There is no doubt that in the process of eliminating constipation forever you’ll find yourself in the position of getting rid of the laxatives in your current diet regime.
These laxatives come in many forms such as:
- Bulking laxatives (the most common one out there ‘on the market’: fiber!)
- Stimulant laxatives
- Osmotic laxatives
- Herbal laxatives
- Stool softeners
There is no doubt that the relief that comes from a laxative that works when you’re suffering from intense constipation feels like heaven. However, the perception that laxatives are reliable, safe, and the answer to your digestive ailment is just an illusion.
The truth is that they are incredibly dangerous over time.
Sure, they give you a little relief today, but in some tomorrow not far away you’ll finally see the damage they’ve done.
I can’t tell you the amount people that have come to me with the story that everything was going fine and dandy when using laxatives to relieve their constipation until one day, without any prior notice, the laxative stopped working.
More accurately, it wasn’t so much that the laxative stopped working, it was that their body stopped responding to the laxative. The laxative stayed the same; it was the body that changed.
That’s what laxatives do. They slowly condition your bowels to not operate with their own innate wisdom by slowly teaching them to rely on an outside cause to effect an inner bowel movement. They literally change the workings of the bowels by signally them to ‘play dead’.
Now, you may be saying, ‘Well Kris, my bowels weren’t even moving that well in the first place’.
I understand.
I’m not some health god that has never made a mistake; I’m a person, just like you, who decided to not stop for anything until I cracked the code to curing my digestive problem. Most peoples laxative of choice is excessive amounts of fiber. I didn’t know it, but when I ate large amounts of fiber I was stretching out my colon unnaturally. When the effectiveness of the fiber began to wane I started to really question what was going on. Little did I know at the time that the fiber was feeding the bad pathogens I had in my unhealthy gut as well.
When I discovered that the only people who were NATURALLY 100% FREE from their constipation for good were the ones that had completely given up laxatives I knew that was a big piece to the puzzle. I’m so grateful that I met these people and the lessons they taught me. This is why I share it all with you… I’m just passing it on.
Reflecting back on it, the very fact that someone is using a laxative means they aren’t free from constipation.
There’s no two ways about it.
Now the act of actually coming off the laxatives can be quite easy or a little challenging depending on your current use of them, how long you’ve been relying on laxatives, and the overall health of your gut.
It relies on you very slowing reducing your laxative intake, whilst increasing your intake of good healthy fats into your diet and reducing protein and carbohydrate intake if it is currently above these following requirements…
Fat: 60-70%
Protein: 15-20%
Carbohydrates: 20-25%
It is a real balancing act and should never be rushed.
Your carbohydrate intake per day should be at least 400 calories (100grams) from fruit, vegetables and safe starches such as potato and rice (if you’re able to currently handle them) which will keep you out of ketosis. I also recommend not eating any raw plant foods as your gut just isn’t up to that stage yet. Instead, cook your vegetables thoroughly.
To relieve any constipation that may arise whilst getting rid of laxatives from your life, I recommend giving yourself an enema. This is the safest way to eliminate any backed up stools. Do this every 2-3 days if need be. If for some reason you just hate enemas and need some sort of ‘laxative’ the least harmful one I know is to take 1,000mg of vitamin C every hour (or 2,000mg once every two hours), while you are awake until you reach bowel tolerance which is when your stools become loose. I do not endorse this at all as I know that the enema is much more healthier, but I just felt I should put it out there for those who find enemas unbearable.
Be patient with yourself. Try to not get frustrated with yourself and your body.
It takes a little time, but anything that’s valuable in life always takes some time.
Best in health to you,
Kris Cleary
How are you finding the experience of getting off laxatives? What challenges are you experiencing? What successes have you enjoyed? Let me know by commenting below…
This is wonderful! Thank you Kris
I was wondering about enema’s b/c i have heard they can lead to a dependancy on them, but i think they must be referring to using that daily while you say every 3 days as needed.
Personally i really struggle with % of macronutrients- knowing what to plan for meals on any given day. is there a site that one can type in calories one aims for a day then fits it into this macronutrient breakdown you gave? Basically a meal plan (idea) that would meet % requirements from the foods you typically eat in day?
If not will you pretty please post what this would look like in one day example menu.
Hi Ali!
Great to hear from you again.
In terms of calories and macronutrients here is some basic information for you…
If you want to maintain your current weight, times (x) your current weight in pounds by 14. The result is the amount of calories a day you need to maintain your weight.
So, for example, if I weighed 154lb, I would do:
154 x 14 = 2156
I would need 2156 calories a day to maintain my current weight.
To find out my macronutrient needs I would use the 2156 calories.
