Faster Transit Time

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metabolizm

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I probably average about one bowel movement per day, although my intestines seem to be very sensitive, and often freeze if they encounter something unfamiliar. Sometimes they’ll even freeze for one or two days.

Once in a while I’ll have two bowel movements in a day, and it feels great. If only that could happen every day.

I really haven’t worked out all the influences, but consistency in diet seems to be one, and relative freedom from stress another. I’ve tried eating more fibre, but that seems less important than making sure the intestines are happy. Some of my best bowel movements - haha - have occurred when I’ve been eating very low fibre.

Has anyone here managed to speed up their transit time, or gone from 1 to 2 or 3 bowel movements per day? As far as I can tell, frequent bowel movements generally reflect well on the state of one’s metabolism, and of course constipation is extremely common in hypothyroidism. I also understand that the faster the transit time, the less susceptible one is to gas, and that’s very appealing.
 

Maljam

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Interesting you have noticed more fibre doesn't help, this is the basis of Konstantin Monastyrskys work, the author of Gut Sense How to end the nightmare of colorectal disorders before they end you a very good website for people interested in the gut.

I have found certain fibres are better than others, for example a decent amount of mushrooms speed my bowel moments along and feels good, despite them not being particularly high in fibre. Adequate dietary fat is also of importance for these kinds of problems.

I personally don't think once a day is necessarily bad to be honest, as long as you feel good and the movement is easy and pleasant, if there was other things going on I would think something in the diet needed changing.

Speeding things along with supplements like cascara are good to feel better in emergencies but don't fix the root of the problem.
 

Andman

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cant seem to get there myself, although metabolism/overall health seems solid. tried most things from antibiotcs to thyroid to various fiber intake levels, some work better than others but nothing seems to really do the trick for long
 

Maljam

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cant seem to get there myself, although metabolism/overall health seems solid. tried most things from antibiotcs to thyroid to various fiber intake levels, some work better than others but nothing seems to really do the trick for long

If your overall health is solid what is your concern about going to the toilet more? I would say for someone that feels good and is in good health but has 1 bowel movement a day, antibiotics are more of a risk than potential benefit in my opinion.
 

Andman

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If your overall health is solid what is your concern about going to the toilet more? I would say for someone that feels good and is in good health but has 1 bowel movement a day, antibiotics are more of a risk than potential benefit in my opinion.

well for one, solid (probably) isnt optimal so theres always room for improvement
also, relatively minor stresses still throw me off sometimes
 
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metabolizm

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Interesting you have noticed more fibre doesn't help, this is the basis of Konstantin Monastyrskys work, the author of Gut Sense How to end the nightmare of colorectal disorders before they end you a very good website for people interested in the gut.

He says that the ideal stool should be “small, finger-sized, and sometimes barely formed” — that just doesn’t seem right to me.

BUT there’s an absolute abundance of useful information on that website, which I had never seen, so thanks for the reference! Lots to mull over there.
 
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metabolizm

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cant seem to get there myself, although metabolism/overall health seems solid. tried most things from antibiotcs to thyroid to various fiber intake levels, some work better than others but nothing seems to really do the trick for long

That’s frustrating. Do you go once a day at least? Some would suggest that a lower fibre intake is best, contrary to popular opinion. I’m still undecided, but since I’ve definitely had periods of fast transit while eating low fibre, I’m inclined to believe it.
 

gately

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Magnesium 100-500mg, twice a day

Triphala 500-1000mg, this works over time

Some people need fiber. Some don’t. Flax seed, chia seed, psyllium husk are going to get a bad rap on this forum, and maybe for good reason, but they can be powerful bowel interventions in some cases.

Make sure you drink enough water throughout the day.

Make sure you go on a walk or exercise every day.

Ox Bile if the above doesn’t work.
 
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I totally think that faster transit time would fix almost everything wrong with most of us.

