Low carb diet and constipation

[hazelzac]

Hi friends , although I am not prediabetic officially as hba1c was 5.1 but after having 2 gestational diabetic pregnancies and raised post 2 hour ogtt I consider myself at high risk ,I started low carb high fat diet 4 months ago lost 10 kg and feeling wonderful.I really want to continue this diet but this constipation is driving me nuts .I have to take laxative once in a week at least. Laxatives are not good for long term use . Please help me and guide me I usually take about 20 g carbs in a day . I tried adding fiber supplement but they are not effective for me.
Should I increased my carbs?
Should I doubled fiber supplement?

After attaining normal weight I eat normally on weekends l don't count carbs on weekends.

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Hi friends , although I am not prediabetic officially as hba1c was 5.1 but after having 2 gestational diabetic pregnancies and raised post 2 hour ogtt I consider myself at high risk ,I started low carb high fat diet 4 months ago lost 10 kg and feeling wonderful.I really want to continue this diet but this constipation is driving me nuts .I have to take laxative once in a week at least. Laxatives are not good for long term use . Please help me and guide me I usually take about 20 g carbs in a day . I tried adding fiber supplement but they are not effective for me.
Should I increased my carbs?
Should I doubled fiber supplement?

After attaining normal weight I eat normally on weekends l don't count carbs on weekends.

Do you drink enough water? Eat enough fats? Have you tried adding magnesium supplements, maybe oregano-oil? Full fat greek yoghurt or other fermented foods like sauerkraut? Those are basically the first stops.

TMI ahead: I had such bad constipation laxatives didn't help anymore, mini-clysters (Microlax) were my only remaining solution, and in the meantime, my innards were all but destroyed. I tried everything I could find, and nothing helped. I thought it was because of keto/IF, as I'd read it was a common side-effect, but.... Then I read an article on here about how artificial sweeteners kill gut bacteria. I stopped taking those (Diet coke, and a LOT of tea with 3 to 5 doses of sweetener in. Anything that was sugar-free was filled with artificial sweeteners... Aaargh!), took gut bacteria capsules to restore the gut-balance, and in a day or two my stool returned to normal. After MONTHS of agony! I'd already been taking those capsules, but tossing in sweetened tea or coke after, defeated the purpose. Now I take those capsules daily, and eat sauerkraut once or twice a week. Works like a charm, have no problems going every morning, like clockwork, with a fabulous concistency. (I still feel like throwing a party when it happens!) The damage after months of being "stuck" and using medicinal clysters is extensive though, and I'm still healing one season later. From what I understand it'll take a while longer to heal (still have bleeds and hemorrhoids, alas, but the diverticulitis and painful bloating have gone), but I'm just glad to be able to go.

I do have to wonder though, if you eat normally on the weekends... Bread, long before I ever even got diagnosed as a T2, constipates me something awful. It wasn't until I stopped eating it, and then had it once a few months in, and as an experiment, trying it again a few weeks later, that I discovered that that was what had been plugging me up all my life. So that might be worth looking into as well, should bread factor into things on the weekends.

Dunno if any of this helps, but I do sincerely hope you'll feel better soon!
Jo

 

[Emile_the_rat]

Hi friends , although I am not prediabetic officially as hba1c was 5.1 but after having 2 gestational diabetic pregnancies and raised post 2 hour ogtt I consider myself at high risk ,I started low carb high fat diet 4 months ago lost 10 kg and feeling wonderful.I really want to continue this diet but this constipation is driving me nuts .I have to take laxative once in a week at least. Laxatives are not good for long term use . Please help me and guide me I usually take about 20 g carbs in a day . I tried adding fiber supplement but they are not effective for me.
Should I increased my carbs?
Should I doubled fiber supplement?

After attaining normal weight I eat normally on weekends l don't count carbs on weekends.

Can I ask what your 2 hour OGTT were, and whats your fasting blood sugar are?

You should not self-diagnosis, it can do more bad than good. You shouldn’t pretend to be pre-diabetic or diabetic if you aren’t.

Pregnancie can give elevated blood sugar and temporary «diabetes». But this is just temporary while pregnant, and does NOT mean you’re diabetic or would develope diabetes.

Adding more fiber will only make you more constipated, for sure.

 

[Rachox]

I’ve upped my intake of seeds to sort me out. I have a homemade LC chocolate granola (made from dessicated coconut and seeds sprinkled on SF jelly with cream as dessert every evening. Also a small portion of chia seed pudding as an afternoon snack every day.

