Very Loose stools! Help!

For questions or comments about health, diseases, exercise or weight.

Moderators: JeffN, f1jim, carolve, Heather McDougall

Very Loose stools! Help!

Postby nutragirl » Mon Apr 26, 2021 4:15 am

Dear Jeff,

I have transitioned from the Dr. Fuhrman Diet to Dr. McDougall. I was on the doctor futhman diet for three and a half years and consistently had very very loose stools, alternating constipation in the afternoon with little pellet balls. My doctor said that I had IBS. It never got any better.

Last October 2020, I had to take an antibiotic, I had not taken one in over 10 years. This amplified the loose stools and the small Hard to push out pallets in the afternoon.

I’ve watched so mnay of Dr. McDougalls videos Reiterating how his diet can solve those problems in a matter of 48 hours or so.

I started the diet two weeks ago, and realized I should probably do the elimination diet just in case there are food intolerances I was not aware of. Starting at the beginning like a baby.

I have been writing everything down and following the 80 20 plan as outlined in Dr. McDougall’s elimination diet. I have been using rice either brown or white, And winter squash as My starch. I am cooking the vegetables, and few fruits that I am eating. Which are the ones listed on the website documentation.

This is almost consistent with the brat diet currently as I’m starting. Using rice, and pumpkin, and a little cooked banana and a sprinkling of carrots for breakfast. And the other two meals almost similar. Some Incorporating other cooked vegetables in the lunch or dinner, but only 10%.

My stools are still the same. The first loose stool in the morning is hard to push out. And then I have two other loose stools after that. I would not consider it diarrhea as they are not watery. But, just completely fall apart, and look like what I eat. I am chewing the rice and I’m trying to relax during my meals.

I did have stool test samples taken recently, and supposedly nothing came out of those. As my doctor said everything was fine with the results.

I also took probiotics for a few months after the antibiotic, and that did nothing either.

I do not want to take over-the-counter or prescription medications, and I’m very fearful of having a colonoscopy.

I only weigh 99 Pounds right now and I’m fearful also of being on this elimination diet and not getting enough calories and losing weight.

Fyi...Every time I previously ate the nuts and seeds which are the more high calorie dense foods, I start breaking out in acne.

Please help, I don’t know what to do. I’m trying to believe that Dr. mcdougall knows better than Dr. Furman. I followed the doctor furhman diet religiously with my G bombs and all the other nutrient dense foods. I am a perfectionist, so when I set my mind to something I do it right. So believe me when I say I am doing the Dr. McDougall elimination diet, I am following it as best as I understand it. And any recommendations you give me, I will do my best to follow as I understand.

My friends keep telling me I need to eat meat, and I refuse To go back to any standard American diet or eating animal flesh. Everyone is worried about me. My doctor thinks I should be drinking ensure!

I don’t understand why eating rice and pumpkin and bananas and a few cooked vegetables are not fixing this problem.

I was initially worried when I was going to make the transition as a Dr. Fuhrman doesn’t have you eat very many starches. But clearly there’s still something else wrong with me.

The first food I want to incorporate in the elimination diet is potatoes to give me some more variety. But I don’t think I can move towards that step if I’m not regulated in my bowels.

I’m tired of this anxiety over the bathroom in the morning.

If I felt well and this were happening maybe it wouldn’t be so bothersome, but I have chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia for many years. This is basically why I transitioned to the whole food plant-based diet. But not feeling any better after 3 1/2 years.

Please help. I’m really at the end of my road.

Respectfully,
nutragirl
 
Posts: 3
Joined: Fri Apr 16, 2021 6:33 am

Re: Very Loose stools! Help!

Postby michaelswarm » Wed Apr 28, 2021 11:41 am

A couple of related thoughts. These are just ideas. I sympathize with your struggle. My girlfriend passed away 10 years ago from cancer. She declined surgery out of serious phobia. We consulted with both True North and Dr McDougall in Santa Rosa, as well as conventional doctors in Santa Clara, San Francisco and Texas.

My own stools tend to be soft more like soft serve ice cream than solid like a sausage. But don’t have hard stools unless breaking fast or taking an antibiotic. Something to work with knowledgeable professional about.