I take some cascara sagrada, and 500mg elemental magnesium in divided doses and eat some fruit and it all helps but not the way I want. I know this is the key to the kingdom.
 
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metabolizm

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I totally think that faster transit time would fix almost everything wrong with most of us.

I take some cascara sagrada, and 500mg elemental magnesium in divided doses and eat some fruit and it all helps but not the way I want. I know this is the key to the kingdom.

Yes, I see fast transit time as one of the best indicators of good health too - shame I’m so far from it! Someone above linked me to a website called gutsense.org - it’s pretty interesting, worth a look. The creator of that site believes that dietary fibre is the main cause of constipation, and reducing it as close to zero as possible will improve transit time, among other things. He actually reminds me of Ray in some ways. Although he’s so wary of fibre that he doesn’t even eat whole fruit - very extreme indeed.
 
OP
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metabolizm

Guest
Interesting you have noticed more fibre doesn't help, this is the basis of Konstantin Monastyrskys work, the author of Gut Sense How to end the nightmare of colorectal disorders before they end you a very good website for people interested in the gut.

I have found certain fibres are better than others, for example a decent amount of mushrooms speed my bowel moments along and feels good, despite them not being particularly high in fibre. Adequate dietary fat is also of importance for these kinds of problems.

I personally don't think once a day is necessarily bad to be honest, as long as you feel good and the movement is easy and pleasant, if there was other things going on I would think something in the diet needed changing.

Speeding things along with supplements like cascara are good to feel better in emergencies but don't fix the root of the problem.

I’ve been reading through that website, and find it really fascinating. Quirky as that guy is, a lot of what he says seems very sensible and clear. In some ways, he actually reminds me of Ray. Anyway, it’s got me thinking about fibre again...
 
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what about fiber?

There was that guy who wrote the book about how bad fiber is.

I have successfully gotten off psyillium to which I was addicted for years. Dr. Peat says it's mildly carcinogenic.

My gut is really slow, which I suspect is due to the dairy that I consume. Despite consuming fruit, magnesium and cascara and thyroid.

I had some success with mutaflor but it also increased my serotonin-originated headaches. I don't think that it is the key. I experimented with L. Reutieri but it didn't help.

I suspect I will have to focus on gut antibiotic substances. At the moment I'm taking some Pau D'Arco and artichoke root extract which seem to be promising but perhaps only in a slow way -- I don't note much different.
 
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I also think I'm still hypothyroid, even after several years of taking T3 etc.

I am having more success with NDT + T3 and maybe increasing the NDT slowly I can get to a mildly hyper state.

I was temporarily hyperthyroid (mildly) a year ago and my gut moved really fast, that was the only time aside from diarrhea type situations.
 

Risingfire

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I also think I'm still hypothyroid, even after several years of taking T3 etc.

I am having more success with NDT + T3 and maybe increasing the NDT slowly I can get to a mildly hyper state.

I was temporarily hyperthyroid (mildly) a year ago and my gut moved really fast, that was the only time aside from diarrhea type situations.
Have you ever tried cynoplus?
 

Sumbody

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Oct 23, 2018
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I probably average about one bowel movement per day, although my intestines seem to be very sensitive, and often freeze if they encounter something unfamiliar. Sometimes they’ll even freeze for one or two days.

Once in a while I’ll have two bowel movements in a day, and it feels great. If only that could happen every day.

I really haven’t worked out all the influences, but consistency in diet seems to be one, and relative freedom from stress another. I’ve tried eating more fibre, but that seems less important than making sure the intestines are happy. Some of my best bowel movements - haha - have occurred when I’ve been eating very low fibre.

Has anyone here managed to speed up their transit time, or gone from 1 to 2 or 3 bowel movements per day? As far as I can tell, frequent bowel movements generally reflect well on the state of one’s metabolism, and of course constipation is extremely common in hypothyroidism. I also understand that the faster the transit time, the less susceptible one is to gas, and that’s very appealing.

