[solidcitizqueen]

Ok, I hope someone can tell me why men tend to be more regular than women. I eat much healthier than hubby, and he can go like 3-4 times a day, and I might go every other day. I drink water, work out, don't eat red meat, nor do I smoke or drink alcohol at all. I don't drink soda (unless I need the texture from an Icee when it's hot outside), and only have coffee like 2 times a week (which really pushes my system through every single time, and I don't want to drink coffee more for help). I've done a colonic, I eat a yogurt and an apple almost every single day. I've tried almost everything any "regular" woman has suggested. I just don't get it! I don't want to think it's "just genetic" because my lifestyle is MUCH better than my mother's ever was, and she lived on Correctol (or whatever it was).
Thanks to all who reply to help me make sense of this. Men are so lucky!

 

[Marsupialmom]

Actually men are more likely to have motility issues than women.

There could be several things going on and gentics is one of them. There is no reason you have to bm every day. For some people once every 2-3 days can be normal. I know many colon cleansing "experts/promoters" argue this but this isn't reality for some. Going 3-4 times a day can actually be a bad thing and a sign of gastric distress or it can be normal. If you do not have any pain going every 2-3 days relax, that is your body.

There are things that you can do to promote bm'ing. The first is trying to sit on and go bm after meals. Your body is moving and you will be more likely to get things going if you try then. Soem people have luck waiting 5-15 minutes after a meal to try.

Apples can be constipating. Things on the BRAT (banannas, rice, apples, and toast) actually can be overly constipating for slow to go bowels. Try adding P fruits to your diet. My son has motility issues and apples and apple juice cause him issues. My girls could drink/eat them like crazy. But one has to stay away from Banannas because they constipate her so. Dairy can cause issues but yogurt ussually doesn't.

For some people you can get to much fiber.

 

[oneotamama]

Try ground flax seed. I used to think something was wrong w/my dh b/c he'd having 2-3 bm's a day. I thought it was unhealthy. Then I started using the flax seed b/c I was constipated. Now I'm going 2-3 times/day. And it feels wonderful. Perhaps that sounds a little gross, but man it feels good. I feel like it's my body's way of truly getting rid of the toxins in my system.

 

[solidcitizqueen]

Hitting up the flax this weekend..................nothing to lose. Thanks to you both for insight. I never feel abnormal, but feel like if it goes in, it should come out. My dogs, son, and hubby do it, but daughter and I don't.

 

[oneotamama]

Plus flax seed is good for so many things. I'm not positive, but I think I can recall it being good for high blood pressure and cholesterol. It's a good source of omega oils. At first it might seem strange on your food or whatever, but I got so used to it that now I don't even notice it. It has to be ground though to get all of the benefits. And it does spoil. So only grind enough up for a week or so. If you smell it when it's fresh out of the blender (I've also seen special grinders for flax seed) then you'll be able to tell when it smells different.

 

[FillingMyQuiver]

Just be careful w/ flax b/c it can irritate your intestinal lining. My dad has diverticulitus (sp??) and CANNOT have flax seed b/c it gets stuck and causes him PAIN. My mom has found that if she has flax she starts to have painful cramping of her intestines and has some bloody stools. When she cuts out the flax seed, the symptoims stop. Her natural doc said that's an indication that the flax seed is irritating her lining.

In my experience, most people don't have difficulty w/ flax seed, but like everything else, you need to be aware of your body and how it reacts.

 

[solidcitizqueen]

I thank you all for comments, and hope others continue to leave feedback.

 

[oneotamama]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zack419 Just be careful w/ flax b/c it can irritate your intestinal lining. My dad has diverticulitus (sp??) and CANNOT have flax seed b/c it gets stuck and causes him PAIN. My mom has found that if she has flax she starts to have painful cramping of her intestines and has some bloody stools. When she cuts out the flax seed, the symptoims stop. Her natural doc said that's an indication that the flax seed is irritating her lining. In my experience, most people don't have difficulty w/ flax seed, but like everything else, you need to be aware of your body and how it reacts.

Was the flax seed ground, or was your dad eating it whole?? I've never heard of that before!

 

[adoremybabe]

Couldn't you just get Flax oil?

 

[oneotamama]

Quote:

Originally Posted by adoremybabe Couldn't you just get Flax oil?

Good point!

 

[AntoninBeGonin]

Womens digestive systems are slower than mens.

~Nay

 

[FillingMyQuiver]

Quote:

Originally Posted by oneotamama Was the flax seed ground, or was your dad eating it whole?? I've never heard of that before!

It was ground. He would put it in some juice in the morning and drink it through a straw.

Quote:

Originally Posted by adoremybabe Couldn't you just get Flax oil?

You could, but it doesn't have the same effect. With flax oil, you're not getting the benefits of the fiber from the meal. Not only that, but (whole) flax seed is easier to store. You can buy it in bulk and store til you're ready to grind it. Flax oil is not stable and goes rancid fairly quickly so you need to properly guage how much you're going to use in a certain amount of time so that you don't have wasted oil.

 

[JaneS]

Your intestinal health is not genetic or sex related. Womens hormones do sometimes interefere with motility but overall it's your intestinal flora and digestive power that is the driving force.

It's not normal or desirable to go less than once per day. This allow toxins to reabsorb back into the system as they sit there and further disrupts your flora.

You might find help in Healing the Gut Tribe Cheat Sheet stickied in H&H forum. I'd recommend homemade yogurt, kefir, kombucha and fermented vegetables to start with to shift your intestinal flora.

Also magnesium is a common deficiency and that helps regulate bowels as well. I like the Natural Calm product. Take enough to make sure you go everyday while you are working on other diet related things.