Can I ask what your 2 hour OGTT were, and whats your fasting blood sugar are?

You should not self-diagnosis, it can do more bad than good. You shouldn’t pretend to be pre-diabetic or diabetic if you aren’t.

Pregnancie can give elevated blood sugar and temporary «diabetes». But this is just temporary while pregnant, and does NOT mean you’re diabetic or would develope diabetes.

Adding more fiber will only make you more constipated, for sure.

I have to disagree. I think @hazelzac is taking sensible precautions. She is at more risk of type 2 having had gestational diabetes:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/gestational-diabetes/

 

[Emile_the_rat]

I’ve upped my intake of seeds to sort me out. I have a homemade LC chocolate granola (made from dessicated coconut and seeds sprinkled on SF jelly with cream as dessert every evening. Also a small portion of chia seed pudding as an afternoon snack every day.



I have to disagree. I think @hazelzac is taking sensible precautions. She is at more risk of type 2 having had gestational diabetes:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/gestational-diabetes/

Promoting self-diagnosis is not good. You also have not enough information to say she is at risk of type 2 without knowing OGTT or fasting.

 

[Rachox]

Promoting self-diagnosis is not good. You also have not enough information to say she is at risk of type 2 without knowing OGTT or fasting.

I don’t think she has diagnosed herself with anything other than that she is at a higher risk of type 2 developing, having had gestational diabetes.

 

[Brunneria]

@Emile_the_rat

Just as none of us can diagnose, none of us can UN-diagnose, either.
No one on this thread has promoted self-diagnosis.

Hazelzac says she has had gestational diabetes twice. That puts her at HIGH risk of developing type 2 diabetes at some point in the future, and taking sensible precautions with regard to information gathering, and investigating ways of eating that help her, are very sensible long term actions.

In addition, this thread is for Hazelzac to ask about constipation - not for her to be cross-examined on whether you think she is self-diagnosing diabetes.

 

[Brunneria]

@hazelzac

You have had some great advice about constipation on low carb above, and there isn't much that I can add, except to say that in my case, I get constipation when low carbing for three reasons (especially when they combine). Not drinking enough. Not eating enough fat. And vegetable intake - but what I find most interesting is that sometimes too much fibre causes constipation, whereas too little doesn't. Weird, huh? I actually get bunged up if I eat high fibre foods. I guess it is just worth trying different things until you find the one that works for you.

 

[Jo123]

I was pre diabetic and had a similar problem. I sorted this by increasing my green veg, salads and avocados. I've no problems now, at all! I was already eating lots of nuts to stop losing too much weight.
This does involve increasing my carbs but my blood sugar remains at normal levels.

 

[bulkbiker]

Hi friends , although I am not prediabetic officially as hba1c was 5.1 but after having 2 gestational diabetic pregnancies and raised post 2 hour ogtt I consider myself at high risk ,I started low carb high fat diet 4 months ago lost 10 kg and feeling wonderful.I really want to continue this diet but this constipation is driving me nuts .I have to take laxative once in a week at least. Laxatives are not good for long term use . Please help me and guide me I usually take about 20 g carbs in a day . I tried adding fiber supplement but they are not effective for me.
Should I increased my carbs?
Should I doubled fiber supplement?

After attaining normal weight I eat normally on weekends l don't count carbs on weekends.

Are you actually finding it harder to poo or are you just wanting to go less?
I find now I have cut out most fibre from my diet I go a lot less.. every 2 or 3 days and recently when doing a 7 day fast I went once in 9 days! No discomfort.. just less carbage in less garbage out!
If it gets painful try some powdered magnesium citrate but beware it will get you going quite fast!

 

[ringi]

Not getting enough salt can also be a factor. Most people find that with time the problem sorts it's self out, hence it is very hard to know what changes worked, or if it just needed more time for the body to get use to a low-carb diet.

 

[Guzzler]

I had temporary bunged-upness and found that creamed decaff coffee sorted it out. I'm not sure now if it was the coffee or if it was that little bit extra healthy fat but whichever it was it worked for me.
NB I now eat fewer vegetables so fewer carbs and less fibre but no return of the uncomfortable 'being on the loo so long you lose all feeling in your feet' feeling.

 

[DCUKMod]

@Emile_the_rat - could you indulge me by telling me what your relationships is with diabetes?

 

[Emile_the_rat]

@Emile_the_rat - could you indulge me by telling me what your relationships is with diabetes?