While I was supplementing/experimenting with Jiaogulan or also known as Gynostemma, I noticed what seemed like much faster transit times. From one or two stools a day to as much as 4 or 5. It is well known to increase metabolism quite strongly and I had to be careful about consuming it on an empty stomach.

The brand I tried was through a store that was promoted on here. It was by far the most potent extract/powder I ever had regarding Jiaogulan.

I also was once taking high dose B2 and B3 (Non-flush Niacin) and noticed increased bowel movements during that time as well. But I was also working at 8,000 ft elevation at the time from living basically at sea level. Not sure if elevation affected that or not.
 
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M

metabolizm

Guest
I also think I'm still hypothyroid, even after several years of taking T3 etc.

I am having more success with NDT + T3 and maybe increasing the NDT slowly I can get to a mildly hyper state.

I was temporarily hyperthyroid (mildly) a year ago and my gut moved really fast, that was the only time aside from diarrhea type situations.

I’m definitely hypothyroid, but I’ve managed to have one BM every day for a while now, somewhat reliably. But I’ve noticed that my gut is so sensitive that anything can throw it off balance. For example, I had some junk food for dinner last night - not something I normally do - and I was constipated this morning, and had to force the BM, which makes everything worse. So I think if you can eat pretty much exactly the same thing every day -no curveballs - you’re more likely to have a happy gut and quick transit. I’m going to focus on this for a while.
 

Collden

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How much time do you spend standing and more importantly walking on an average day?

Spending substantial amounts of time in a standing position seems to be crucial for gut motility.
 

Jib

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Mar 20, 2013
Messages
591
I definitely recommend a Lillipad. Could not be happier with mine:

Lillipad Squatting Platform

(No affiliation by the way, just a rabid fan)

I'm convinced squatting helps tremendously with fully emptying the bowels, reducing strain on the pelvic floor, and a host of other benefits. I was using the no longer produced "Nature's Platform" for many years and just got the Lillipad this past year and love it even more. Way smaller and more convenient and doesn't look as scary :) Anyway, if you're dealing with constipation you will absolutely want one of these, no questions asked. I'm very rarely constipated but when I am, being in the full squat position makes it manageable. I can't imagine not squatting and being constipated, that would be hell on earth. It facilitates bowel movements so much, the only downside is normal toilets will seem evil to you after you get used to this.


Daily for me: homemade kefir, a few bananas, a few apples. Sometimes I have blueberries/pears/other fruits. But the ~3 apples and 3 bananas daily seems to help. Kefir is controversial on this forum but it's absolutely helped my gut motility for the better. I don't always go right after waking up, but it's usually within an hour or so of waking, pretty reliably. I usually go twice a day, sometimes three times.

I started eating apples again after reading about their phytonutrients. And also to get over my borderline eating disorder with avoiding "non-approved" foods, such as foods higher in fiber. I'm trying to care less and just eat a slightly wider variety of foods again.

First meal of the day is always a kefir shake with two whole bananas, whey isolate, collagen, creatine/taurine/beta alanine. I kind of wing it the rest of the day with cheese, chocolate, eggs, sardines, apples, white rice, beef, whatever. Been on a bit of a hot sauce kick again and using a bunch of different spices with cooking. That can be risky with gut issues as spices can trigger diarrhea or general upset if you shock your system too much.

The kefir has been awesome. Not sure how much it's helped but honestly it feels like it's helped pretty tremendously. Started making kefir again after failing to overcome bloating/gas from milk after many months of trying. For a while I thought it was better but I was never able to drink large enough quantities. Could handle maybe 1 cup but would have issues with much more than that. With kefir I can drink an entire quart like nothing and have absolutely no issues.
 
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How much time do you spend standing and more importantly walking on an average day?

Spending substantial amounts of time in a standing position seems to be crucial for gut motility.

I walk 3 to 5 miles a day and stand a lot.
 

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