Page 1 of 1 [ 6 posts ] 

RenegadeRaven
Snowy Owl
Snowy Owl

User avatar

Joined: 11 Dec 2010
Age: 35
Gender: Male
Posts: 160
Location: In a galaxy far, far away...

11 Nov 2011, 9:49 pm

Long story short: I have eradicated most of the excess fat collected over my childhood and early adulthood by my own diet/exercise routine that I have modified over the few years since I started it. It was so severe that I have recently been through tummy tuck and arm lift surgeries and soon will have two more surgeries.

During this transformation, with increasing my exercise (elliptical on heavy resistance and incline) and restricting my calorie intake, I have had numerous issues with my bowel movements. As of now, my feces is not hard to pass but it is somewhat dry. It used to be much worse with hard stool but drinking more water has alleviated the hardness.

Since I am not certain why I am still having issues with my stool, here is my current, mostly accurate table of the typical diet I have created for myself :

Breakfast:
1 oz Almonds
1.33 cups of non-fat, regular plain Greek Yogurt
Fruit (Blueberries while in season, otherwise it is bananas for now)
Some other minor food with minimal calories
24 oz or a bit more of cold water

Lunch (after exercising on elliptical with heavy resistance and incline):
2 baked potatoes (mostly russet, sometimes sweet or other varieties) with condiment
2 eggs on frying pan with zero calories canola oil
around 8 oz of 2% or whole milk or fresh deli meat without preservatives
Fruit (orange, apples, or some other fruit in season ( I miss watermelon :x )
small dessert
minor bits of other food (peanut butter, grapes, dates, etc)
32 to 40 oz of cold water

Snack:
apple
various food in small amount (almond milk, sweets, cheese, etc.)
24 oz of cold water

Dinner:
Baked Winter Squash (Buttercup, Acorn, Kabocha, Delicata, Butternut, other if available)
Meat (varies but it is not heavily processed junk with added preservatives and fat like in fast food; I like regular chicken breasts, leaner ground beef, etc)
dessert of various sizes/inconsistent
24 oz of cold water after eating or later

Late night snack:
long carrot or parsnip
more water

Any suggestions on why I am still having bowel problems? Right now I am thinking of augmenting my diet with some frozen vegetables since it seems I do not eat enough vegetables.

To let you guys know: I have not followed any diets seen on TV or the internet, so if my diet is a total wreck, you will know why. On the bright side, I did something right as I lost over at least 250 lbs :lol:



cathylynn
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 24 Aug 2011
Gender: Female
Posts: 13,045
Location: northeast US

11 Nov 2011, 11:13 pm

yup, you hit the nail on the head with more fruits and veggies - five to nine servings per day are recommended. also adding some whole grains might not be a bad idea. my mom stays regular with raisin bran. i personally use light activia.



Chronos
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 22 Apr 2010
Age: 44
Gender: Female
Posts: 8,698

12 Nov 2011, 5:15 am

I would avoid bananas and switch to brown rice instead of potatoes. I would also add two servings of steamed broccoli.



RenegadeRaven
Snowy Owl
Snowy Owl

User avatar

Joined: 11 Dec 2010
Age: 35
Gender: Male
Posts: 160
Location: In a galaxy far, far away...

14 Nov 2011, 4:43 pm

So far I have added a couple servings of frozen vegetables into my diet and have seen a difference so far. I have asked for broccoli and raspberries ( I do not shop for my own groceries at the moment) to see if they taste delicious and are very nutritious.

As for the potatoes, I think along with other foods as eggs and nuts, they are over-criticized and are deemed "unhealthy" by numerous people. Potatoes are an excellent source of potassium, vitamin B6, and vitamin C along with dietary fiber and other nutrients. Sweet potatoes are even better for you with its beta-carotene. Personally, I have not experienced any issues with consuming potatoes and compared to a cup of brown rice that has more calories per cup and would not fill me up, I will stick to potatoes for now. Plus, they are very inexpensive as well.

If anyone else has something to say, let me know. I do enjoy learning about food as well as eating it. :lol:



Chronos
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 22 Apr 2010
Age: 44
Gender: Female
Posts: 8,698

14 Nov 2011, 5:41 pm

RenegadeRaven wrote:
So far I have added a couple servings of frozen vegetables into my diet and have seen a difference so far. I have asked for broccoli and raspberries ( I do not shop for my own groceries at the moment) to see if they taste delicious and are very nutritious.

As for the potatoes, I think along with other foods as eggs and nuts, they are over-criticized and are deemed "unhealthy" by numerous people. Potatoes are an excellent source of potassium, vitamin B6, and vitamin C along with dietary fiber and other nutrients. Sweet potatoes are even better for you with its beta-carotene. Personally, I have not experienced any issues with consuming potatoes and compared to a cup of brown rice that has more calories per cup and would not fill me up, I will stick to potatoes for now. Plus, they are very inexpensive as well.

If anyone else has something to say, let me know. I do enjoy learning about food as well as eating it. :lol:


It's not that they do not have positive nutritional aspects to them, but that they cause firm stools, which you are having a problem with.



RenegadeRaven
Snowy Owl
Snowy Owl

User avatar

Joined: 11 Dec 2010
Age: 35
Gender: Male
Posts: 160
Location: In a galaxy far, far away...

14 Nov 2011, 7:56 pm

Chronos wrote:
RenegadeRaven wrote:
So far I have added a couple servings of frozen vegetables into my diet and have seen a difference so far. I have asked for broccoli and raspberries ( I do not shop for my own groceries at the moment) to see if they taste delicious and are very nutritious.

As for the potatoes, I think along with other foods as eggs and nuts, they are over-criticized and are deemed "unhealthy" by numerous people. Potatoes are an excellent source of potassium, vitamin B6, and vitamin C along with dietary fiber and other nutrients. Sweet potatoes are even better for you with its beta-carotene. Personally, I have not experienced any issues with consuming potatoes and compared to a cup of brown rice that has more calories per cup and would not fill me up, I will stick to potatoes for now. Plus, they are very inexpensive as well.

If anyone else has something to say, let me know. I do enjoy learning about food as well as eating it. :lol:


It's not that they do not have positive nutritional aspects to them, but that they cause firm stools, which you are having a problem with.


Oh, I have not read or heard that potatoes can cause constipation. When I eat my baked potatoes, I never peel the skin so I do not remove the fiber content from the vegetables. In fact, I find the skin to be very tasty.

I have a theory on what is the primary cause of my digestive issues, so I am going to test it and see if I can confirm it.