I'm on day 11 of IP and I've realized that things aren't moving a smoothly as they used to I did not buy the pills to help with that because frankly I was already $300 in and my budget was done (one month supply). I live overseas and am very limited with what I can get here.

I don't want to take a laxative - I'd rather have something natural... I know I need to drink more water (I'm probably drinking half of what I'm supposed to).

Any tips?

I was in the same boat as you. Feeling bloated and downright crummy for eating so clean. I bought a generic laxative tea (knockoff of smooth move) and finally went #2 this morning. It had been at least 6 days which is not good. Give it a shot. I did not have an upset belly or anything. Completely natural herbs used too.

Try this

Use the 200 for 7 days ...
then switch to 1 or 2 pills of the 50 for maintenance
(you can buy these on Amazon or any good health food store)

You WILL NOT BELIEVE THE DIFFERENCE!

Avalon, how long do/did you take the 50? Daily forever? Or just until the "issue" has sorted itself out?

I've got the same issues. My pharmacist/IP coach gave me something called Lax-A-Day which is a dissolvable powder taken with liquid daily for a week - but it makes my innards feel awful. Crampy, and growly.

I have been looking for a good probiotic to take daily. It's good for overall gut health. To me, that includes the big c. I have not found a daily probiotic pill that has solved my problems yet.

I'm currently on a cleanse so things are moving, but this is only a 12 day deal.

When times get tough, I turn to CALM. Make sure you don't take more than the daily recommendations, it could get tough for ya!

I also love Bubbies pickles which have natural probiotics in them. They are pickled differently. Not in a vinegar. This supports your gut health.

Well while we are here.... Anyone having issues with size and concrete consistency? If so anything that can fix that? I have spoken with a few co-workers offline about this and apparently am not alone.

Little hard balls? Been there.
I use Smooth Move tea on Friday nights and usually have results on
Saturday. Better than popping a laxative pill and wondering when you'll need to race to bathroom.

Water water water! Aside from promoting normal GI regularity, your weight loss will be faster. I don't know exactly why but this has been true for me and many many people on virtually any diet, not just IP.

Much of the water our body needs for basic functions comes from food. Now that your food is so restricted, you re actually taking in much less water than before, not even counting straight out liquid intake. You can get dehydrated by not following the recommended minimum water intake.

I've always found it cumbersome to drink all the water. I start out the day by drinking 4 cups--that's half the requirement out of the way. I put the rest in a water bottle to carry around. I also count 1 cup of herbal tea. You can play around with herbal tea hot or cold, flavorings like Mio, lemon slices, cucumber slices, many many ways to jazz it up. Eventually it gets easier, and helps keep hunger in check.

Having said all that, I still experienced the Big C on P1. Even though I went everyday, my colon was not fully emptying and eventually it showed at the scale. I resorted to Smooth Move once a day. If you are really backed up, a liquid form of Magnesium Citrate works within a few hours and is easily & cheaply found at big chain grocery stores/pharmacies. It's just for very occasional use though.

Mars you did the smooth move once a day for how long? The reason I ask is that I bought some last night, drank two cups (I had not went in days and wanted to be sure) and finally went this morning. Would you recommend doing this daily? It seems like I may need a little extra especially since the scale has not moved in a week. Blah!

I wish water was my answer. I drink 96 ounces a day!

So glad I'm not alone in this! I know I can probably up my intake....I'm barely getting in 1.5L a day. I'm also using the 'smooth move' herbal tea, which helps but can sometimes take 1-2 days for a not so satisfying result. Coffee has always helped, and Ive continued to drink 1-3 cups a day. I think I'll try the probiotics if this gets any worse. Oh...and consistency has varied so much....two or three days in I had horrible diarrhea (TMI) and since then it's ranged from hard little pellets, to soft, to normal. Weird!

That's great eandc. Personally I'd see if just 1 works, now that things are moving. You can always consider adding more if needed. The box says 1/day--you might give them a call and make sure there's no issue with doubling. Plus it would save you $$ for IP packets if you can get buy on just 1, lol!

Something else that helped is that I love strong coffee in the morning. I think one reason we all get backed up on IP is that many of us including me didn't exrcise at all (besides the fact that every scrap of nutrition is taken up by our bodies rather than passed through!). If you have the energy to go for a 20 minute walk, that might help.

I totally wouldn't worry about the scale--if you are OP, the scale is going to go down. Better yet, your measurement and clothes size will. It's so frustrating to miss the validation of the hard work for even 1 week. But it helps to look at the big picture: what is your monthly average loss, how are your clothes fitting? Best to weigh only once/week--it will save you a lot of worry. Keep up the good work--you're doing GREAT!

If your ticker is current ems, looks like you're doing pretty darn well to me! Of course it can never go fast enough, lol!

Sounds like your body is adjusting, but at the risk of sounding like a parrot, the 2 liters is soooo important. This from someone who could easily leave it out altogether before IP. If I even skip 8 oz, I swear I feel hungrier all day, something just doesn't feel right. The only way I can get it done is to chug 4 cups ist thing in the morning (that alone probably = Smooth Move)! Then all I have to do is drink 4 cups throughout the day. On P1 I got up an hour early to drink and pass the water before work. Now it's become a like a weird morning ritual, one that my body really likes.

Are you getting in your 4 C vegetables, 2 tsp oil, and some lettuce? Those all help too. Still IP is a low fiber constipating diet.

I'm interested to hear if you find probiotics do the trick. Btw,it's been mentioned here before: Bubbie's sauerkraut is probiotic, maybe also Bubbes kosher dill pickles. They are made without high heat or vinegar like other pickles. Low carb too.

haha thanks mars! i was referring to my ever occuring big c problem. but you're right, it cannot come off fast enough!!