So say I wanted 65% fat, 25% carbs, and 10% protein I would find it out this way:
FAT: 2156 x 0.65 = 1401 calories
CARBS: 2156 x 0.25% = 539 calories
PROTEIN: 2156 x 10% = 215 calories
The amount of calories per gram of each of the macronutrients is as follows:
Fat: 9 calories per gram
Protein: 4 calories per gram
Carbs: 4 calories per gram
So to find how many grams of fat, protein, and carbs I need per day this is what I would do:
FAT: 1401 ÷ 9 = 156 grams
CARBS: 539 ÷ 4 = 135 grams
PROTEIN: 215 ÷ 4 = 54 grams
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That’s an example of how you would find out your macro-nutrient needs in terms of grams.
Thanks for the idea about putting up meal plans! I think that is a great idea. =) I’ll get on to that as soon as I can Ali!
Best in health,
Kris
Thanks Kris,
that does make it easier to estimate
Being honest, now looking at this – my problem is spending the time to look up all the macro-nutrients of foods, weigh foods, figure out what foods actually have what i need etc…
But im sure i will give it a try.
This is why i did so well on low fat – easy(!!) just dont eat foods with fat – done! But then you have bathroom problems b/c you have no fats in there!
Lately I’ve been looking into Atkins approach b/c it has the fats to help the constipation problem and i dont have to weigh foods etc…
It seems similar to what you may post for meal ideas, by the way i cant wait for that.
I”m so lost with learning how to eat meats and fats again and lower fiber at the same time after living on fiber for decades. Stressing about this, as you have noted, is not good on many levels including the gut…
Hi Ali,
I remember the daunting feeling when I first started too… weighing foods, figuring out what macro-nutrients different foods have, etc. But I tell you, it’s a whole lot easier than you think. Why is it easier? Because at the start you’ll be weighing food and researching macro nutrients but then you’ll stop it… because you’ll start to get a “feel” for how much macro nutrients you’re eating and you’ll also start to “feel” what your body needs!!
The ratio example I gave above it a great place to start. Also above I said, “It is a real balancing act”. Because you’ll start at the above ratio but you might start to listen to your body and realise it needs not 60% fat, but higher… maybe around 70 or 80% fat. And you will naturally just reduce your protein and carbs and up the fats. And you won’t go hungry by having a smaller amount of carbs and protein because fats are incredibly satiating.
Or maybe you feel you need a little more protein in your diet and you’ll increase it by FEELING your way. You won’t bother ‘measuring’ as you will just know how much fat/protein/carbs you are getting. Others, and yourself if you want, may continue to be more detailed in their measurements rather than ‘feeling their way’ and that is fine too.
No EXACT macro nutrient ratio is perfect for EVERYONE. But in my experience, the ratio’s I mentioned in the post are the best ones to recommend as a whole. You will find your ratio’s will alter during time when you’re listening to what your body needs.
I like the saying, ‘never make food a fundamentalist religion’. Eating, cooking, etc should never have such harsh and confined rules you must follow forever so the idea of food repels you. Sure, there are times when you need to eliminate a certain food/s for a period of time, sometimes a long time, but this should never been seen as punishment, rather it should be seen as an experiement or curiosity. And it should definitely been seen as a process of healing a damaged body.
I would be wary of the Atkins diet. Atkins is automatically a ‘low carb’ diet, which may be helpful in some cases, but it can be harmful for many with constipation as it can further make worse other conditions that the person has such as a damaged thyroid. Unfortunately the diet promoted today by the brand owners looks little like what Atkins actually believed in. There are lots of low carb processed food products they promote which are only going to be harmful for someone with digestive stress.
Thanks for the idea for adding meal ideas Ali! I’ll do it shortly.
Oh, how do you like the new blog design?
Best in health,
Kris Cleary
Oh boy I never did well with much protien, More so “cooked” animal protein, thar is why I initially avoided Atkins litature. But due to needeing some animal protein I rather have less carbs (so I’m not as hungry)and more fats. Fat literally leaves me feeling happy and in a great mood, along with more energy than I got from a high fruit diet.
I’m sure you are aware of the raw food (vegan) diet and it gets promoted as the cure all ( constipation included). So I’m extra curious why you say to “cook” the vegetables rather than have them raw when raw is promoted as being bowel moving foods?
sorry i have one more question – carbs?
do they help with the constipation or is it insignificant when the goal is low fiber? I’m playing with the idea of just juicing my veggies (very little fiber there) and all meals being rare meats with low fiber fatty produce (coconut butter, olives, avocado). so is this a disaster plan? Or could it help?
Thx Kris
Hi Ali,
The goal of CYC is not to go low fiber or super-low fiber. It is simply to go “normal fiber”. Maybe it appears super-low fiber in comparison to what we are told to intake whilst growing up. So getting some secondary fiber intake through vegetables is not a bad thing at all. Fiber isn’t a menace in itself, it’s the DOSAGE of fiber which is the menace.
Fatty meats is a great idea. So it the Coconut butter/oil. Watch out for the avocado which is pretty high in fiber.
But remember, TAKE YOUR TIME when reducing fiber intake. I know the instinct is to rush but, trust me, it will do more harm than good. Just take your time and allow your body to get used to the adjustments a little at a time. Treat your body with nurturing.
