I am a little embarassed about asking about No. 2 but is it normal that I go only once week? If not, what should I do or be eating more of? ( I am on week-8 of induction)

Thanks

Hi Musika,

This WOE gives some of us constipation, some of us diarrhoea.
The treatment is the same for both problems: psyllium husks.
The psyllium adds bulk to the stools and also softens.
It is available as capsules, or as the husks which can be mixed with water and drunk. One tablespoon daily is the dose. It doesn't taste wonderful, but you can add lemon juice and a bit of Splenda if you like. Just drink it fairly quickly or it will turn into a yucky gel.

Are you eating plenty of vegetables? You don't need as much fibre with this WOE - it has been posited that 10 to 15g is sufficient without the white starches to glug us up. But those 10 to 15g do help.

HTH!

Rosebud

PS: Don't forget to drink plenty of water! Especially important if you add psyllium.

Just to answer your question directly, it is not unusual to have reduced bowel movements (amount or frequency) at first.

The Induction weeks keep you to a much lower level of carbs and "residue" after the food is digested. So it will take longer to go through you. You also have less fermentation (and flatulence) when the carbs are cut down.

That said, do take the psyllium and drink lots of water. Both help greatly in moving things along smoothly and without pain of any sort.

Flaxseed muffins or my homemade flaxseed meal cereal has kept me regular and I like the added health benefits of EFA's that are in the flaxseed.

My mother, father, sister and a couple of friends are now using flaxseed in their diet and they are all happy with it also.

I have to be especially careful because when I started Atkins earlier this year, I developed an impaction so I was hesitant to try this woe again unless I knew this problem was under complete control. The little amount of fiber in vegetables is not nearly enough for my system. I tried the psyllium husks and they did not work well for me. Once I tried flaxseed meal and saw how well it worked, I knew I could handle this woe without worrying about ending up in the emergency room again.

Good luck and keep on until you find what works for YOU.