beware of iron in vitamins
 

I was clogged up until I changed to a no-iron multivitamin and have had almost no problems since, despite taking no fibre supplements. Used to use that one Atkins recommends - psyllium husks - but found it was no longer necessary once I dropped the iron. You get enough iron from red meat on this wol anyway.
Zan

Oh you poor thing! I feel gross and bloated when I cant go for one day (like today)...and I have been taking the Flaxseed & the P. Husk...but I just dont feel like I am getting all cleaned out so once a week I do take an exlax and I feel about 5 lbs lighter the next day. But I would definatly talk your doctor.

Sorry all you guys have had such probs with going! I used to think it was a bad thing to be lactose intolerant. Now I'm very glad, because everytime I eat some cheese, whoila!! I guess that was too much information..... lol. Seriously though, I eat at least a slice of low carb fiber bread a day and I have been taking a fibercon every morning too. I go everyday. So good luck, I hope you get it "flowin" Val

This is what I love about this website....being able to ask anything. I am glad you asked about the constipation. Here is more gross info... does anyone find that their stool is not solid but more like what I would refer to as baby poop or since I grew up on a farm "calf shit"? I have noticed if I don't go all I need to do is eat an Atkins bar, Chocolate Decadence, Smores etc. and usually within the hour I am heading "south".
And what is with the smell of low carb poop? EEEEEEEwwwwwwwwwwww EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

As a long time sufferer of this sort of problem I have been through many different solutions. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. The worst I ever had it was after a surgery. I couldn't go for 2 weeks and it was bad. They were considering surgery again. My girlfriends mother was an RN and suggested something. I thought it would be too simple to work but I was willing to try anything. She suggested making a pot of strong black coffee (not decaf) and making a fruit drink of apple juice and banana with ice. Kinda like a smoothie. She said to drink a cup of the cold juice then right after a cup of the hot coffee. Keep alternating. I was on my second cup of coffee when I had to run to the washroom.

This might not work for you, but it was the only time when nothing else worked including fleet enemas!

I don't know if substituting decaf would lessen it's effects, but in your situation, just for quick relief I would probably try it. No diet, not even Atkins, is worth hurting yourself over.

Once you've eliminated then you can work on trying to change your Atkins WOE and see if there is something else that could help you go. You mentioned in your last post that you used to eat alot of fruits and veggies. Are you still eating your veggies? And as far as fruits are concerned, there are some that you can reintroduce after your Induction. Some berries come to mind that are low in sugar and have healthful benefits.

You should still visit a doctor if you are still having problems right now.

Rick

*lol* good lord, i had no clue so many people would be discussing my bowel movements. okay...since the last time i went was so awful, i wanted to avoid doing that again, so i've been taking preventative measures with eating the flax everyday, etc. and yes, lots of high fiber veggies too. it wasn't to that point of being uncomfortable today or anything, in fact i was fine, i just didn't want to wait a whole week and a half before going again. anyway, i found something that works. coffee. amazing. i *hate* the stuff, but i drank two cups of decaf coffee, black with 1 sweet n low and everything is peachy. so while i wasn't looking for a quick fix, just something to regulate, at least i know that works.

a coworker suggested triphala, which is a natural remedy to help regulate digestion and relieve constipation. you can take it everyday and over time it is supposed to make you, well, regular. instead of this once a week thing i have going on. i'd be more comfortable with at least every other day or two. so i'm going to pick some of that up, along with some wheat bran to mix with my flax seed meal, and yes, the usual daily spinach, broccoli and green beans, non-iron supplement, lots of water, daily exercise, and now, semi-daily coffee. yuck.

You have gotten lots of good advice and i am glad you have found something that works since it seems like you were having quite a problem earlier. one thing i can add that people have not mentioned is calcium/magnesium. Mag is a natural mineral that we need but if your body gets too much it gets rid of it FAST no matter what you have eaten. my naturopath told me to take 1000 Cal w/ 600mag per day (its in a tablet together). Partly because i am allergic to dairy so i get no other calcium and partly because i am also allergic to wheat so its hard to get enough grains to get things moving and a little excess mag helps without any stomach cramps (which other laxatives did). This has helped me immensely -- i take these pills before bed and every morning.. Vwalla! hope this helps..

Y'know, I'm beginning to believe that everyone here is full of s**t..... :lol:

I take two fibercon tablets at dinner time every evening, which help keep me fairly regular, but about every week and a half I need to boost things along. I use the SF Reeses PB cups. Results in about 2 hours. But I have to time the consumption of these so I'm not in any "social" situations. :rolleyes:

Joan

Sorry you are having all of this trouble. Don't be embarrassed, I think a lot of us that start on Atkins has some troubles with getting stopped up. I agree with Ltraci2, you need to take care of the immediate solution, but then concentrate on the cause. Everyone is different, but for me 1 Advantage bar a day, usually after lunch, made a big difference. I had tried the flax meal, p. husks and stuff - yuck! Check the label on like the Chocolate Decadence bar, it has almost half the fiber you need in a day plus it gives me my chocolate fix! This combined with lots of fresh dark green veggies (I live off of baby spinach - 3 to 4 cups a day) really helped me get "regular" again. Best of luck and don't give up. I am so proud of what you have already done.
Marie

I have this problem all my life. I was hypothyroid. That was a major contributor to my constipation proble. Four years ago I had thyroid cancer and had my thyroid removed. My doctor recommended Senokot without the laxitive. The good news is that since starting the Atkins diet my water consumption has increased to the point where I no longer need the Senokot! I drink 3 - 4 liters of water per day now. In the first two weeks on this diet I've lost 10 pounds! It is the first diet that has EVER worked for me. Maybe see your doctor and then try the Senokot and increase your water intake. Good Luck!

love to all of you,

Emerald

One word....maltitol!

I think you should see a doctor who is a specialist in the gastrointestinal area. consider x-rays too to see if there's any blockage.

this sounds extremely serious and dangerous to me.

I only go about once or twice a week and it kills me! I mean it doesn't hurt or nothing. I am just not... regular.

For many years, this has been a chronic and painful problem for me; I just never thought it was so serious because (1) I didn't know any better and (2) a couple of doctors said, "Well, that's just normal for YOU." Things were so bad that I actually WELCOMED diahrrea--- and, frankly, I could never understand why others didn't. I used to eat mega amounts of sugar alocohols just to get a little action, and I mean LITTLE.

Two years ago I finally worked up my courage and went for the dreaded exam; thank goodness there was no cancer. However, when I told the specialist about the severity of my problem, she merely recommended the usual Citracel (it has a weak concentration of psyllium husks), along with Colace. On my own I quickly found that I needed to graduate to a much highter dose of psyllium. This was after no relief for ten days (and ten days was/is the norm for me if I don't do anything about it. I now use Konsyl twice daily, which has the highest amount of fiber per dose, specifically, 6 grams per ONE teaspoon. I needed/need to combine this with high doses of Colace (the highest indicated on the bottle), just to coax anything along. (I am trying not to be graphic; just use your imagination.)

Valkyrie, if you find that the coffee loses its charm, you can also try a Colace treatment to ease the way. Just follow the instructions, starting with the lowest dosage, just in case. This is over the counter, by the way. And, like one of our other fellow Atkiners mentioned, it seems that suppements containing additional iron might be a problem for some. And, of course, your specialist mightl be able to help you in ways that this forum cannot.

If, after talking with the doctor and/or trying any other safe remedy, you do not have any relief, send me a private message and I can recommend a couple of other things. Nothing overly gross or anything, just other medical solutions that are available.

Whammy

Sometimes a strong black coffee in the morning helps for me. I hope you'll feel better very soon.