Not been in 1wk and a half! Help please.

[Danni28]

Could someone help with this please!
I have been on Atkins plan 5 weeks, 2nd day on OWL. I have not had a bowel movement in a week and a half. I have been taking psyllium Husk Caps for last 2 days and stil lnothing, also eating mountains of vegetables. I am feeling really bloated and getting deperate now.
Has anyone been in this situation at all,i dont really want to take a laxative,what else couldi do?
Alsocan psyllium caps cause you to stall?

Any help will be very much appreciated.
Thanks
Danielle

[Georgiana]

Are you drinking enough water? Otherwise taking extra fiber (flax, psyllium husks, wheat bran) will just make the problem worse.

[Zarabelle]

Poor you! I would take 3mg vitamin C - that should do it!

[Georgiana]

Originally Posted by Zarabelle

Poor you! I would take 3mg vitamin C - that should do it!

Yep... or magnesium oxide.

[Danni28]

Hi Georgina. Yep i am taking in about 3litres of water a day,i did read up on psylium Husks on internet so i realized the importance of water,good advice though.
Perhaps its just a waiting game, give the caps a few more days. If you had to name the best thing for it,what would you recommend?

Thanks again
Danielle

[Georgiana]

Originally Posted by Danni28

Perhaps its just a waiting game, give the caps a few more days. If you had to name the best thing for it,what would you recommend?

I never had this problem, even when I was doing Induction. But different things work best for different people -- for some it's flax, for some it's spinach, for some it's exercise. In my opinion, at this point you should try either vitamin C or magnesium oxide.

[kibskix]

i've never tried the husks before, I just stick to flax because It tastes yum, and it usually works within 6-12 hours.

[TGIFriday]

I know that you don't want to take a laxative but a week and a half is not healthy! You may end up in the ER and they will give you a laxative. Milk of magnesia is great for most people, just don't leave the house after taking it. Usually works in as early as 2 hours or within 8 hours. I have also found that the psyllium capsules do not seem to be as effective as the powder by spoon, at least for me. Sometimes you have to take more than the recommended dosage for the problem. I have never had a problem on this diet, in fact I have been more regular than ever with all of the water and vegetables. Funny how people can be so different!

[transypodge]

I find that drinking coffee gets me going. It is, afterall, a natural laxative. If you're squeamish about the caffeine, you could always try decaf. Just a thought.

[JulieB]

Everybody is different, but for me coffee & a walk gets me going.

Once you get past this...keep taking the psyllium (or whatever works for you) daily to avoid it happening again. I take psyllium or flax meal (make sure the seeds are ground up) everyday, and still don't go nearly as often as I used to. Flax is easy to 'hide' inside food - I just mix the psyllium powder in 1/2 cup of water and down it.