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Can a lack of carbs be causing my constipation?

There is nothing wrong with using a laxatives (ask your chemist for one that is low in sugar), most people find that issues with constipation stop once their body is used to a new diet. (I no longer need to take additional salt unless on holiday.)
 
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If you eat a healthy balanced LCHF diet you ought not have a problem - we managed just fine for many years before all the carb heavy food that gets eaten now. On LCHF we eat less "junk" so there's no need to keep expelling it all - so just "go" when you need to and not when you think you should. Your body may take a little while to adjust to its new regime - I found that after about a week or so things for me were back to normal. I'm quite happy with the fibre I'm getting from essentials such as green veggies, nuts, seeds and the occasional sticks of rhubarb, with plenty of fluids, and a little oil for "lubrication"!

Robbity
 
Bluetit1802 said:
I must be very odd. I had a problem or two right at the beginning, solved with eating seeds and drinking more. I haven't had a problem since - once daily, same time every morning, Nice and smooth, no issues. I don't eat much veg.
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That's me, too! I eat less veg than I used to, but I've upped my seed and nut intake so it's all stayed much the same as it has for the last, oooo, 33 years (how long I've been a vegetarian)
 
If you’re having a problem going, have you tried lifting your feet? So that you’re in more of a squatting position? I’ve got a laundry basket in front of the toilet, which works perfectly for this, or there’s a device called a “squatty potty” that you wrap around the base of your toilet. They’re at www.squattypotty.com - and there’s a hilarious video at
A friend of mine adores hers.

Apparently there is a sort of “strap” of muscle around the lower bowel that can stop the poo passing when we sit on the bog in classic Western position. If you can make it more of a squat, as humans have been doing for millennia, it’s much easier to do the job.
 
I don't do "low" carb, I would probably describe myself as moderate carb at about 100g planned carbs per day. I have struggled with constipation for ages despite drinking plenty, attempting to exercise, eating plenty of salad/veggies/fruit, eating plenty of fibre, and even diet soft drink which can sometimes have a laxative effect. I wonder if it's just a diabetes thing and unrelated to carb count. I tried an enema which worked for a couple of days then things went back to the usual slight constipation. You could try asking your doctor if an enema would help you.
 
When I went on the low-carb diet I had problems similar to those reported by @Rachox and solved them in the same way (adding seeds and so forth, and increasing fluid intake). I also added a very small quantity of wheat bran -- just one tablespoon per day, since it is high-carb. Like her, I found that these fixes worked most of the time although still with the occasional constipation issue.

Recently the problem has gone away completely, but I attribute that to a deliberate switch of diet, from fewer than 50 grams of carbs per day, to a more moderate 70 grams per day (achieved by adding a drink of one pint of good beer per day). This has resulted in an increase in frequency and looseness of BMs. Three months after starting this more liberal regime, my A1c has not budged significantly, so I seem to be "getting away with it" although it will continue to be closely monitored. The ending of the constipation issue is a nice bonus.

Sorry if this is TMI, but since that is the subject of this thread....
 
I generally skip breakfast but use inulin dissolved in water which I add daily to my morning cup of coffee it’s tastless and it works every time for me!
 
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