I've restarted Atkins 4 days ago and having constipation problem. I ate a lot of fiber for this before, but don't think it is a good idea given carb restriction. Any advice?

Ground flax seed is what I depend on, if on induction sprinkle some on your salad.
Wow! how soon we forget, I can't remember what else I did with it during induction, LOL, sorry, I'm sure someone else will help out. Kathy

Trudi, I checked out your fitday and came to the conclusion that you are absolutely fiber-deprived. You do need some to stay 'regular', and I am only seeing 1 serving of veggies in your diet for this past week. You should be eating at least 1-3 cups daily! Also, make sure you are taking some really good vitamins... those are imperative on this diet, and some of them contain a little bit of fiber.

Also, I would seriously consider cutting the cheese intake to 4 or fewer ounces daily. Too much dairy has been known to be a WL staller, and unfortunately, it is also one of those things that will constipate you. Not getting enough fiber will only make that problem about three times as bad.

You really do need a LOT of fiber in order for it to be a problem, restroom-wise. I had to eat a diet over the last few days that was probably about 30-50% fiber (due to the fridge deciding to die one day and lots of stuff going bad), and that was honestly the first time I had EVER had any problems due to excessive fiber intake. I also take in between 2 and 4 servings of veggies daily.... actually wish it could be more! So, I absolutely guarantee that they are not going to harm you.

Here is very low carb fiber supplement which I bought from safeway and should be available at most pharmacies:

Name:Sugar free Konsyl

Made of 100% Psyllium fiber
Each serving (1 teaspoon) contains:
0.05g carbs.
5g Dietary fibers
4g Soluble fibers

3 cups of PurpleStix' salad (romaine, kale > tomato, cukes, broccoli, celery) contains 9g net carbs and 4.5g fibre. If all your carbs come from salad, you get 10g fibre with the 20g net carbs allowed on induction. Could be the cheese will have to wait till after induction. :/

Remember that only your net carbs are restricted. That is total carbs - fiber. You could eat 100 carbs a day and as long as 80 of those are fiber, you are still within induction range.

After induction you can start adding back in more high fiber foods too which will help. Get some LC granola, 29g total carbs with 25g fiber. They should just call it colon blow.

Dr. Atkins recomends psyllium husks for regularity. You can buy those in powder or tablet form at most health food stores and many pharmacies (even the walmart one) may have it in some form. Just make sure to get pure husks, not ones with sugar or addatives.

One good thing to do is find out your CCLL with fiber versus without fiber. It can be quite different, despite the fact that it is not supposed to do anything to your insulin levels. I've found out that as long as I am not eating sugar or sugar alcohols, I can only tolerate 29 grams of carbs if I am eating high-fiber stuff 2-3 times a day, and it knocks me out of ketosis if I do it for more than a day or two. (I'm losing a little more water due to certain 'effects' of said fiber, I suppose...) If I stick to a regular induction menu, though, I can have closer to 35 carbs and still lose. Go figure...

Ground Flaxseed works awesome!!!

Fiber is only a part of the equation You need to also ensure that you're well hydrated with water .. caffeine-containing beverages can be dehydrating so they don't count. And you need to eat plenty of fat as well. For more helpful suggestions, have a read through the article Low Carbing and Intestinal Health , which you can find by clicking "Low Carb Tips" on the orange bar near the top.


hth,

Doreen