Question:
i graze like crasy...then realise im constipated

This is gonna sound crasy, but i have dug and dug on this internet looking for anything remotely close to whats going on with me and i cant find anything. I am 1yr and 9 mnths post op rny and im at goal. I lost 160 lbs and weigh 135. I'vebeen at goal for 4months now. Here is my problem. I have severe constipation. Like its me and milk of magnesia a couple times a week or i cant go. (nothing serious.....all has been checked, just a little side affect i have learned to deal with) well.....what im learning is that i will catch myself grazing and munching on whatever isnt nailed down and about half way through the day i stop and think whats going on, why are you doing this to yourself? Its only been in the last little bit though that i realise when i am constipated i eat alot. Is this normal and does anyone else out there do this????? You would think it would be just the opposite, but im telling you its my pattern. Please help! Darlene N.    — darlene N. (posted on September 11, 2003)

September 11, 2003
I don't eat more when I'm constipated (though I do eat more when I'm tired). Now that you see the pattern, you can try to break it -- I'm not always successful, but once I realized how much I overeat when tired, it helped me realize I wasn't gonna get more energy from food (just from sleep!).<P>As far as the constipation goes -- I'm sure you know that's a common post-op problem. Some people swear by flaxseed (ground up fresh). Might be worth a try. For me, adding All-Bran to my regular cereal worked (where Benefiber didn't particularly work). There's loads of threads in the library with other ideas for fighting constipation -- you might want to give some of those solutions a try, too. I would imagine general grazing (unless it's on high-fiber foods) doesn't really help, and may make things worse. Even drinking more water would be a better solution (though again, it wasn't enough, by itself, for me.) Good luck!
   — Suzy C.

September 11, 2003
I am only 4 months post op and personally I can't possibly eat more when constipated, but find I can hardly eat. My thinking on the matter might be that your body might be trying to add bulk in order to "push" things into motion. Just a thought.
   — Happy I.

September 11, 2003
Darlene, I have had the same problem with grazing on mine begins at night. I found that if I take 3 Citricel tablets for fiber it helps me to stop the grazing and makes me have regular bowel movements. You might want to start with 2 tablets and see if that helps first. The bottle says you can take up to 6 per day. You need to take with a full glass of water because it adds bulk fiber and needs extra water to wash down. I purchase my Citricel at Sams where it seems to be the cheapest. Also, for grazing times, choose low fat Triscuits. They give you the crunch most persons need and they are also very high in fiber.
   — Jane S.