I'm not sure how to start this, heh. If poop offends you, stop reading now

The problem is I am only having bowel movements once or twice a week, when I do go, it is not nearly enough. This has been going on for about 5 months. I can feel I need to go, but when I sit, it's just not happening. Like, I will try to go for 20+ minutes and maybe I'll have a small result, but I know that the amount that I eat is WAY more than what my body is getting rid of. I can feel that my intestines are full. It is almost as if things aren't moving down the pipes and instead are just piling up (sorry for that gross visual...)

My food intake is extremely clean (95% unprocessed food, mostly fruits and vegetables) very low dairy, almost fat-free, very low meat (less that 4 oz per day). Generally, I eat a bowl of oatmeal every morning, with a serving of fruit, lunch is 3 servings of raw veggies, 2 servings of fruit, 1 serving of yogurt, Dinner is generally 3-5 servings of vegetables and 4 oz of chicken or fish. I might have an additional serving or 2 of fruit for desert if calories permit.

The common suggestions (more fiber, more water) won't make a difference I fear. I eat a TON of fiber (upwards of 50 grams per day), and drink more liquids than anyone I know (6+ cups of herbal tea, a couple of diet sodas, and at least 80 oz of water every day without fail). I also run 2 miles, and then walk an additional mile, x 3-4 days a week, so I should be getting enough exercise.

I did talk to my doctor about this, but she didn't seem concerned. She agreed that me having prune juice every couple of days is a good idea. For me though, 200 calories per cup of prune juice is a pretty big hit to my daily calorie pool (1400 max) so I can really only do this once or twice a week. It doesn't really work anyway with a single cup. I have not tried more than 1 serving at a time though.

I have also tried commercial laxatives. This works, but I really don't want to have to take pills if I can help it.

Has anyone else had this problem? Any suggestions? I am so tired of feeling like this

Sometimes when I'm eating very low fat this will happen to me too. I don't know if a little fat just greases the skids or what , but it seems to work for me. Oh, that and coffee. My daily coffee gets things moving regularly.

Yep, was going to ask about fat intake. It can really make a difference for me, as well.

I have ibs-c and when I'm having issues I will take citrucel. it's soluble fiber. When you're having problems going they say to eat/drink a soluble before the insoluble to help unclog everything.

the other fiber supplements are insoluble only or a soluble/insoluble mix, this does not work for me, most fruits/veggies are insoluble. "Not all fiber is created equal" hope you find relief soon, I know when I first started having problems it was pretty obnoxious.

Alot of people have this problem after eating low-fat for a long time. I don't know the science of why or anything, just that it is a subject that gets brought up here fairly often.

I have chronic constipation for over 10 years now. I've taken pretty much everything prescription or over the counter to combat it. Everything works for awhile, and then it doesn't anymore.

Large amounts of fiber only make my stomach hurt. Stimulant laxatives double me over with cramps, and they can be habit forming.

The absolute best thing I've found is senna. It doesn't make me cramp, and it is natural rather than stimulant. They make teas with it too, but I'm not a tea drinker. I get mine at walgreens, they have a generic form or there is one called "super colon cleanse", they both have the same roughly 550 mg of senna, nothing else.

My doc gave me the ok to take it daily if I wanted, but I'm kinda scared to....I can rely on it when it gets too bad, and everything else my body has eventually developed a tolerance, don't want that to happen again so I only take it for a few days at a time.

I also second the increased fat intake, and the coffee. YEs, fat will increase your calories, but you may need a day or two of higher fat (maybe less fruit, or exchange one of your meat portions for fat) to get things moving.

Keep us informed on how it works for you.

For some reason cabbage always does the trick for me. Although I usually have my hubby make me coleslaw which is high in fat...

Thanks everyone. I took some time this morning to look up information using your suggestions. I will be getting some senna tea (and prunes) today and try that for my desert for a couple days. How jealous are you?

I also looked up information about fat, and it looks like I should be having up to 420calories / 47 grams of fat a day. So, I think I will start adding in more olive oil and snacking on peanut butter and tahini a bit more to add some fats back into my diet.

Thanks to everyone!

I've been having a similar issue and I'm so glad you posted this...I just wanted to suggest Avocado, since it's easy to incorporate into the diet, has lots of nutritional value and healthy fat. I also like olive oil added raw to salads with some high quality balsamic. I also heard that dairy products can slow down the elimination process so I'm trying to cut down on my beloved string cheese.

I know someone who is a body builder, eats very clean, extremely limited fat during training and her trainer recommended a daily shot of apple cider vinegar for digestion, when I looked it up, it is also possibly a metabolism boost.

aimeebell, good to know! I've started using apple cider vinegar and thyme to my salads for dressing. hehe.

Pacifica Bee, I know that you have already answered but I just wanted to add my vote to adding a little more healthy fat. I too have IBS and have found the management of fat to be very important. Too little fat and I get constipated but too much fat and I have the opposite effect.

I use a daily pro-biotic that helps me tremendously. Mine is the Pearls that I buy from Walmart, but pretty much any kind of acidophilius will work. Smooth Move herbal tea also works well for some. I've not tried it myself.

Maybe it's just me, but I think I'd try for a second opinion. I don't think there's anything normal about having a BM only once or twice per week. Am I nuts here??

Maybe it's time for a colonic to get a fresh start and then try to stay on top of the issue by up'ing your good fat intake?

Jami - For some people it is normal to only go once or twice per week. It just depends on a person's body and inner workings. The painful, clogged feeling is not normal though. Something is definitely wrong there.