If you have not already, might want 2nd opinion on previous diagnosis.

Diet is not only cause of issues. Previous history and conditions like injuries and surgeries.

Sometimes a colonoscopy is necessary, but good to be cautious.

You might benefit from systematic approach and direct assistance from knowledgable plant based professional. Dr McDougall’s new 12-day online program, or something similar.

You might benefit from specialized assistance of plant based gastroenterologist. Physical exam might be useful. There are a handful of plant based gastroenterologist specialists.

Might even benefit from medically supervised water only fast, like True North. Give gut a rest, allow to heal, and see what symptoms improve.

You can use cooking methods like reduction, oven roasting and baking to increase calorie density of the starches and vegetables, without adding nuts and seeds. If whole wheat is on your menu, then whole grain bread and crackers doubles the calorie density over boiled or steamed grains. See Jeff Novick RD on calorie density, if you have not already. Applies to gaining weight, just like losing weight, just do the opposite.

Calorie Density
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0CdwWliv7Hg
User avatar
michaelswarm
 
Posts: 854
Joined: Sat Jan 01, 2011 11:01 pm
Location: Traveling Mexico and United States

Re: Very Loose stools! Help!

Postby Gwen » Sun May 02, 2021 6:14 pm

Don't know if this will help you, but it helped me;
APPLES.....I had my gallbladder out and after that I was loose frequently. Quite by accident, I decided to add an apple a day to my diet and I found I started having nicely formed BM's, most every morning after breakfast.
My husband has the opposite problem and has been have a little bit of apple everyday and it's helping him become more regular.
Apples and pectin....who knew??
Hope that helps,
Gwen
User avatar
Gwen
 
Posts: 532
Joined: Wed Jul 04, 2007 1:55 pm
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico

Re: Very Loose stools! Help!

Postby KillSwitch » Tue May 04, 2021 7:00 pm

michaelswarm made some excellent suggestions. Provided nothing is found medically wrong with you, I would give this *particular* supplement from Amazon a shot. I have personally had excellent results with it.

Good luck!


https://www.amazon.com/Foods-Psyllium-5 ... 188&sr=8-2
KillSwitch
 
Posts: 110
Joined: Wed Dec 30, 2020 12:04 pm

Re: Very Loose stools! Help!

Postby MINNIE » Wed May 05, 2021 8:29 am

Hi Nutragrl,

This isn't actually Jeff Novick's part of the forum, but you can ask him directly in the section under his name in "Connect".

I just wanted to add a few comments to what the others have said. The beauty of the McDougall plan is it's simplicity. There is no list of "must-have" supplements, no schedule for eating, no list of super-foods, nothing you need to buy other than basic food from any ordinary grocery.

It's just a matter of choosing some starches that you enjoy and planning your meals around those Optionally, add smaller amounts of whatever vegetables, fruits or seasonings you are able to digest, and give it a little time to see if you are feeling better.

That's really it. Pick a starch and focus on that whenever you are hungry.

It's the food!

My experience only with probiotics was that they gave me diarrhea and cost a lot money.

Sadly one of things most doctors/ dieticians/other healthcare practitioners can't tell you, because they don't receive training in this, is that gut bacteria can take a long time to recover from antibiotics.

They may just dismiss your issues with a simplistic "eat some fiber, go take a probiotic (and please go away). But that won't help the problem. I haven't encountered any doctors in real life who are willing to discuss antibiotic after-effects or side-effects.

There is mixed evidence for the effectiveness of probiotics, but you may have to dig through scientific papers to find out more. If the results of probiotics aren't what you hoped for, that's not abnormal. It may be better to try a simply food-based approach instead and see what happens.

Your microbiome is not like any other and what works for me might not work for you. So you have to literally trust your gut to tell you what works for you/it.

You will get there, but be ready for some trial and error on the way.

Best wishes!

P.S.

These short articles from the New York Times and BBC News give a short overview of the topic,

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/21/well ... otics.html I hope will be helpful.

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/2019 ... ntibiotics
MINNIE
 
Posts: 1880
Joined: Tue Jun 04, 2013 10:17 am


Return to Health Issues

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 7 guests



Welcome!

Sign up to receive our regular articles, recipes, and news about upcoming events.