I have some sort of drug induced diabetes, but my GP recently suspected that it might be mody instead because I have had both hypo- and hyperglycemia. I am on insulin treatment to control my blood sugar.

 

[DCUKMod]

I have some sort of drug induced diabetes, but my GP recently suspected that it might be mody instead because I have had both hypo- and hyperglycemia. I am on insulin treatment to control my blood sugar.

Thank you. If you are drug induced, does that not infer T3c?

 

[Emile_the_rat]

Thank you. If you are drug induced, does that not infer T3c?

I don’t have exocrine pancreatic insufficiency that are present in type 3c. I only have endocrine insufficiency (islet cells, insulin).

Think drug induced are a separate diagnosis, but not sure.

 

[hazelzac]

Do you drink enough water? Eat enough fats? Have you tried adding magnesium supplements, maybe oregano-oil? Full fat greek yoghurt or other fermented foods like sauerkraut? Those are basically the first stops.

TMI ahead: I had such bad constipation laxatives didn't help anymore, mini-clysters (Microlax) were my only remaining solution, and in the meantime, my innards were all but destroyed. I tried everything I could find, and nothing helped. I thought it was because of keto/IF, as I'd read it was a common side-effect, but.... Then I read an article on here about how artificial sweeteners kill gut bacteria. I stopped taking those (Diet coke, and a LOT of tea with 3 to 5 doses of sweetener in. Anything that was sugar-free was filled with artificial sweeteners... Aaargh!), took gut bacteria capsules to restore the gut-balance, and in a day or two my stool returned to normal. After MONTHS of agony! I'd already been taking those capsules, but tossing in sweetened tea or coke after, defeated the purpose. Now I take those capsules daily, and eat sauerkraut once or twice a week. Works like a charm, have no problems going every morning, like clockwork, with a fabulous concistency. (I still feel like throwing a party when it happens!) The damage after months of being "stuck" and using medicinal clysters is extensive though, and I'm still healing one season later. From what I understand it'll take a while longer to heal (still have bleeds and hemorrhoids, alas, but the diverticulitis and painful bloating have gone), but I'm just glad to be able to go.

I do have to wonder though, if you eat normally on the weekends... Bread, long before I ever even got diagnosed as a T2, constipates me something awful. It wasn't until I stopped eating it, and then had it once a few months in, and as an experiment, trying it again a few weeks later, that I discovered that that was what had been plugging me up all my life. So that might be worth looking into as well, should bread factor into things on the weekends.

Dunno if any of this helps, but I do sincerely hope you'll feel better soon!
Jo

Thanks Jo I'll try all these things

 

[hazelzac]

Can I ask what your 2 hour OGTT were, and whats your fasting blood sugar are?

You should not self-diagnosis, it can do more bad than good. You shouldn’t pretend to be pre-diabetic or diabetic if you aren’t.

Pregnancie can give elevated blood sugar and temporary «diabetes». But this is just temporary while pregnant, and does NOT mean you’re diabetic or would develope diabetes.

Adding more fiber will only make you more constipated, for sure.

I was on huge amounts of insulin during both of my pregnancies ,was taking insulin three times a day ,protaphane was near 200 units in last months ,my Endo guided me about lifestyle modifications after pregnancy as I was not huge in terms of weight ,my fasting was 5.1 to 5.4 before starting keto now it is 4.6 to 5.1.
My post 2 hour oggt result was 8.3 or 8.7 .it was after my 2nd pregnancy.I am in Australia and according to my GP I m not prediabetic as my hba1c was normal but they will repeat the tests in 6months .
I have seen life with diabetes during my pregnancies and I want to avoid it at any cost.

 

[hazelzac]

I’ve upped my intake of seeds to sort me out. I have a homemade LC chocolate granola (made from dessicated coconut and seeds sprinkled on SF jelly with cream as dessert every evening. Also a small portion of chia seed pudding as an afternoon snack every day.



I have to disagree. I think @hazelzac is taking sensible precautions. She is at more risk of type 2 having had gestational diabetes:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/gestational-diabetes/

Thanks for your support ,means a lot to me as with 2 kids it's not easy to do something for myself.

 

[hazelzac]

Are you actually finding it harder to poo or are you just wanting to go less?
I find now I have cut out most fibre from my diet I go a lot less.. every 2 or 3 days and recently when doing a 7 day fast I went once in 9 days! No discomfort.. just less carbage in less garbage out!
If it gets painful try some powdered magnesium citrate but beware it will get you going quite fast!

Thanks I'll try magnesium