erikahollister's Journal, 24 September 2016

Goodmorning my LCHF friend - Perhaps double check ingredients to make sure you are not letting a few extra carbs in here and there. If not, then I would suggest upping your fat and moderating protein. When I see results is when I go super high fat - although I still watch total calories and I always have. Then there is always a "fast" day that might kick start you. Good luck with this!!! 

Thanks BlueEyes. I let up on the fasting while recuperating from illness, so maybe back to a bit of that will help. Have a great weekend! 

Be careful of cheese and nuts. Some people have issues with them. I loved my low carb life but my cardiologist didn't agree. I have to prove to him it's not my diet! 

Hey Erika, I started using Bena Fibre Healthy Shape twice a day. 2 teaspoons in the A.M and 2 teaspoons in the P.M. It works well for constipation, believe me I know. The other benefit, It helps keep me feeling full longer and I think it's helping with my weight loss.  

I am curious to know the answer as well. I resist the idea of taking a fiber supplement. At first, the magnesium supplement seemed to help, but not anymore. 

I drink CALM every day. No problems with constipation. Don't know if it helps with the "calming effect" but I am a creature of habit and just don't feel right when I don't drink it.... 

Erika, I don't get constipated, but I never tracked my fiber in FS and I had no idea how low my fiber intake was until changed up my tracking. I thought eating a few cups of leafy greens every day was enough....but no, not even close. I was getting about 5-8 grams of fiber per day and for a female my age the supposed target mark is 25. Hence the addition of fiber rich foods (other than grains) Nuts, seeds, avocados, raspberries, oranges and because increasing your fiber also means increasing your carbs (sugar type carbs) I added 6 teaspoons of Benefiber to fill in the deficit. This is my first week of higher fiber intake so the effect it will have on weight loss remains to be seen! 

You could try sprinkling flax and/or chia seeds on your salads. Great gut-bug foods, and good fiber and trace minerals, too. Maybe cut back on cheese for a little bit? 

Thanks everyone. I went to a pot luck yesterday with a very health conscious group and there was a gorgeous mostly vegetarian spread. It's high harvest season and the salads were amazing. I ate a modest meal, but the carbs blew my low carb day. Healthy food, yes; LCHF, no. It was nice to see old friends, though! Feeding myself in other ways. 

Are you tracking total carbs or net carbs?  

You are doing great, Erika! Keep it up! 

Have you seen my challenge "14 days low carbs, high fiber"? I find I need fiber and water. Psyllium husks are my go-to additive to stop constipation. They are almost net carb free, and all indigestible fiber. 

You'll need to start making a fiber goal as well in your macros. Earlier this year I got so constipated that I ended up with an anal fissure and hemorrhoids. Probably the worst 2 - 3 months of my life... Forget water boarding; if you need info from someone, restrict their fiber. I take 2 scoops of "Kirkland Signature Optifiber" every morning with my vitamins/meds, etc.. I also eat 2 - 3 Mission Carb Balance wraps a day with my meals, it's my substitute for bread (works really well). My target for fiber is somewhere between 30 & 40g/day and my net carbs are between 30 & 40g/day. I had made a big mistake in the beginning of taking the Dulcolax overnight softeners which was a mistake too. There are two kinds of laxatives. Stimulant Laxitives (Fast acting) and Osmotic and Hyperosmolar Laxatives (Slow Acting). You might need to take the fast ones initially, but do not take then for more than a few days. I was going on 6 weeks, trying to manage things, bad idea... Start an Osmotic Laxitive ASAP, it can take a few days to see any results but in the long run, they're very safe to take for the long run. I took Miralax for a few weeks to help normalize things and slowly weened myself off of it. When things get unpassable, I'll start Miralax back up and run a daily usage of that for a a week or two to help normalize things again. On top of that I still eat some sort of stir fry veggies several times a week.  

I can't speak for the constipation, but water really helps with the weight loss. Whenever I was stuck I realized I wasn't drinking as much as I had been. I started drinking water again and started seen results again. Theoretically water should assist with the constipation also. Good luck :-) 

Ditto Aussie Elise...sugar free Metamucil is straight phsylum husks and no added sugar...sold at Costco in 2 packs, way cheaper than the grocery or drugstore. I need the extra fibre when I'm active in the mountains or in the desert, the low relative humidity dehydrates me no matter what my water intake and things stop moving otherwise...#nofun. 

What an amazingly informative response! Thank you everyone! Clearly, I am not alone in this problem. This weekend, I was feeling the need for vegetable bulk, so I just tossed the LCHF for the weekend and ate a lot of carbs: fruit, vegetables and even some rice. Still backed up, I resorted to an old stand by and put two teaspoons of white sugar (the devil's food!) into coffee, and within an hour, it did the trick! I haven't had sugar in soooo many months! It tasted grossly sweet!-- It does make a good laxative when taken with coffee on an empty stomach! I will amend my ongoing protocol with some of your suggestions and see if I can ward off future plumbing back-ups! Thanks for your help on this tacky topic! :) 

Have you tried nuts? Great for for adding "bulk". 

also there are a lot of foods that have large amt of fiber without the sugar like low carb tortillas or I even order low carb bread that has a lot of fiber and they use stevia instead of sugar. the bread is called great low carb bread company and there breads are high in fiber low in sugar, even weight watcher approved!! they are good, not like most low carb breads that I have tasted. they do cost more and I have to order mine on line ,because they don't have a store that sell them where I live. you can also just try stool softner tabs for a few days. My moms doctor told her 2 drink 2 cups of coffee with half&half only and then eat breakfast and results to happen within a couple of hours. she takes pain meds and she says it works for her !!