liquid.
Then switched to 2 pills a day of this one for "maintenance". I took both of these intestinal flora packets and pills on an empty stomach right when I first wake up (not sure when is optimal, but that worked for me).
Then I added 1 heaping tsp of this (mixed with herb tea) to my diet in the morning, right after breakfast. I used to take this daily, but stopped when I started the IP diet. Yes, there is a tiny amount of carbs in this (5g and 20cals) but it has so much soluble and insoluble fiber, that the blood sugar impact is negligible ...
Finally, I had to stop eating the IP Broccoli Cheese Soup, which had a tiny bit of soy in it (way down on the ingredients list). For some reason the soy that IP uses doesnt play well with my intestines. It's interesting that there is "soy fiber" (non GMO) in the colon cleanser product above, but that hasn't had any adverse effect on me in 30+ years. So I guess for me at least, soy fiber is OK but soy protein is bad news. In any case, the only IP products that I eat now are whey-based and contain no soy (which for me right now is the Chocolate Drink Mix only). So if you have any food allergies, check the ingredients list. I think a lot of people have a hard time digesting certain elements of soy (me included).
It's amazing how far I have come in the 2 weeks since I started this regimen. My bowel movements are so clean (no smell) and easy (no strain) and regular (2x a day) and complete now that I don't need toilet paper afterwards. And I feel extremely (incredibly, amazingly) clean internally. This has been a big wow for me.
Previous to this system, I was constipated all the time, always felt like I had to go, but couldn't. And my bowel movements were the consistency of sticky glue that seemed to stick to my intestinal walls.
Doing this new system has definitely helped me break free from a plateau that I was in in the low 270's too. So I am actually losing weight better now that my intestines are working at peak efficiency.
So some of this is experimenting to find what works optimally with your body and sensitivities.