My coach has told me I should be "eliminating" every day.

I wasn't, so I tried Smooth Move tea the first week and when that didn't help, my coach advised I try Novilax. I take one pill before bed and it has gotten things moving.

And by moving, I mean MOVING. I have to go multiple times a day and it's more than "loose"...i don't even know what it is I'm eliminating because really, I don't actually CONSUME that much since most of my IP packets are drinks and my veggies are usually very water-based (lettuce/cucumber heavy).

I have been losing weight very slowly the last few weeks (slowly is better than none ), but i'm concerned that my body may be getting rid of nutrients I actually need, hence the slower losses. Is this possible?

I've tried taking a pill only every-other day or mixing it up with tea, but that just makes me go eliminate every 3-4 days and all bloated and weird.

Have any of you experienced this? Suggestions? Thoughts?

I can't help you, because I'm up to like 4 novalax a day with NO results. I am sitting here eating like 5lbs of raw spinach and cucumbers with part of the 2 gallons of water I'm going to drink today. My coach told me to take 4 novalax before bed with a magnesium drinkable lax and continue to cram in bulky veggies...

Last time I ate a plate of cooked spinach and later that night was just like you're explaining... which was great. LOL

Are you bloated at all? Since the novalax is working really well.. are you seeing a loss on the scale?!

You could very well be losing some nutrients if you're using laxatives that often (sometimes people with eating disorders make themselves very sick/dehydrated by consistent laxative use). If I were you (and was going to continue to use the laxative) I would drink some calorie-free Gatorade, so you can get back some of your electrolytes and prevent dehydration.

I found a stool softener works better than a Laxitive.
Stool softeners (such as Colace and Docusate Calcium) soften the stool, making it easier to pass. Stool softeners can be most effective if you drink plenty of water throughout the day.

I wish I was having that problem. I gave up on novalax and moved to something stronger. You may be losing nutrients if you are going 3-4 times a day. Are you taking the cal-mags? They might slow things down a bit.

I don't see huge losses on the scale - this drives me crazy!!! My last WI was -0.5#s. Laaaame.

Thanks for the tip about Gatorade - I've definitely upped my water intake to try and prevent dehydration, but I forgot about electrolytes.

Thanks for the suggestion, but I've tried stool softeners and they don't work for me.

I am taking the suggested amount of cal/mag per day + the multi-vitamin & pot/cal.

VOVO,
We are close to the same size and my coach said if you are smaller and have less to loose we won't see the "big Loss numbers" as the others will. I try to keep in mind, it is a loss, and not a gain, so I try to be happy about it, even though it's not the 5 to 7lbs they claim! Keep up the good work!~

If you are thinking about Gatorade, you may want to skip it and go for some extra salt for your electrolytes instead. The Gatorade may not be approved.

My coach pointed me to "Natural Calm," a magnesium supplement. It's worked really well for me. I purchased it a couple weeks ago, and I've only had to use it twice to keep things moving. Thankfully, it's not the type of MOVING that keeps you chained to the loo, so I can recommend it. The taste is sort of alka seltzer-like. They have it at GNC, Vitamin Shoppe, and on Amazon.

I hope that helps!

I have always had to take a fiber supplement to be regular.

However, since starting to eat more veggies, especially my spinach smoothie for breakfast, I have no need for the fiber supplement.

When I had to have a colonoscopy earlier than I had expected due to some symptoms, that weren't anything thankfully, the MD told me that everyone should take a daily fiber supplement. In the past I have used Benefiber but find the generic equivalent to work just as well.

I am thrilled that I have been able to eliminate the fiber supplement as of right now.

A few weeks ago I started to have a horrible intolerance of anything with sucralose (my own diagnosis) when I started having issues with diarrhea to the point where it was scaring me. I quit eating anything with sucralose and within a few hours that resolved itself.

For me, the spinach smoothie and then broccoli and cauliflower seem to do the trick. I am not a big salad person, especially since I no longer use the WF 1000 Island for my Big Mac in a Bowl (sucralose), so I get my veggies in with a smoothie and I have also made some cream veggie soups that I love...but I love cream soups so that works for me.

I have not tried a lot of the interesting veggies that others do and not sure why but I have always tended toward eating the same things so for now I am happy with the veggies that I am eating.

I would try a fiber supplement even though they do have some carbs but being constipated is miserable so I guess it's a personal decision one has to make.

Sometimes I feel like a person has to do what works best for them, their body, their inclination and so on...I totally dislike the term "cheating" when it comes to any kind of diet. Sometimes you just have to decide if an event or other life situation is one where you want to eat or drink what you want. It's a journey and lifestyle. The biggest thing for me is cutting out the snacking on things like popcorn and cheese crackers. I am not a big dessert or chocolate person, not that I don't like it, but I don't really miss it. I do miss rice and/or pasta with my meals...bread I don't miss at all and have never really been one to eat sandwiches or pastries so that is not a big deal to me.

Sorry...seem to have gotten off topic here.....

I'm not on Ideal protein. I love smooth move, but I have had the same experience as you sometimes with it not working. When I re-read the instructions I realized I wasn't letting it steep long enough. After I fixed that issues it started working for me again. Fortunately, I have not had to use it lately with it being summer I'm eating way more veggies!

I tried the Novilax but it really is mostly just psyllium, and there wasn't enough in one pill to do me any good. After years of having trouble with regular bowel movements, I have finally hit on a stride, with my walks every morning, my psyllium every day (2 heaping tablespoons in water w/crystal lite), and a spinach smoothie for lunch (a good 2-3 cups of spinach, soy or whey protein powder, ice, flavoring (chocolate or caramel WF or whatever) and almond milk or skim milk or water or some combo of that. I'm in maintenance though, so you'd need to stick with the water in Phase 1. Dark green leafy vegees are supposed to be good for constipation, and so far, it's working !!!

Good luck!

Looks like you may have to try a few different solutions to find something that works for you. I tried Perdiem and Dieter's Tea, both of which have ALWAYS worked for me in the past, but not this time. Took some Miralax ... nothing. Finally started taking stool softener, which has never really had much effect on me, and that, plus making sure I have a big helping of lettuce once a day, has me moving again.

I know it's uncomfortable and aggravating - hope you find you answer soon!

I'm new here, so maybe I misunderstood something, but here goes.

My coach told me that I may not need to elimiante every day, and that is OK as long as I don't feel constipated. He said some people only need to eliminate every 2 - 3 days on this diet.

I am probably running every 1 - 2 days, and I have been on diets where it is every 2 - 3 days before, so that did not seem odd to me. Less food in = less waste out.

So... if you are not feeling constipated, why mess with things?