if you don’t like talking about poop or are at all squeamish about bodily functions (or my bodily functions), just look at the pretty kitty and come back tomorrow. i mean it. this is your last warning.
seriously now, regular bowel movements are really wonderful. one can’t appreciate their lack until they’re subjected to the Evil Constipation. i know i sound like that other, significatly more interesting heather, but ever since i started weight watchers my guts have just not been playing nice. i’ve been taking some extra fibre in pill form for the last week in hopes of getting everything moving again. i think it’s finally kicking in.
for most of my life i was constipated. compound that with an unhealthy amount of public washroom phobia (not of them, but of fellow patrons knowing i’m using them) and i spent many years full of shit. going to the bathroom was a serious effort that took a lot of time and very strong kegels. i was lucky if i dumped twice a week, and i really wish i was exaggerating about that.
then, i don’t know what happened. several years ago, in another bid to get healthy and thin, i started exercising and eating dramatically different. healthy food, veggies all over the place, less junk and more fibre. suddenly i was pooping like a normal person! i didn’t have to look for a plunger (just in case) before i sat down to go. i was even pooping every day! it was like seeing god, and i really wish i was exaggerating about that.
as time went by and my regular pooping became a regular part of my life, i started to take it for granted. as i got more comfortable with my regular pooping, i also became more comfortable with pooping in non-home environments. i recognized that my body liked to poop at ten a.m. and didn’t like me making it wait until after work, so i stopped making it wait. i finally became a public pooper! considering i wouldn’t pee in a public washroom unless i was alone or another person was peeing or flushing to mask the sound of my tinkle, this was quite the accomplishment.
considering all the history i have with my poop, this last month has been quite uncomfortable and frustrating. i don’t know exactly what it is about what i’ve been eating that has so dramatically changed my internal functions, but it has not been pleasant. the interesting thing is, it seems to be a common occurance for people on ww if the number of times the topic comes up on the message boards is any indication. that’s where i got the idea to try a fibre supplement. i certainly hope this is just a temporary adjustment period and things find their proper balance sooner rather than later because i know that the last thing you people want is a daily report on my poop.
Changes in bowel functions are pretty normal with a dramatic change in diet. If your problem doesn’t go away in about 2 weeks, then I’d talk to your doc about it.
God, I’m such a biology geek.
i like the sound of the word “poop”. does that make me weird?
So why did you decide to do WW instead of what worked for you before, you know.. the good poop method?
Also, as always keep hydrated.
.. and for those of us that don’t particularly like cats (the poop I dont mind, the cat however….)
here’s a dog picture
no links.. oh well, click on my name then.
I was going to say something, but, um, I’m speechless.
LOL. I used to be that way, too, heather. Bathroom phobia, I mean. I still flush the toilet when I know I have to let ‘er rip. ;-) You know, to mask. I’m always amazed at some of the ppl I work with though. There was a woman who was in the stall next to me. All of a sudden, you hear, “Oooooo, GAAAAWD” then a sound I will not describe. So gross. I ran. Far, far away. So yeah. Courtesy flush, baby. I don’t go anywhere without it! ;-D
If I may weigh in here…
One thing I did to overcome my public restroom fear is to do “selective store / commercial building pooping” – that is to say, I pick establishments that are clean worthy. And, if possible, always in a high rise and at the top floors with less traffic. Works like a charm and nary a problem.
oh my, it’s ME it’s ME… you’re talking about me… all of it! now if only I would stop being shy about posting on blogs!
It’s helpful to remember that defecation is the great human leveler. There isn’t a person who hasn’t gotten by without it and we all are intimately aware of our own poo habits. If we could realize how little the next person cares about how we sound when doing something so basic to our health, we could all.. um… loosen up! In our apartment, poop is a laughing matter and joked about regularly.
On another, health-related note… I know several people who swear by the following; when you are feeling like you’re getting sick (like, head cold, etc), take a spoonful or two of Milk of Magnesia (in the evening, preferably)… the theory is that “buildup” in our system prevents most other things from functioning to their best (like the immune system), so a regular dose of human Drano is supposed to restore us back to normal. Haven’t tried it myself, but the people I know who do don’t typically get sick.
Weird, I got more people visiting my website from my comment about being speechless than any comment where I’ve ever actually SAID anything.
Maybe I should shut up more!
I, personally, have been blessed with the bowels of a goddess, and I am SO appreciative. One of my best friends has had the same Lucky If I Go Once A Week bowels, so, of course, me and my Go Pretty Much After Each Meal bowels (or At Least Twice a Day bowels) feel blessed. However, I hear there’s a nasty side effect of pregnancy that results in Evil Constipation Demons taking over the bowels, so I am very afraid.
i have the opposite problem of the ‘poop once a week folks’. i would like to have a day during the week when i dont have to poop. sometimes i go once a day, sometimes i go 10 times, i know i have digestive issues. i actually used to take a lot of calcium for its “binding” effects. which is worse? going all the time or not going enough?