I'm not too fond of broadcasting this one, but I'm getting a little uncomfortable and nervous about it. I've been on the diet for 2-1/2 weeks now, and I'm finding that I simply can't poop. I've never had a problem with this, EVER. I'm a regular kind of gal if you know what I mean.

I went out and got some mag citrate this morning, but I've got a few concerns. First, will it mess up the diet? I picked one that didn't have any sucrose or any other recognizable sweetener. Secondly, will this constipation continue??? I've been following the diet to a tee--eating all my veggies, salad, drinking all my water--and still I suffer from the constipation.

Ugh. I need advice.

I found that anytime I wasn't going enough it was because I wasn't eating enough fiber- good adding some benefiber to your food help? I don't follow IP so I don't know what veggies are okay but green and leafy veggies should help get things going if you haven't eaten much.

I've been faithfully eating all the veggie and salads allowable. In fact, I've been focussing on getting extra in over the last week because of the constipation. Still, it has little to no effect. I finally took some mag citrate this morning and I'm hoping I didn't mess up the diet. There was no sugar in it, so I'm thinking I should be alright.

I really don't like this constipation.

I added 2 tablespoons of raw pumpkin seeds to my diet every day. They work like a charm. And are inexpensive. And they also give me more energy.
You can find them at the health food stores in one pound bags. They are raw...no shells.

Over the course of the last 6 months I have gone through periods of constipation, the big "d", and just plan regular. My first constipation was around week 3. Make sure you get enough fiber....take vitamin C....take your magnesium....and try the novi-lax (it works great). Good luck.

I tried magnesium citrate. It worked, until I needed it again. That seemed to be the problem, using it once a week was a fix and not the cure.

Others on hear have regularly added ground flax seed to their diet. Ground flax is high in fiber so you only get 1 carb per serving (acceptable) and has the same effect as adding psyllium. Both have been recommended by coaches. The nice thing if you choose to do the ground flax seed, you can make a type of "bread" with it. It is very low carb, you only get one piece in a day.

You can also add products like calm and ionic fizz. They are taken daily, are magnesium based and, if your problem stems from that, work quite well.

If you are not getting enough oil you will also become very constipated on a regular basis. That might be something to explore.

Try starting your day with a cup of warm water with a bit of lemon juice. The lemon juice is very cleansing and helps get things going.

My last suggestion is, if you want to do a "flush" try a salt flush. It is listed on the last pages of the FAQ thread and in the tips for newbies. It is less harsh to you body than the mag citrate. And, works quite well.

For me, once the constipation started it was a very regular thing.

Bump

I echo the call out for Calm -- it works like a charm -- I take Calm and have been able to take 1/2 my usual dose when I started taking the novi lax (just wanted to see how and if it worked) So far so good -- it is important to get in more then the 68 oz of recommended water (that will help) and to take some vitamin c -- the big C can definitely reflect negatively on the scale -- or at least it does for me.

Novi-Lax seems to be working great!!
Hope your feeling better, that is not fun.

I will have to see if my coach has the Novi-Lax when I weigh in on Thursday. Thank you for the help.

Hi, I've been on the diet 3 months and have not ever suffered from this, for even one day. I have a big fluffy experience every day. The only difference that I can see is that I use more than 1 tsp or olive oil, I use NO Walden Farms products, I have an enormous raw salad with as many colors in it (peppers, purple onion, spinach, romaine) as I can find every day foir lunch, I use olive oil and apple cider vinegar on my salad ONLY and every day. I put some more olive oil on my roasted or sauteed veggies at night. I drink all the water and take in no caffeine. See if any of that is helpful.

I actually talked with my Dr. about this today. She runs the IP clinic I go to. She agreed that with this diet, because it is so low in fibre, this is really common. Unlike you, this is something I've always dealt with, but the diet has made it a bit worse. Her opinion was that since the restricted phases of the diet are temporary, it's fine to do what you have to to deal with it, and once we start adding the carbs back in, it will improve. She did say that some people do fine with flax on IP, and some find it stalls their weight loss.

In addition to the extra magnesium, vitamin c, novi-lax (which some people love & some people find useless), a senna laxative or dulcolax will be fine since it's not going to be really long term. The sea salt water flush works, but I always dread doing it, since I feel bloated for a day or so after, but maybe thats just me.

You might want to ask at your clinic about the novi-cleanse. Some coaches recommend it around week 4. There have been really mixed opinions about it. There's a thread about it, probably on the second page or so.

Hope some of this is helpful.

Part of this is the very important difference between soluble and non-soluble fiber. Most veggies are very high in insoluble fiber, and we get a lot of that. But IP has only a few good sources of soluble fiber (broccoli and brussel sprouts are really good). But most of us need both to remain regular.

So, for now adding flax or psyllium will get you a good soluble fiber source which can help a lot of people. Whatever you do, don't begin using OTC products for constipation as they can actually be addicting and cause problems later...

I've had this problem since day 1. I tried everything but would end up having to take a bottle of citro mag to flush things out. I tried the floralax IP carries. Nothing. I tried vitamin C. Nothing. Ground flax, nope. And the list goes on.... The sad thing is for every bout of constipation would come 2 days of weight gain followed by 3 days of slowly getting back to where i was before I became constipated after I took the citro mag. It was a vicious circle. 2 steps forward, 1 step back all the time. 2 things I have found that do work for me. The Novi Lax and a product called Oxy Powder. Both work equally well although I found for me, the oxy powder seemed to cause me to retain fluid (swollen hands) so now I just take the novi lax. Everyone is different so it's a matter of experimenting and finding what works for you.

Oh man, am I ever glad someone had the guts to start this thread. I will definately try the ground flax. I actually have some in the fridge. I despise being stopped up. Not a good feeling at all! Thanks guys.

where would I find a recipe for the "flax seed bread"?