Ali, I’m so happy you’re making a commitment to one of the most important things in your life; your health. Congratulations!
Best in health to you,
Kris Cleary
“Ali, I’m so happy you’re making a commitment to one of the most important things in your life; your health. Congratulations!”
Thank you for giving time to writing about this to help others!
Ali,
Thanks for the kind words on the new design! =)
It’s great you experience more wellness after eating fats. That is your body talking to you =) The amount of demonization that fats have been given by our current culture never ceases to amaze me. ‘skim milk’, ‘skinless chicken breast’, ‘low-fat yogurt’, etc are all a complete joke!
The reason I recommend cooking vegetables is become they are much easier to digest for a gut that is damaged and in a sorry state. Cooking can also maximize the amount of nutrients available for our body to absorb as well, and also cooking adds flavor to food and it will be much easier to add fats to your meals through cooking.
Best in health,
Kris
Hi, I am new here and have a question…I have dealt with constipation my whole life, but it’s gotten worse since I have had my children. (I’m 28 and have 5). I hardly ever had a full bowel movement, and when I do sometimes it’s so large that it takes several hours of pain and straining to pass. I also cannot eat alot of fiber, because it gives me horrible gas and huge, hard stool. I drink lots of water, I don’t drink cokes or milk, I try to avoid foods that trigger constipation for me (corn is one of them!).I’ve tried everything under the sun, and just this week have found a miraculous cure. I’ve been taking 1-2 milk of magnesia caplets each night, and I have very soft bowel movements first thing in the morning, with no cramping. I’ve never had 5 consecutive bm’s before this. Does Milk of Magnesia cause dependence with long term use?
Hi Megan,
Welcome to the Real Constipation Remedies blog. Great to have you here! =)
Five children at the age of 28! Bravo, and congratulations! I’m sure you have a beautiful family.
Yes, it’s quite common for women to experience constipation after giving birth. Short term constipation after birth is called ‘Postnatal Constipation’ and is extremely common. When this constipation continues long-term it obviously points to a deeper issue. In your case, having constipation before giving birth and then having it worse over is probably a sign that your body was under some obvious stress that was taxing during that period of having five children. What was your diet like over the last 5-10 years Megan?
Milk of magnesia is basically a magnesium supplement. Now, I recommend magnesium as a supplement (specifically, magnesium citrate) so it isn’t the worst thing on the planet. However, it is no doubt just offering a short term solution that is not helping the ROOT CAUSE of your constipation. Also, magnesium is mainly excreted by the kidneys so, if you have some partial kidney failure, long-term, daily consumption of milk of magnesia could lead in theory to hypermagnesemia. Another problem with Milk of Magnesia is that magnesium hydroxide is not the best form of magnesium for supplementation. And milk of magnesia also contains other inactive ingredients such as saccharin sodium and sodium hypochlorite which can be harmful in the long term.
I would recommend on weaning yourself off it only while at the same time you support your body nutritionally so you can cure your constipation by treating the cause. When you fix the cause EVERYTHING changes.
Thanks for the comments – all four of them. I look forward to hearing again from you shortly.
Kris
Kris,
Its SO frustrating. I take digestive enzymes, probiotics, exercise, drink over a gallon of water per day and from what Ive thought I eat pretty good. That said, I have never completely elimnated grains or gluten from my diet and I have never supplemented with good fats either. I just picked up Omega 3′s and Udos Oil last week after doing some major research on the internet in search of an answer. I am also a very high stress person persay and have been told by a colonic hydrotherapist that I carry stress in my gut.
In your experience/research would you say that a person that used 2 Ex Lax pills per day for a span of 8 years during their teens due to an eating disorder has irreversible nerve damage? I ask this because I did this several years ago during my teens and I have not been able to “go” without coffee on an empty stomach first thing in the morning. Without my coffee “regimen” I will NOT go.
My main question for you is, from what I have explained is there any hope for reversing my past. I have never had a GI Dr confirm that i have nerve damage, but, I cant help but presume that I do from 8 years of usuage even though at the time I didnt see 2 pills per day as a lot. Laxatives do not work on me at all anymore, nothing Except coffee in the morning does and during times of stress that doesnt work either.
Your input is appreciated.
Thank you.
Hi Liz,
It’s hard to know whether or not someone has irreversible nerve damage. Only tests with a neurologist can help with that dianosis.
But chances are you DON’T have it. Being young of age is also a major plus on your side as well! Also the fact that having a coffee (stimulant) allows you to go in the mornings is a strong sign that your digestive tract CAN work ok. Unfortunately coffee is not the most helpful and natural way to move your bowels and is a sort of short-term ‘trick’.
I’m in the process of writing a book that will lay out everything I know about constipation and how to cure it. It looks like it will be ready in a few weeks time. I recommend signing up to my free email newsletter in the meantime, and also cutting out any gluten from your diet to see if you experience any positive changes.
Best,
Kristopher