Is it really possible to get diarrhea while doing Atkins if you don't drink enough water? I am normally very good about my water intake, but over the past week I have had a bad cold and just haven't been keeping to my normal routine. Over the past 3 days or so I've been having some pretty bad intestinal "issues" (to put it lightly) that seem to come and go. It's not that frequent, only about once a day if that, but when it does show up, it's horrible!!!!! I'm going to try my hardest to get a sufficient amount of water today and hope that it clears up, but in the meantime, does anyone have any opinion on this?

I hadn't heard that a lack of water could cause diarrhea, but I have had it like yours, maybe once a day really nasty then I'm OK for a couple of days then back again - I try to drink lots of water but I slip on weekends - don't know if there's a link there - but I've been searching for a cause - it is bad and I've been caught far from home on a walk and barely made it back in time - not fun!

I think I read in an older post somewhere here that lack of water could contribute to this problem. I'm just concerned, b/c I don't want to get dehydrated or worse.....isn't it not so good on your body to have diarrhea this often?

I have a horrific time of it when I eat sugar alchohols...particularly malitrol (sorry about the spelling -- I know its off.) I usually drink between 100 and 150 oz a day of water during the week and slack off to 60-80 on the weekends. The decrease in water doesn't seem to effect me...just the SA!

hth

Karen

Yep, the sugar alcohols will sure do it but I've never heard of lack of water causing THAT problem. Maybe with your cold you've also got an intestinal bug? Just a thought. Sending feel better wishes your way. Try to drink your water because your body needs extra fluids when your ill.

I think diarhhea can actually cause dehydration, so I would think that drinking lots of water when you have it is a good idea. I don't know that water or lack or it causes this, though. Maybe it's a particular food you're eating — as one poster mentioned, sugar alcohols will do it every time...